Urgent advice please ... broody with odd breathing

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Urgent advice please ... broody with odd breathing

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Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 9:03 am Post subject: Urgent advice please ... broody with odd breathing

I've got a borrowed broody hen. She was given some almost-ready-to-hatch eggs last Wednesday, and the next day had hatched 2. A couple of days later, we opened the back of the broody coop to find 2 dead chicks, but still 2 live ones ... so clearly 4 hatched.

Anyway, she's still sitting steadfastly on the remaining eggs, refusing to budge.

Up until yesterday, she would, as would most broodies, make warning noises when we approached, and puff-up her feathers in a sort of warning. Nothing alarming there.

This morning, however, she's making more of a burbling noise. It seems to be every breath (I snuck-up behind the coop, so she didn't know I was there, and listened carefully ... and she was still making the noise). Chicks seem fine, "mum" is STILL sitting steadfastly on the remaining eggs!

What to do?????? And what do folks think the problem might be? Apparently she'd been steadfastly broody for weeks before I borrowed her ...

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 9:24 am Post subject:
I have just taken her remaining eggs away, and she IS now moving around a bit ... so will watch-and-wait! 2 very healthy looking chicks (she did hatch 4, but I found 2 dead) ... looks like 1 boy and 1 girl. Gah!

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 1:22 pm Post subject:
do her eyes seem clear? is it very dusty where she is sitting? diatom?

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 2:34 pm Post subject:

Is she rattling like resp inf, or trilling like a dove type burbling?

My first silkies surprised me with the trillng noise when they were still quite young, and I have occasionally heard others make it too, sometimes when eggs are hatching, always when extra content and relaxed. As long as the chicks are happy, not cheeping for food etc, 'mum' has little reason to come off the nest, and even when she does, she will crouch for the chicks to get warm underneath her quite a lot of the time.

Resp inf is quite likely too, unfortunately, as nestboxes are usually the worst ventilated area of a coop. Hens aren't supposed to stay in them long enough for it to matter normally, but a broody will be in there 23/24 hours.

I do hope it's just the trilling, and am sad to hear about the chicks.

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 3:22 pm Post subject:
I'm hoping it was "trilling". She's in a separate coop, complete with fully-enclosed run, no door on pop-hole, so plenty of ventilation. She seems happier now I've taken the duff eggs away, and is doing what I'd expect her to do ... sitting a lot, but also encouraging the chicks to eat and drink. Her eyes are perfectly clear, as are her nostrils. Will check on her again in a mo .....

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 7:26 pm Post subject:
Well, she seems perfecly OK now. I probably wouldn't have panicked quite so much this morning if she'd been my own hen! Her breathing is now normal. Phewee!! Thanks for the hand-holding

gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 7:46 pm Post subject:
Very glad you are taking good care of her We now have another broody sat on some random eggs. ?Faverolle x Light Sussex or Auracana.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 11 8:31 pm Post subject:
Ah! It's always nerve wracking looking after someone elses animals.

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