Broody Chickens (Hens) Setting all Day!
Broody Chickens (Hens)
Do you have Broody Chickens who wants to sit all day on a nest? I have had friends email us and post on our Facebook page telling us they have hens who will set all day on an empty nest! Most of the time it is just a case of a broody hen wanting to hatch some eggs!
One reader wrote that her hen was setting but not laying and was concerned that something may be wrong with her hen. She would only come off the nest a couple of times a day to eat and get a drink, then right back on the empty nest!
Chickens (Hens) all have the tendency to become Broody Chickens! they lay eggs for our eating enjoyment but at certain times they go broody and want to sit on a nest of eggs to hatch. That is just the motherly instinct in them. They all do this. Some more that others. Many will set on another hens nest while she is being a Broody Chicken. Most Broody Chickens are not too particular as to who’s eggs she hatches! They have been known to hatch duck and other eggs also!
Broody Chickens will stop laying and concentrate on setting on a clutch of eggs. Again, they do not have to be her own eggs. Sometimes a nest can fill pretty fast if you don’t gather them morning and night as some chickens prefer to use the same nest for laying. Some hens will even try to get on top of another hen on the nest in order to lay in that same nest. Most normal eggs for incubation, if you can call it that is around 12 eggs per clutch. The Broody Chickens keep the nest at a constant temperature during the first few days while turning them.
If you have Broody Chickens that want to set on the nest and take up valuable space from other chickens who are laying you can try to get her out of a Broody mood by placing her in an open wire cage suspended from the floor. Be sure to keep her fed and watered during this time. Some folk say they use fans or ice cubes. You can also encourage Broodiness by placing plastic eggs or golf balls under her if you need her to help hatch a clutch of eggs.
Some “utility” or general purpose breeds, such as the Cochin, Cornish and Silkie, go broody fairly regular and make great mothers.
From time to time there may be a chicken or hen who sets on the nest but never lays! This could be a sign of Binding. Every chicken who sets without laying is not always a Broody Chicken. We hope you never have to deal with this issue but is can happen. The term egg binding just means that your bird is not able to lay her egg and it is blocked inside her. This can be a danger to her life if not treated.
This is a good article on Egg Binding!
Here is a wonderful article on, Chicken Egg Binding, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention
Again always watch out for these symptoms and if they are not present you can always put together a nest of eggs for your broody lady to hatch if you want to.
Let us know how you handle your Broody Chickens by leaving a comment below.
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