Re: Broody - How long?

In article <46597933$0$8712$ed2619ec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Jill <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gordon Henderson wrote:
Had my Cochin hen go broody recently - no eggs for her to sit on, so
just let her be, but it's been over 3 weeks now. I regularly lift her
out of the nest box to clean it out & check to see if any of the
others have managed to lay an egg on top of her (Which they sometimes
do!) so she makes a bit of a fuss, has a poo, eats some food & water
then gets back inside ASAP...

But... It's over 3 weeks now - closer to 4. Will she just snap out of
it, or should I actually do something?

Do something - TODAY!
She is quietly starving for no good reason

I really don't think she's starving. I turf her out every day when I
clean the nest boxes out and she does eat and drink & dust bathe. She
doesn't seem much lighter than normal. (Which for a Cochin is well heavy)

Break her -- if you look in the archives groups.google.com
sci.agicultural.poultry you will find plenty of good advice

The reason I've been reluctant is that I tried that last year with another
hen we had who went broody - who got as distressed as a distressed thing
and subsequently keeled over after a few days in the "sin bin" )-:
(which was a smaller "arc" with the nest-box blocked off which we've
subsequently sold...) The current arc has 2 nest boxes and doesn't lead
itself well to having them blocked off as the others are all laying OK.

I'll turf her out this afternoon & close the pop-hatch. Hopefully the
others will have finished laying for today, that'll keep her out for
this afternoon & then I'll see if I can block the nest boxes for tonight.

Gordon
.