Can a broody hen kill herself by being broody?

[bify4]

oh tats good meabe i'll try that thx,

 

[aoxa]

oh tats good meabe i'll try that thx,

If you are worried about her bify4, just take her off and let her eat drink and poop.

This is not normal for a hen to die on the nest. There had to be something else going on.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Is Eggy in a place all by herself? I think it helps to give a broody her own private quarters so the other chickens don't bother her. It also makes it easier to gauge how much the broody is eating/drinking/pooping. If Eggy isn't sharing dishes with others then you should be able to see if the levels go down. Give her all day to take her break, if she hasn't gotten up by sunset then take her off the nest and watch to see how eagerly she eats/drinks.

Remember that since she isn't expending as much energy she won't need to eat as much as a regularly active hen.

Check her poops for normalcy, not loose, not infested with worms. Check under her feathers for mites. Feel her for weight & condition. Observe her for brightness & alertness. Broodies sit & stare at the wall all day, but should still look sharp when you approach them & probably growl and/or peck at you.

I usually leave my broodies alone and trust them to keep themselves fed & watered, but I do also closely observe them for condition & to make sure they've eaten. But now I have a brooding hen I've been taking off the nest each evening. The first day of her set she got off and let out a big worm-filled poop. I gave her vermicide and haven't seen any more worms in her poops. But because she feels a little light and doesn't seem to be getting up on her own -- this is also her first time setting -- I've been taking her off the nest each day.

I wish Eggy and you the best of success! Having Mama hens with baby chicks is one of the best parts of keeping chickens!

 

[Bobble]

Was
just checking BYC for the the same thing, my broody is/was less than a year old, have had her in a broody cage, let her out and she was okay for about a week then went back to broody again for just a few days.

She was very docile eating and drinking and out in the garden with the other girls, last night I checked they were safely in she was missing, I found her under a bush, I picked her up and put her away safely, this morning she was dead.

I checked her and she was very thin, I feel terrible but don't know what else I could have done.

 

[ten chicks]

Was
just checking BYC for the the same thing, my broody is/was less than a year old, have had her in a broody cage, let her out and she was okay for about a week then went back to broody again for just a few days.

She was very docile eating and drinking and out in the garden with the other girls, last night I checked they were safely in she was missing, I found her under a bush, I picked her up and put her away safely, this morning she was dead.

I checked her and she was very thin, I feel terrible but don't know what else I could have done.

Leaving a hen broody,is dangerous(unless they are hatching chicks)they will not eat/drink properly and can become malnourished. What type of cage did you use? I always break my broody hens by placing in a wire dog cage and placing them somewhere where they see light,broody hens love the dark,you want to do the opposite of what she wants. Broodiness is tied to elevated body temp.by placing in a wire cage air is circulating under them and on breast,the purpose is to cool them down. I keep hens in for a couple of days,let them out,if they are finished being broody they will resume normal chicken stuff,scratching,dust bathing,etc. If they run back to nest,they are still broody,repeat procedure. The longer a hen is left broody,the longer it will take to break her. Make sure they have food/water in their cage.

 

[Bobble]

The broody cage was self made with a wire floor about 2ft square, I made a feeding hatch in the front wire and food and water were in constant supply, she was outside in the open run. The food was nearly empty every day and her water was always topped up.
I suppose the other hens could have eaten the food and drunk some of the water, but they seemed to be eating their own food from hoppers regularly and I topped them up by the same amount each day.

Maybe it was just too much for her as I said she was less then a year old.

Thanks for the response.

Bobble.

 

[Quinny]

Devastated

Had a beautiful young Bantam we thought we'd lost to foxes then she re-appeared for food and we found sitting on eggs in the Garage. We were so pleased because she had such a good nature as well.

I left a bit of food next to her in the Garage, but this morning she hadn't touched it and it seems she's just died on the nest. She seems healthy enough, and no signs of mites or anything.

I don't think I dare tell my wife she was so looking forward to her and her chicks.

 

[eggandoodle]

My broody hen starved herself on the nest, so I took her off, but she still wouldn't eat, and died a few days later. Is it hormonal, like morning sickness in people? One of the Bronte sisters died. I'd treated her for mites just in case.

 

[eggandoodle]

Hi bify4, does she eat and drink enough if you do take her off? Sometimes I have to do that with mine, but most have the sense to eat and drink. One of mine died yesterday, because she wouldn't eat, even if I took her off. I hope your hen is OK, so let us know how you get on. Looks like there are people who'll help. I'm going to try worming all mine.

 

[ladahl]

I had a 1.5 year old bantam dead this morning in the run.

She has been broody since May (2.5 months)

The others are thriving - we have 2 other bantams the same age, and 6 younger ones (April chicks).

Unless we lifted her out, she would rarely eat/drink or poop.

Her poops were always HUGE when we put her outside .