Aggressive hen...?? Advice please!

Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:54 pm

About 4 weeks ago, my Magpie hen turned broody...the full works...for three solid days. Since then, she's been really half-hearted about it. Some days she's aggressive and won't leave the nestbox, other days she lays her egg and behaves normally except for the odd stroppy moment of feather ruffling.

Well, she's getting worse. The last two days she's been firmly rooted in the nestbox. Yesterdsay I turfed her off and other than a few threats and shouts, she got up and carried on her daily business.

Today, at 11:00...she was still a la pancake. I lifted her off and noticed she hadn't laid an egg....despite her broody-ish behaviour, she has laid an egg every day. So I left her be. At 12:30 I lifted her off again and still no egg. As she was being very aggressive, I hoisted her out the eglu and placed her on the floor...where, instead of walking off...she plonked herself to the floor and wouldn't move. I picked her up and put her on the step out the run...she plonked herself down where she was. I moved her outside and she fluffed every feather up until she was little more than a feathery ball. I moved her over to the feed dish and she perked up and started to eat...so I gave her some peace.

...but every time she saw me or my other half, she inflated again!! When I stepped out the door she started clucking loudly and beak wiping.

I herded her back into the run and noticed that her back end was twitching...I can only think this was her contracting and releasing her vent...is this part of her stress or does she need to lay??

I'm not sure how to treat her...I don't want to treat her as a broody as she's still laying but her obsession with the nestbox is causing problems - 1) Suki has to fight her way into the nestbox every morning. 2) Suki is then very upset at being on her own. 3) Toph isn't eating her full feed ration in the morning (and shows little interest in the evening when she's free ranging) 4) My other half is actually scared of birds..and this aggressive display isn't helping him at all!! :roll:

Is she a lazy hen or is she truly broody (but not quite got the all-day stamina)? Should I crate her - if I do this, while it cause her distress with regards to laying or cause her to start standing up to lay?

...How long should I give her to lay her egg? Suki is an early layer so even before she showed any other broody type behaviour, Toph used to sit in the box for anywhere up to three hours.

Obviously I'm concerned about causing her any distress or harm...

What should I do with her?

Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:32 pm

She's a very broody chicken! :lol:

I would pop her in a broody crate and break her.

Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:50 pm

tom123 wrote:She's a very broody chicken!

I would pop her in a broody crate and break her.

Will it matter that she's still laying?

That's the only reason I've not done it yet!!
I'm not bothered about losing some eggs but just don't want to distress her or teach her to lay standing up!

Would it be worth letting her out to free-range in the evenings (as she is usually 'normal' in the evenings)?

:roll:

Silly hen!

Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:58 pm

No, most broodies will keep laying until they have a clutch (usually 8-10 eggs) however as you take them away from her she needs to keep laying. And yes, you could let her out for a FR in the evening

Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:04 pm

Definitely put her in the broody cage.

Even if she is only half heartedly having a stab at broodiness, it isn't in her best interests to brood if she isn't going to hatch.

Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:18 pm

Fab stuff! Thanks!!

...time to get the dog crate out the attic then!!

Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:43 pm

Well, Madam Broody is in the cage of shame. The dog crate didn't fit in (I forgot how big it was!!) so we fashioned something out of the old rabbit run panel propped up on bricks, witha roof made of trellis... :lol:

How long should she stay in there?

She's been in there about 2 days now...yesterday she was her normal, friendly, lovely self (it's amazing how much their personalities change!!) when she came out for a leg-stretcher to free range...only, I turned my back for a little while and she had hoped straight back into the nestbox!! :roll:

...but we had a breakthrough...I got a piece of cauliflower and she came tearing out in a rush (no grumbling, no 'angry-feathers'..) and made no attempt to return again!! :dance:

I felt really mean shoving her back in the cage of shame at bed time as she'd been so well behaved!!! :doh:

Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:57 pm

3 days and nights in the broody cage usually works for my broody girl :roll:

I feel so guilty putting her in there but nothing else seems to work - I even tried putting her in a bucket of cold water several times yesterday but she just went straight back to the cube and tried to get in to the nest box through the closed door each time :evil: