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dogs and chickens

Broody? What age?

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Hi All,

 

I have a chicken who is enjoying the nest box a little to much in my opinion and the other hens don't like it much either!

 

She plonks herself in their whenever she gets the oportunity and sits there for what seems like hours. She does not seem to be laying any eggs either! I keep being really mean and moving her into the fenced off area so she has to walk back in, This gives the others a chance to lay in there favorite nest box, however it then gives her more eggs to sit on!!!

 

I'm not sure if she is broody or not, can an approx 30 week old chicken be broody? Or does age not effect this?

 

She is not grumpy when you move her - I have read they can peck you if you get to close to a broody hen and her eggs?

 

Has anyone had this problem?

 

Thanks

 

Michelle

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Only ever had one really broody girl, who was Gertrude. She did used to peck, and became broody quite quickly after she began laying... so i suppose she was quite young, and she always had a tendancy to be broody.

Our hen we have the moment, Vivienne, doesn't appear broody but she will go and sit on the next for ages after laying, though never seems angry or pecky when you remove her - which sounds quite similar to your girl! We just move her off.

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Pebbles is broody at the moment aswell! (well i think shes broody) for the past week she has been sitting in the nesting box most of the day. When i pop home at lunch time ive been taking her egg away from her...with a few pecks from her! The past two days she hasnt laid and she will not budge from the eglu. Her feathers are all puffed up and she aint a happy bunny! My other half took her out through the eglu port door today and put her in the garden and she stayed puffed up and just sat down again! After a while she seemed to snap out of it and had a little flutter and shake and started scrutting around..We just put her back in and she has gone straight back into the eglu! I hope she is alrite!

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We just put her back in and she has gone straight back into the eglu! I hope she is alrite!

 

I'm sure she is alright, just broody :( When your other hens have laid why don't you chuck her off the nest box and close the Eglu door until much later in the day? I think the trick with a broody hen is to spot it when it first starts, and to then make sure she can't get into the nest box and do the dunking with cold water stuff. Of course I failed spectacularly to spot the first signs of broodiness both times around :roll::roll:

 

Tessa

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yes she could be broody-does she leave the nest at night to roost? a broody will stay flat on the nest and make buk buk buk noises if you interfere. if you get her up she will be all fluffed up and keep making her broody noise and head back to the nest soon after. they do get protective and some may peck but not necessarialy.

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My Star has just come out of her broody 3 week stint! :roll:

 

She went all fat and puffed herself up and made the strangest noises :lol: , we tried a broody pen with an open bottom to cool her down, we tried sitting her on frozen vegetables to cool her down and we did try dunking in cold water - none of this worked - so we left her to sulk, but once the other girls had laid I turfed her out the cube and shut the door thus forcing her to get up and eat/drink etc.

 

I never had any trouble picking her up, I think you have to take "the bull by the horns" and show them who's boss and just pick them up without worrying. Star never made any attempt to peck me - she just made funny sounds. You could wear gloves though as some chicken breeds are more placid than others.

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My Bunny is broody - currently sitting on a bag of ice cubes!

 

Mum thought she was going to die! I had said she was Broody and should be kicked out of the Cube so Mum did. Got pecked for her trouble then found that Bunny was doing the "pancake" thing and not very interested in food/drink or coming out of the run - Mum thought she was dying!

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I have now moved her into a broody pen as she would not let anyone else into lay!

 

Poor thing is all puffed up as someone above has said. She still is not pecking me, just very cross at being moved and making loads of noise.

 

I think she is sleeping in the nestbox. She has pulled out a load of feathers to 'feather the nest' is this normal?

 

I have put straw, and fake eggs in the broody coop, a block of wood for a perch (just in case she decides to come out of herself!), and food and water plus corn - which she did strain her neck to reach!

 

I have put the fake eggs in cos I felt really mean leaving her with no eggs! Maybe I should get some fertile eggs! Except I don't want any more chickens - anyone living near me (Wendover) want more birds of unknown sex?

 

Thanks all for your help this far, any advice on the broody thing? By the way not sure I can stick her in cold water!

 

Michelle

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i know! and those cages with no bottom just mesh.. it is nice to let them follow their instincts if, as you say, you can accomodate/home the resultant birds. i should think you'll be able to line up future homes for the girls but best to be prepared for the cockerels to recieve "temporary" homes.

have you read the permanent post about hatching and announcement about rehoming? worth a read before you start looking for eggs.

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My understanding is dogs and chickens, that if you put your chook in the broody pen and put eggs in for her to sit on it won't make her snap out of her broodiness.

 

Obviously if you want her to hatch eggs its fine, but otherwise you've got to go down the perceived 'cruel' route :D

 

I have 3 broodys at the moment :shock:

Doris has been broody for three weeks, I've tried ice packs and shutting her out to no avail.

Attila and Bluey went broody together on Friday :roll:

Attila pecks a little, the other two are fine.

OH has been instructed to knock up a broody cage - its time for me to be firm :x

 

Helen :D

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She stayed in her broody cage last night, but she did not sleep on the nest - I decided she was not broody, and put her back with the others - she sat on the nest again!

 

I have decided to remove all straw from the nest box and just leave it bare so it's not so cumfy! She's not letting anyone else near her least of all me, my other poor girls are all crossing there legs as she has plonked herself in the fav nest box! I was getting 10-11 eggs a day. I only had 8 yesterday, and have had 4 today so far! Where are all the eggs!!!!

 

I think I will just leave her too it for a few days, if she carries on I'm sticking her on ice!!!!!

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