4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Richard]

Well, four years with chickens and I've not had a broody one yet. Now Daisy has gone broody. I found her today, well puffed up and spread out, sitting on four eggs (only one was hers). She was there first thing in the morning, and (since the weather was so bad) I didn't go up untiil just now when she was still there!

 

I've taken the eggs away, turfed her out of the Cube, and am going to see how she goes tomorrow. I'm going to set up the old Eglu and run, inside the main run, so that if she needs to be isolated so that the others can lay, I can put her in there and keep a close eye on her.

 

What a lark eh? Any other suggestions for me to do? I've heard people talk about a brick in the nest box, and a cold water bottle to discourage her, but I have the others to think about, and although I don't want to hatch out eggs I really don't want to be unkind to my little lady.

[ajm200]

It seems to be the week for chickens going broody. So many people are going through this at the moment. I've not had a chicken go broody yet but I think the main suggestions on the other threads are:

 

Put an icepack in the nesting box covered with a tea towel for her to incubate

 

Dunk her in a bucket of cold water

 

Put her in a broody cage where there's cold air blowing under her

 

Put something in the nesting box when the others have laid so that she can't get in

 

Leave her to it but make sure she takes breaks to eat and drink

 

You basically need to cool her down so that she snaps out of it.

[chelsea]

Star my cochin was broody for 3 weeks - she has just come out of it.

 

We tried the broody pen, turfing out of the nest box and dunking in the cold water, oh and sitting on frozen runner beans - none of this worked so we let her get on with it and she has eventually come out of it.

[Richard]

She's now in the Eglu and run. Not a happy little girl being on her own, but I got fed up of traipsing up the garden just to eject her from the Cube nest box. She can get over it in there where she won't disturb the others.

 

I don't want the others put off laying by little Miss Broody monopolising the egg laying work area.

[Karen & co.]

My cochin was broody at the same time as Chelsea's Star, and I just left her to it but she had one eglu and the others used the other to lay in, except for one of the leghorns who now lays in the greenhouse

 

Karen x

[Tessa the Duchess]

There does seem to be a lot of it about at the mo. My Annie has gone broody again The first time I tried all the tricks to stop it, but nothing worked so I just let her get on with it. This time after Winnie has laid I turf broody Annie off the nest box and close the Eglu door so she can't sit on the nest box. It is a real pain this broodiness Because I've only got two chickens at the moment, I feel sorry for Winnie. Annie doesn't want to play swing the cabbage with her, she doesn't want to dustbathe with her, poor Winnie just wanders around the garden on her onesome while Annie mopes in some corner somewhere

 

Hope Daisy gets over it soon Richard.

 

Tessa

[hillfamily]

one of our girls - Millie Bantie - goes broody quite often

 

We have found that sometimes just removing the eggs quickly after laying has stopped her, other times she has been broody all day and then forgets about it the next day and is fine again.

 

On one occasion she was v v broody and was broodying an empty nest for 3 days so I popped her in a broody cage for 24 hours and that did the trick

[chelsea]

My cochin was broody at the same time as Chelsea's Star, and I just left her to it but she had one eglu and the others used the other to lay in, except for one of the leghorns who now lays in the greenhouse

 

Karen x

 

very strange Karen as I was reading your post yesterday about Boots had come out of it....low and behold - Star was back to her normal self this morning!

 

I think this cold snap finally tipped her out of her broodiness.

[Karen & co.]

My cochin was broody at the same time as Chelsea's Star, and I just left her to it but she had one eglu and the others used the other to lay in, except for one of the leghorns who now lays in the greenhouse

 

Karen x

 

very strange Karen as I was reading your post yesterday about Boots had come out of it....low and behold - Star was back to her normal self this morning!

 

I think this cold snap finally tipped her out of her broodiness.

 

It's funny isn't it? they both went broody within a day of each other, and came out of it the same Perhaps they are psychic twins?

