TheCoop Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Dolly has gone broody and we're not sure what to do! For the past week or so, she has been puffing herself up and clucking and sitting on the nest box and we can't seem to stop it. The trouble is, we are both at work all day so can't really do anything during the day. We have put a brick in the nest box, but she just sits in the sleep area next to it rather than getting in it. I suppose having a brick in there deters the other 2 from laying as well. What happens when they can't lay? Is it dangerous or can they go ages without laying an egg?? When we are home, I do all I can to stop her going up there and if she does, I turf her out. We've tried dunking her rear into water (when we can actually catch her!) and we've squirted her with the hose pipe too! I have closed the door to the sleep/nesting area, but she sits either on or near the ramp wanting to go in. We haven't go the materials to build a small broody coop yet, but we'll have to at the weekend. What can we do? How long does all this last? Will we get back to normal? What effect is all this having on the other 2 chucks?? ANy info/help VERY gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 sounds like you are doing everything right. Once your other girls have laid they key is blocking off the nestbox - we shut the cube door. We did the dunking - it didnt work. You could try the broody cage/pen - we rigged up one - you basically need somewhere to confine the hen with the pen having an "open underside" so the air can get underneath the broody hen and bring down the temperature. We also tried this and it didnt work. We left our hen to it - and she came out of it naturally in 3 weeks. We now have 2 broody cochin hens in our flock at the moment its very funny to watch 2 big balls of fluff flapping stroppily around the garden,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 Thanks for the reply - good to know others have been in the same position! Trouble is, when Dolly sits on the nesting box, she takes up all the space, therefore Babs & Diana can't even get near it to lay. I'm worried they can't get their daily quota of eggs out - will it harm them??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Thanks for the reply - good to know others have been in the same position! Trouble is, when Dolly sits on the nesting box, she takes up all the space, therefore Babs & Diana can't even get near it to lay. I'm worried they can't get their daily quota of eggs out - will it harm them??? You could rig up a temporary nest box and see if they will lay in that. A childs potty with hemcore in it, shallow plant pot, or something similar and see if it will tempt them. I do have the same problem, there is an almighty racket when one of the laying girls wants to get in but the broody pair are stuck in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Can you beg steal or borrow a wire dog crate and put it up on bricks so that the cooling breeezes waft underneath. Put food and drink in it and nothing else. It should take 3 days to snap her out of it. You might want to move it into a shed at night ....for fear of predators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HENthusiastic Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 My chook is now on her 3rd broody week. Shes been sat on loads of ice packs and spent hours unable to access the nest box.... nothing works. She will also happily try to hatch her invisible eggs anywhere, so if she cant get in the nest box, will do it anywhere! Good luck with it. Imhoping I must be nearing the end now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Try a broody cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Can you beg steal or borrow a wire dog crate and put it up on bricks so that the cooling breeezes waft underneath. Put food and drink in it and nothing else. It should take 3 days to snap her out of it. You might want to move it into a shed at night ....for fear of predators. Sounds like a plan! I actually picked her up this morning (6.45am) and dunked her bottom half in a bucket of cold water. Amazingly, I actually let her go and there she was standing in it for a good 10 seconds before something clicked and she went nuts and flapped off in a huff!! Very funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I'm going through exactly the same thing with Molly . Trying to borrow a dog crate thing to see if that'll work (although she's pecking round in the garden at the moment whereas yesterday she paced up and down and round the eglu and run like a thing possessed ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I couldn't find the wire cage option when one of mine was broody last year but I tried everything else and none of it worked - took about 6 weeks for her to snap out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trapper Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hi One of my girls is suffering the same symptoms that you all describe. Puffing up in a ball, not coming out of the coop, laying on an imaginary egg and being very moody. I just picked her out of the cube and put her with the others but she just made a next out of straw and hasn't moved. What should I do if anything and how long does it last? Trapper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 See above. Or dunk her in cold water a few times a day, You could also put a frozen blue ice pack thingy in the nest for her to hatch. Change it every few hours. I found this worked quite well with one of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing works and this bird is driving me INSANE with the constant clucking, puffing up and desperation for the nest box. Is it all worth it I ask myself............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Just to give you some hope (or really annoy you ), Molly seems to be over her broodiness . She's behaving perfectly normally (well, for a chicken ). We turfed her off the nestbox, shut the eglu when possible, dunked her a few times a day and removed eggs asap. Or perhaps she just wasn't very broody in the first place . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 How long did it last for you?? I'm now dreading the day any of the other 2 get broody... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faye&Ant Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi - Helen has been broody for nearly two weeks now, the only thing we havent tried is the broody cage and I think it is time we got one so hopefully this weekend will be the last of it. It drives you insane doesn't it especially when they have that dignified and determined look on their face - and dont get me started on the growling and vicious pecks Hope your girl snaps out of it quickly x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Thanks! Haven't had any growling or vicious pecks. In fact she seems quite docile on the nest box and allows me to pick her up quite calmly. She even remains calm when I dunk her in water which is odd, but then something 'clicks' and she's off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 my 2 cochins are both broody ....they are really getting on my nerves!! so we are getting less eggs, and they are causing chaos when my other 2 want to get in and lay. We are turfing them out all day. We have tried the broody cage and dunking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 It only lasted one week . I think we've been very lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Just to depress the people with broody chickens.....my Annie is into her 9th week of being broody I've tried dunking her, and I close off the nestbox as soon as the other chicken has laid. I blame myself. The first time she went broody last year I tried everything and the broody period only lasted 11 days. So this time I thought "Oh 11 days I can cope with that" and I left her to it. Never ever again. I am getting DH to construct a broody cage, although I probably think it is too late this time. Next time she will be put in it the minute I see the signs. No eggs from her for 72 days, she is not paying her way Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 9 WEEKS?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I'm getting really nervous now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 We got given a book which some of you might have called The Complete Encyclopedia Of Chickens by Verhoef & Rijs, where I discovered that Dolly is a Buff Cochin who are (and I quote) "regularly and reliably broody". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 We got given a book which some of you might have called The Complete Encyclopedia Of Chickens by Verhoef & Rijs, where I discovered that Dolly is a Buff Cochin who are (and I quote) "regularly and reliably broody". Hmmm I will try and remember this and avoid ever having a chicken of this breed Annie finally snapped out of her prolonged broody state at the end of 10 weeks. I can't understand her, she is a hybrid I thought they had broodiness bred out of them, how wrong can you be. Tessa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Hmmm I will try and remember this and avoid ever having a chicken of this breed Oh yeah - I FULLY concur!!! Never again! Ex-batts all the way from now on methinks! Babs is our ex-bat and she's brilliant. No touble, very inquisitive, always active and scratching around, always there waiting for food!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
