Hen Question

[Bozley]

We have 12 layer hens. One hen we call Fran (The Nanny). Fran insists on sitting on the eggs all the time. Everytime I go out there she is on the eggs. Meanwhile all the other hens are running around eating the treats I bring out for them etc. Fran is loosing feathers on her back and on her bottom, she is starting to look terrible and I think it is because she sits on those darn eggs all the time. I have tried using several boxes but they will only lay in one. I keep going out and taking her out of the box to remove the eggs multiple times a day. But she insists on sitting in the box and watch over everyones eggs as soon as they lay them and that is about 12 eggs a day. Any suggestions on what I can do? Has this happened to anyone? I just feel so bad for her. She is so sweet and she seems so sad when I take the eggs away like I took her babies away where the other hens could care less.

Thanks.

Sue

 

[laughingllama75]

Hi,

The way I get my hens to stop brooding, is to put them in a WIRE bottom cage, for a few days. with the cooler air circulating underneath her, she should figure it out pretty quick. The longest it took my one of my hens was 4 days.......she then didn't get broody for months.

OR,

You could give her a few fertile eggs, let her hatch em and she will be happy as a clam.

Good luck, Oh......a great website/chat all about poultry is http://www.backyardchickens.com/

 

[Bozley]

Thank you. I will give it a try and check out the website.

I appreciate your help!

Sue

 

[Davie]

Most of my hen as in "SIT MODE" and I gather eggs everyday but them seem bound and determined and move the nests on me.

I had one hen hatch out 14 and since I wanted to be sure I had "PULLETS" not "ROOSTER" I went to Atwoods and bought 6 pullets and put under her. She raised all of them, I lost 3 though -- one got caught in a down pour and got wet, 2 other decided they could drink out of a 5 gallon bucket, fell in and drowned. Then lost a mature hen as she drowned in the outside water trough even though I keep wooden "ladder" in the troughs so if a bird or "CHICKEN" should fall in they could have a way out by climbing up the ladder.

One other hen caught me not watching and hatched out 4 chicks about 2 weeks ago and she now takes them out of the hen house now that they are starting to feather and what did I find this morning--back in the same nesting box is a Rhode Island Red setting--COME ON ALREADY ladies.

Then what did I do, but stop by Atwoods for chick feed and looked in on the baby chicks--they had gotten a new shipment of Bantams so I now have 6 bantam under the heat lamp along with 6 more heavy pullets.

Maybe I should rename the farm--Arabesque's HEN PEN.

 

[Sterling]

Alicia is right....try and see if you can get her on a wire cage....if not...put her in another enclosure/coop for about a week. Something different and will get her out of her broodiness. As for her feathers....check her for mites and give her plenty of sand to take dust baths in or use a dust powder made for chickens if she has them. (Don't use this around your eggs tho.)