sitting hen

[wynedot55]

well it looks like i have 2 sitting hens.an both are sitting on air.i just hope they give up on the idea of sitting or its gonna be a rough 3wks.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Awww, you need to get them some fertile eggs.

 

[wynedot55]

oh no thats out of the question dont need any doggoned roos i have to get rid of.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

oh no thats out of the question dont need any doggoned roos i have to get rid of.

They are good to eat!

 

[wynedot55]

yes they are but mom dont like cooking anything we grow.she wants to get everything from the store.

 

[Thewife]

Awww, you need to get them some fertile eggs.

I second that!
Everybody needs chicks!


I have one nesting on air, I took her golf balls away!
I was waiting for one to hatch, years ago. Finally decided it had been too long, needed to run her off the nest! She was not on eggs, she was on 2 small pieces of flat shale rock?

 

[Chirpy]

Some hens will eventually give up on sitting when nothing 'hatches' but it's awful to watch them sit there for weeks. I have heard of a few hens that actually died sitting on the nest because they refused to get off until something hatched!

Can you give her two or three fertile eggs and then sell the chicks for $1 or $2 once they hatch?

If it were me - I'd try and break her broodiness. Put her in a wire type cage with only a wire bottom (no solid floor) with NO nesting materials. Give her food and water and let her sit in that on bare wire. Generally that will break a broody by day four or five... sometimes it takes a week.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

yes they are but mom dont like cooking anything we grow.she wants to get everything from the store.

I'd rather raise/grow my own food.

 

[wynedot55]

ive tryed the cage an that didnt work.so now i let emm sitt on air.

 

[sunnygoats]

If you want to break the broodiness put them in an enclosure that has nowhere to nest. The longer they're allowed to be broody the longer it will take them to start laying again. I use a small chicken yard that can be closed off from the rest. I call it the "sin bin"!!!

When you tried the cage, did you elevate it off the ground? If you use a cage with a wire bottom the air flow underneath will prevent the proper temperature and humidity needed to hatch eggs and the hen will give up.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!!!