Question on broodiness

[Anonymous]

Sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find it anywhere.

We currently have three chickens, and one of them (the silkie) has gone broody. I have tried shutting her out of the coop, and I even tried the bucket of water trick but she seems pretty determined. I am a bit reluctant to try anything more extreme as she seems pretty determined. I also want to avoid isolating her from the other hens as we did have trouble with her being bullied when we first got her and I don't want her to have to go through that again.

My question is, is there any real harm in just letting her get over it in her own time? At the moment I am turfing her out of the nest box first thing in the morning (with some corn thrown down) to make sure she gets somethign to eat. I am also taking her out at night to let her have a run around before it goes dark. I have seen her eating and drinking during these times (unfortunately I am at work during the day so I don't know if she comes out at other times). I am not really bothered about the eggs (she doesn't lay much anyway) and there are two nest boxes so the other two can still lay OK.

Am I OK to let her just get on with it, or is there more risk to her health? I don't want to cause her any distress trying to break the broodiness unless there is a specific reason to break her.

 

[Davidd]

Hello, you can just make sure she has no eggs to sit on- remove them as often as possible and keep taking her off the nest- she wil give up in the end- as long as she doesn't get very thin - i would dust her with louse powder as well- I just let some of my silkies sit- they do give up -eventually- if the weather is good- can you not lock them out of the house during the day? They will need food, water and some kind of shelter- but you could try that for a few days- just let them in at night-if your run is secure.
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

Well we both work so there is no one to keep an eye on them during the week. I check for eggs in the morning and when I get home in the evening so there is never more than one or two eggs for her to sit on (although some days she seems quite happy sitting in an empty b=nest box while there is an egg in the one next to her). I could shut her out but then I am shutting out the others too and they are still laying.

Is there an increased risk of lice? I have some red mite powder (we had a small outbreak last summer but I managed to get on top of it before it got serious) but do I need something else for lice? I have been checking under the perches but I have not seen any sign of lice or mites.

Thanks for your quick reply.

 

[Anonymous]

The only thing that worked with my Pekins last year was to shut them out of the house. Mind you they had all gone broody apart from one. I would only do it if the weather is ok though.
As long as she is coming out to eat and drink you can just leave her to it and remove the eggs as you are already doing..........................they can be really determind sometimes.

 

[Lordcluck]

Broodies are more susceptible to ectoparasites, as they are sedentary, and usually in a warm dark wooden nest box with straw, an ideal habitat for any bloodsucking creepy crawlies.
A sudden and severe outbreak of Red Mite can kill a broody overnight, so vigilance is needed, and a liberal application of louse/mite powder on the hen and the floor of the box will help.Northern mite can also be a problem, but tend not to be as destructive as Red Mite. Lice do not suck the bird's blood, but feed off of the feather and dead skin detritus, so are an irritation to the bird rather than a serious health risk.
Being Broody is a strain on a bird's system, especially for a ' professional' broody breed like the Silky, which will very often virtually starve and dehydrate themselves rather than leave the nest to eat and drink. Nest messing can also be a problem with such dedicated sitters.
The regime you are practicing should see her through this ' mumsy' phase, and she will break eventually, although it may take many weeks. Far less of a strain would be to give her a clutch to sit and hatch. if it's for a friend and fellow poultry keeper, You can give the resulting chicks back to their owner once they gain independence. At least this way, she won't be sat for any more than three weeks ( for hens eggs), and then will be up and about and back to normal with her brood.

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately I don't know of anyone who wants eggs hatching so I think we will just sit it out. She hasn't been making a mess in the nest at all and the others don't seem to be having a go at her so hopefully she will get over it eventually.

Thanks to everyone for the help.

 

[ncotb]

Just a thought, there maybe someone on the forum who is near you who might be wanting some eggs hatched

 

[Anonymous]

Well if anyone is interested, I am in the Filey area. Having said that I noticed she came straight out of the coop this morning to eat (I didn't have time to wait to see if she went back in again) so she may be losing interest.