Broody Hen being bullied...Help?!

[foxychicking]

One of my hens has recently become broody, she has been inside the coop now for 5 days and only comes out for food. I noticed this morning when she came out that one of my other hens was having a pop at her, chasing her and biting her. She seems quite scared of her and moves out the way whenever she comes near. I don't know what to do?, Any suggestions would be great!

 

[JackE]

Is the hen sitting on fertilized eggs? If not, you should do the hen a big favor and put her in a broody buster. A broody buster is just a simple wire bottomed cage. You put the hen in there with no bedding. Elevate the B/B so cool air can get under the hen. You can put small water and feed containers in there. Usually it takes three days or so for them to get past it. If you do nothing they can sit on the nest for a month or more.
Jack

 

[foxychicking]

No she is not on a fertilized egg! But Thanks that helped alot, I am going to try that and see if it works

 

[JackE]

And if you have room in the coop, put the B/B in there so the other chickens can see her. That way they won't go through the pecking order thing again when you let her out of the box.
It, the broody buster, will work, I have a couple of BOs that go broody on me from time to time. The quicker you get her in there when she goes broody, the better.
Jack

 

[foxychicking]

Thankyou sooooo much i was worried and now know what to do ! great help

 

[Bluebells]

My broody was being bullied whenever she came out to eat--in the evening before sunset--and all three of them bullied her, chasing her away from the food and water and pecking at her.

Then I noticed when the others went in for the night, our alpha hen stepped on her and pecked her on the head to get her off her eggs. Had noticed she was sitting on the eggs at night but not realized she had bullied herself onto them. I could not stop this behaviour so removed the broody hen (and her nine "hatching eggs"!) to a large cage with straw and shavings.

Now I worry about how to later re-integrate her and her chicks (if they hatch) into the rest of the flock later (two bluebells and her Wyandotte sister). How does one do this?

We've never had a broody before so we decided to give her hatching eggs. Our bluebells are 2.5 years old and we hear they only live 2 or 3 years. The one who used to lay is looking rather frail and of poor plumage since her molt last December when she also stopped laying. She seems to breathe in her neck. The other bluebell never laid any eggs, as far as we can tell. This is our first time hatching eggs. Broody is a young Wyandotte. Her bullies are the blue bells, for the most part. Broody has always been at the bottom of the order, being the youngest.

Any advice welcome.

 

[galanie]

Sounds like your broody definately is the bottom of pecking order. Not much you can do about that. They have to work it out. So far as living only 3 years, well, chickens can live a lot longer than that. It's just that with the hybrids and such we have that were bred to lay themselves to death, that's what they sometimes just about do. Is why I opted for an older pure breed that may not lay so well in the first couple years, but are expected to live and still lay for at least 6 years.