4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Jewels]

Hi, I know there are many post etc about broody hens and I have tried the cold water dip thing, and keeping her out of the cube, but is there any harm in letting the broodiness run its course? My JoJo comes out of the cube once a day and eats etc and then goes back to the cube for the rest of the day.

 

She has been broody now for about a week and is laying every other day. Can I just leave her to it or will she become poorly?

 

Thanks

 

[Sheilaz]

Well, I hope so, because that's what I'm doing this time. It's an easier decision than if I had only 2/3 hens & one nesting box. It's good the Cube has space for your other hen to lay isn't it?

 

I've been lucky that mine have only been mildly broody before, and easily distracted.

 

But Lavender was determined to hatch some invisible eggs and I've just left her to it. We are just past 2 weeks, and I think 3 weeks is usual, so hopefully not long to go.

 

She has lost weight & loads of underfeathers but, like you, I've been watching that she does feed and drink daily. I have lifted her & spoilt her with handfeeding just to be sure.

 

I keep trying to collect the eggs and she has squashed a few, but I felt I might as well let her have a broody break if that's how she's feeeling.

[Abbey Road Girl]

It sounds a bit cruel, but whenever one of mine has seemed inclined to take up permanent residence in the nesting box, my appearance in the pop hole with a spray bottle tends to send the hen out into the run. (I have sprayed them with diluted tea tree oil in the past. It doesn't harm them--though be careful of their eyes--but they just don't like the sudden shock of the spray.)

 

It's important to determine that the hen really is broody but waiting long enough to see if she is merely producing an egg rather late in the day. I would not assume a hen is going broody unless she has been in the nesting box for over an hour (I believe that the laying process takes about half an hour).

[Elaine1709]

My white cochin, Queen Victoria, has been broody for about 5 days - she wouldn't get out of the nest box and screamed at me when I moved her! I've put her in a dog crate with food and water and placed the crate where she can see her friend. She seems to spend as much time walking about in the dog crate as she does sitting. In the evening I let both hens out and QV enjoys mooching about for a while before demanding to go back into the nest box. As long as she is eating, drinking and not stopping Sweet Pea laying I'm going to carry on like this until she gets over it.