WitchHazel Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 (edited) Hi, thanks for reading this. I have read the stickies about broody hens, which has given me some ideas. Lydia hasn't gone completely, but she's on the turn. She's pancaking and sitting in the nest box for ages (until we turf her out, or go in the run with treats), and she's pancaking herself over the dustbath. She then seems to snap out of it for a while. Anyway. As I have a walk in run, I was wondering if I could just section some of that off and leave her in that with some food and water. That way she's still be able to move around, she can see the others etc. I'm assuming I shouldn't provide her with a nesting area, I was thinking she would probably just roost on one of the perches that are on the side. Do you think this would be OK? If that doesn't/isn't going to work then I'll sort out a broody cage for her. Reading the threads and googling, the cages people use seem to be a bit like the dog crates that are easily available. How big/small do I need? I was thinking of just buying a small dog crate. Any reasons why this wouldn't work? Thanks for your help Edited April 22, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickaboo Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Sounds like a good idea to me. I personally didin't have the heart to do a lot of things suggested to snap Daphne out of her broodiness, bucket of water over head, brick in the nest etc. But a separate section in the run sounds like a good compromise, as long as she has food and water. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 The dog crate (raised off the floor on bricks) will work because the wire floor will allow a cool breeze to waft around and lower her temperature enough to snap her out of it, even if she sits. It will also be light. The corner of the run might do the trick, although she will still be able to sit. It will be light, and cooler than the nesting box though. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 Thanks for your replies Chicakaboo and Egluntine. Hmm. Maybe I'll put her in a dog crate then, to waft air under her nether regions. I know lots of people use broody cages, but TBH it feels a bit of a mean thing to do. Still, "needs, must" I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Re - dog crate in the run, thats exactly what I think I'm going to have to do I was leaving Doris to run her course, but three weeks on Bluey and Attila decided to join her on Friday Three Brahmas in the nesting box is quite a sight Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Hazel I would be very interested to hear if using the dog crate 'cures' your broody hen and how long it takes. My Annie has been broody now for over three weeks. I chuck her out of the nesting box as soon as Winnie has laid and then I shut the Eglu door. Annie just sits all day in the run like a huge pancake, she has no exercise and hardly eats or drinks, it's driving me potty Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 All these chooks going broody, and hybrids aren't supposed to! I've had a golfball in the eglu for ages trying to encourage our pekin to go broody and so far nothing! Grrr! Want to swap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 Additional Question Right, DH is building me a broody cage out of the weldmesh and wood left over from building the run. My question is: do I leave Lydia in it overnight, or do I let her go back into the Cube to sleep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 You leave her in it overnight, but make sure she has clean water and food. I'm not sure I could do this with one of mine, but am very interested in how successful you are. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsm_jones Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Would also LOVE one of mine to go broody! HOw do you guys do it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 This is really quite hard. We opened the pop hole of the Cube and she went straight back in there and pancaked herself in the nestbox. So, we put the broody cage in the Run, and put her in it. She's pacing up and down in it at the moment, or staring out of the bars. She looks like a crim, all she needs to do is wrap her wings around the bars in a "i;m innocent!" pose. I've left the others out free ranging for now. We did put a perch in the broody cage though so she has something to get comfortable on for the night, without being able to squash down IYSWIM I've also been round to see our neighbour to let her know that there is likely to be a lot of chicken noise for the next day or two. The one thing which is making me smile (even though it shouldn't really) is that our ginger cat is trying to work out the newest toy: chicken in a box. Our cats believe that every new thing, whether in the house or the garden, is some sort of toy for their amusement or delectation. He's sitting outside the Run, staring intently at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 The broody cage, dunking or sitting on frozen vegetables didnt break Star of her broodiness. We just left her too it and it took 3 weeks. We did make sure she ate and drank, although obviously its a lot less than normal and she was fine. I was reading in my chicken book that a hen sitting on hatching eggs will allow herself 20 minutes a day to eat and drink. We also dusted Star with lice powder during her broody stint as she wasnt dustbathing. I hope your chook snaps out of it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Would also LOVE one of mine to go broody! HOw do you guys do it??? It's easy You hope and pray that one of your chickens doesn't go broody AGAIN, and hey presto, sure as eggs are eggs, one of them will be broody the next day Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I must admit a tiny bit of me did enjoy when star was broody....she was sooo cuddly she would sit on my lap for ages and not move! I think since being broody she has remebered our cuddles aswell as she will still let us pick her up and cuddle her without struggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I must admit a tiny bit of me did enjoy when star was broody....she was sooo cuddly she would sit on my lap for ages and not move! I think since being broody she has remebered our cuddles aswell as she will still let us pick her up and cuddle her without struggling. Really Annie has never been a cuddly type chicken, hates being picked up. Now she's broody she is sulky, pecky and just thoroughly anti social, I can't wait until she snaps out of it Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 UPDATE TUESDAY MORNING Well, the first night is over with. I dreamt about poor cold chickens all night. Lydia was bokking a lot this morning at about 6.30. I had been round to the neioghbours last night to forewarn them that they might here a lot of chicken noise for the next couple of days, and explained what we were doing and why. I didn't want them thinking they had entered chicken hell, and (didn't want them seeing poor Lydia in her solitary cell stuck out all night, and then phoning the RSPCA. Anyway. Got up to go and let the the other Girls out, and saw that Lydia had laid a little egg in her broody cage. I picked it up, and it was really, really cold, as though it had been in the fridge. Poor Lydia. I brought the egg in, and then decided to risk letting Lydia out. I know it's meant to be longer than this, but I was kinda hoping that we had caught her "on the turn" as it were and so we might have snapped her out of it a bit more quickly than expected. I've left the broody cage in the Run, and if Lydia makes any attempt to nest, she'll be straight back in. She's been up and about for over an hour now and so far hasn't shown any inclination. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Sounds promising. They don't usually lay whilst they are broody, so you might have snapped her out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 How I wish I'd taken a stance like you WitchHazel the moment Doris went broody - Doris has been broody for three weeks, two others have now joined her To top it all when I chucked them all out the nesting box this morning to make them eat, Tallulah, my timid Cream Legbar was trying to tear strips out of Doris so obvious my feather pecking isn't over yet Letting Doris sit for three weeks has left her out of the gang Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 If its any consolation Helen I am having the same problems with my bantams - they seem to have been born to be broody - as soon as I get one sorted out another one starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...