Sorry another question - broody WWYD

hoggie · #1 08/22/12, 01:36 PM

So one of my new birds has gone broody. Like totally broody - I can lift her off the eggs and put her down and she just sits there looking puzzled.

Trouble is she is one of the birds in worst condition - she is totally bald on her back and tops of her wings. The guy I got them from said some of them had had too much attention from the cockerel, but whether it is that or something else I'm not sure.

Anyway - is being broody going to run her down even more - birds I have had go broody in the past never seem to eat much or go and have a dust bath or anything? Or should I give her a couple of eggs and let her get on with it?

Vickie44 · #2 08/22/12, 03:24 PM

My hen looked horrible when she started sitting ( just like last year ) but since she is the only one who gets broody I let her be . Now that the chick ( yea just one ) is getting more independent she is looking better every day , in part because they dont go anywhere near the Roo. I would let her be

Ceilismom · #3 08/22/12, 03:35 PM

Her condition sounds consistent with too much rooster attention to me. I've got a couple of hens that look as you describe. They appear to be as active and productive as the other hens, they just seem to be more submissive to the roosters. I might be inclined to let her sit, assuming she is otherwise in good health. If she's on a nest, she's probably protected from the sun on her bald back. If you've got a rooster in your flock (or any hens that bother her), they'll probably leave her alone while she's sitting, which would give her feathers a chance to start growing back.

mekasmom · #4 08/22/12, 03:47 PM

Just make sure to keep food and water near her, so she can eat when she gets off the nest each day. She should be fine. Hens do get tred marks from a lot of rooster attention.

hoggie · #5 08/22/12, 04:10 PM

Thank you - yes, I'll make sure that she has food near at hand.

Before I got them, they were kept in quite small arks with a number of hens and a rooster in each ark. So I think the roosters did get quite enthusiastic as they had a captive audience.

They are all free ranging now so, although I do have some roosters, they don't seem all that interested now,(no doubt autumn being just around the corner helps) and most of the hens with bare backs are starting to recover some feathers.

Will give her a couple of eggs and see what happens

Cliff · #6 08/22/12, 05:58 PM

Yeah in this case feather condition probably doesn't have anything to do with actual body condition. I'd let her set.

KSALguy · #7 08/22/12, 09:52 PM

she will be fine, in fact probably better, give her a dozen eggs or so to make it worth her while, she will grow her feathers out and be fine, a good setting hen is worth her weight in gold most of the time,

Awnry Abe · #8 08/22/12, 10:20 PM

And don't apologize for asking a question! We all get to benefit.

Bearfootfarm · #9 08/23/12, 12:11 AM

I once had one sit for over 7 weeks, so I went to the farm store down the road and bought 6 Barred Rock biddies.

I went in at night and stuck them under her, and the next day she was teaching them how to find food

hoggie · #10 08/23/12, 10:51 AM

- will give her a clutch of eggs tonight and see how she gets on with them

I love that she will go broody - I used to keep bantams with mine in the hope that they would hatch some eggs for me but they always used to hide in the bushes and hatch their own instead of the eggs I wanted them to hatch LOL

Hopefully she will be nice and hatch the eggs I want her to