 

Karen x

[Richard]

Daisy has got worse - I am keeping her separate during the day (in my old Egly and run) and letting her go with the others at night (because she is quite upset by herself). However if I let her out of the Eglu run she just makes a bee line for the Cube nest box and settles in it.

 

I'm also a bit worried because Liz is showing signs as well - she hasn't laid for 3 days now and is spending more and more time in the nest box. Argghhh - egg production will be well down for the next couple of weeks or so. So long as the Orps don't 'catch' it!

[chelsea]

My star came out of broodiness last week and now misty hasnt laid for 3 days so I think she is going broody too!

 

Once the other chooks have laid I shut the cube up altogether Richard so the broodies cant go in there.

 

We tried everything to stop it, but nothing worked - it took 3 weeks

[Richard]

Yes, I'm resigned to it running its course and taking the three weeks. Eggs will be down, and my orders might not be fulfilled, but there you go!

 

Women .... you can't live with them and you can't live ...

 

 

... with them.

 

the troubles they cause

[Helen&Lee]

Doris has been broody for two weeks now.

 

I've tried ice packs in the nesting box - she sat on them for five hours

 

Last weekend after all the others had laid I shut the cube door for 7 hours, she spent a large amount of that time on the ladder pecking at the door.

 

As we leave for work at 6.30am, I turf her out the nesting box, remove any eggs, throw down their treats so at least she eats something, then turf her out again when we get home 12 hours later!

 

I don't really want to seperate her as I think I am just over a feather plucking issue and would be worried about re-introducing her again

 

But on the upside, all the others are managing to lay in the nesting box

 

Helen

[superjules]

It must be the weather - someone asked me last week if my pekin had gone broody yet, luckily she hasn't (finger's crossed she won't this week!)

 

Sat on an ice pack for 5 hours? She must have either melted it or gotten a frostbitten botty!

[Richard]

Doris has been broody for two weeks now.

 

I've tried ice packs in the nesting box - she sat on them for five hours

 

Last weekend after all the others had laid I shut the cube door for 7 hours, she spent a large amount of that time on the ladder pecking at the door.

 

As we leave for work at 6.30am, I turf her out the nesting box, remove any eggs, throw down their treats so at least she eats something, then turf her out again when we get home 12 hours later!

 

I don't really want to seperate her as I think I am just over a feather plucking issue and would be worried about re-introducing her again

 

But on the upside, all the others are managing to lay in the nesting box

 

Helen

 

Arrhhh Bless .........

 

I'm separating Daisy during the day because I can't go up there every half hour to chuck her out, and I don't want her monopolising the nest box. However I am putting her with the others at night because, like you, I'm worried about reintroduction, I don't know if it is a justified worry, but I don't particularly mind if she sits in there overnight.

 

So she has spent the last few days in the Eglu run inside the big run. She paces up and down all day - but I can make sure she has food and drink and treats, but nowhere to sit down and brood.

[Egluntyne]

When mine went broody last year I put one of those frozen blue ice packs for picnic baskets in the nest box. I changed it three times a day and as soon as the others had finished laying I shut the Eglu door. She was furious!

 

As you have her in solitary, you can boot her out of the Eglu and shut her in the run first thing.

 

Dipping her rear end in cold water a few times a day is often recommended as it is supposed to cool them down and snap them out of it.

[Shirl]

I thought I'd leave George to being broody but she's been broody for over a month now! In the past she's done 3 weeks and then been fine

[Tweety]

My 2 Wyandottes are broody at the moment, and I have finally separated them from the other girls and wish I'd done it sooner. They were both sitting like huge fluffy pancakes in the nesting boxes, while the others were queuing up outside with their legs crossed desperate to lay their eggs! I have been letting them go back to the others at night in case of reintroduction problems, but they whizz straight back into the nesting boxes, so I am going to leave them in their little prison 24/7 until they snap out of it - and feel very guilty about it, of course.

[Shirl]

Yes today I've stuck George in a holding pen until she snaps out of it. It feels a bit cruel but I've given her a month and as you say she does clog up the nest.