Purplemaniacs Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Hi Ivory our Merrydale Sussex has gone broody. She sits on the nest whenever allowed. I push her off when I am here and block it off at night but this does not seem to stop her. How the others manage to lay in the nest I do not know, it must be cosy! Ivory has only been laying since the middle of May, is it normal for them to go broody so soon? This morning I have put her in a broody cage, its amazing what good use we have made of our old dog crate that our black lab used when she was a puppy, separate accommodation for pecked chucks now a broody cage. Does anyone know how long she is likely to need to stay in it for and how will we know when to put her back with the others? Thanks. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tottya Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Hi Chrissie! I have the same problem too, as I have a white silkey whom has been broody for 4 weeks now its like shes just got in a habit and cant snap out of it. I turf her out of the nest and she quite happily drinks, pecks the grass then has some food then just sits right back down on the grass all fluffed up again!! Mu husband does not see the point in keeping chickens now as he says they arnt paying there board!!! LOL Hope your create works its magic! Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Three or four days should do it. If you can put the crate in the run, they won't forget who she is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jills Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 My Nessa went broody only 3 weeks after starting to lay. Turfing her out of the nest box whenever possible didn't seem to work, so after about 10 days I put her in a broody cage (an adapted guinea pig run). She absolutely hated it and I felt terrible, but after 24 hours she had snapped out of it and is fine now. It then took another 10 days for her to start laying again. It seems that it is best to be cruel to be kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 A couple of days of sitting on ice-blocks wrapped in a tea towel snapped Sylvie out of it but she's not the most determined broody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff007 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hello All These chooks can be so stubborn! My Frida has been broody for about 2 weeks now, and I'm at a loss what to do. She won't leave the nest unless I pick her up (which she has never let me do before!), and turf her out. As soon as she has gourged herself, back she goes onto the nest, even when I've left the roof off the Eglu and removed Agnetha's egg. Anyone got anymore ideas? 25/02/08 Frida - First egg 08/03/08 25/02/08 Agnetha - First egg 08/04/08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Boots my cochin is on her 3rd session of being broody this spring each time it lasts her at least 3 weeks despite being taken off during the day This time I'm going to try the old dog crate trick this time becasue it can't be that good for her her claws are growing long too because she's hardly been off the nest for what feels like months I'll let you know how long it takes. Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 One of my new girls is broody too - just this week - so it will be out with the dog cage today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg Lou Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 My pied has decided to go broody too only had her two weeks and the only egg layer! Just when Nutmeg and I had been discusssing this in my gerden this morning as well! She sat for 3 hours after laying her egg, so lifted her and found she'd pulled out feathers and gathered the fake eggs and her own underneath her and all were so hot!. so turfed her out egg port and she ran off to join others free ranging but think she will be back soon.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Boots my cochin is on her 3rd session of being broody this spring each time it lasts her at least 3 weeks despite being taken off during the day Oh Karen, what are they like?! I knew cochins were prone to being broody but Star is getting ridiculous, I think we are on week 7 of her second stint (I've lost count now!). And also I think she's pretending half the time, if I shut the cube door she roams the garden and eats and scratches like a normal chook, once the door opens - thats it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Hello All These chooks can be so stubborn! My Frida has been broody for about 2 weeks now, and I'm at a loss what to do. She won't leave the nest unless I pick her up (which she has never let me do before!), and turf her out. As soon as she has gourged herself, back she goes onto the nest, even when I've left the roof off the Eglu and removed Agnetha's egg. Anyone got anymore ideas? 25/02/08 Frida - First egg 08/03/08 25/02/08 Agnetha - First egg 08/04/08 If your other chicken has laid, fill the nestbox with plant pots or a football to stop her getting back in there. Also you could try dunking her in cold water, about 4-5 times in a day, this helps cool them down and might do the trick..... Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Boots my cochin is on her 3rd session of being broody this spring each time it lasts her at least 3 weeks despite being taken off during the day Oh Karen, what are they like?! I knew cochins were prone to being broody but Star is getting ridiculous, I think we are on week 7 of her second stint (I've lost count now!). And also I think she's pretending half the time, if I shut the cube door she roams the garden and eats and scratches like a normal chook, once the door opens - thats it! That's so true when she gets taken off the nest and put at the bottom of the garden she joins the others, dust baths, eats and drinks then it's as if she remembers she has somewhere else to be squarks at the top of her voice, and runs like a mad thing back up to the nest box Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Good luck with it. We found that nothing worked with Dolly (Buff Cochin) unfortunately, so decided to let nature takes its course. 7 weeks all in all. Such a relief when she snapped out of it - like having a new chicken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Well, I feel like a right rotten chicken mum . Let's hope it works, I feel so cruel . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 do u keep them in this for 3-4 days, what about letting them out can i?i have a buff orp who has decided to go broody, and she is determind but im not if i can. can i use a cat one? its like the one in the pic above. or should i try the ice cubes first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 hope it works ANH *newsflash* I can confirm that Star is no longer broody, we were almost 8 weeks but she snapped out of it today! These little cochins seem to be very prone to lots of broodiness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Debbie, I'm going to leave her in it all day tomorrow and Tuesday (I'll be at work) and not let her freerange with the others when I'm home . I've just put her in the shed as it's started pouring . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Debbie, I'm going to leave her in it all day tomorrow and Tuesday (I'll be at work) and not let her freerange with the others when I'm home . I've just put her in the shed as it's started pouring . I do hope this works for you ANH, fingers crossed. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Debbie, I'm going to leave her in it all day tomorrow and Tuesday (I'll be at work) and not let her freerange with the others when I'm home . I've just put her in the shed as it's started pouring . im thinking of trying the ice blocks first, then the cage as last resort, if i have to use this i will put her in my run in the corner, but lifted up like yours. fingers cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 We used a dog crate like Ain't "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here and it worked, Ivory is no longer broody, we put the lifted dog crate next to the eglu run so that the others could see her. We did not let her out to free range with the others. She spent three days in it. Hopefully she will start laying again soon, not sure how long we are likely to have to wait Hopefully not toooooo long Thanks for the advice earlier in the post. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizBourne Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 It is reassuring to read of other's broody chickens. My three chickens seem to be having a broody relay. Fluffy was the first and it took her four and a half weeks to snap out of it. Then immediately (the same day!), Mrs Miggins decided to go broody. Of course, then we were down to just one egg a day. Mrs Miggins has been broody now for four weeks and not showing any signs of letting up. Now Lily, the third chicken, although still laying thinks that sitting around in the nest box is the thing to do. Is this normal for chickens to go in relay? Is it something I'm doing that is making them do this? I have just picked up two eggs and have shut the eglu door. They are all happily taking dust baths now, but am I being cruel? Surely it's not as cruel as dipping their behinds in icy water (although that is next on the list!)?! Funny thing is, when Fluffy was broody, I couldn't figure out how the others were laying. So I sneakily had a look in the Eglu and found Lily in the nest box laying with Fluffy sitting directly on top of her, like a chicken pyramid. It was like something out of Aardman Animations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henny penny Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hi my English Maran has just gone broody over the last two days. We still seem to be getting eggs but she has decided today to spend the whole day on the nest. She growled and tried to peck us when we lifted her off. So now we wear thick gloves. We managed to get her out free ranging but every now and then she would return and check the eglu door to see if it was open. We put the spare mini slats (ones by the door) over the nest but she managed to lift it up . We found her underneath the slats. We have now weighted them down with bricks and she is perching on the slats now. She has always gone to bed on the nest and every night we have had to push her off- this is obviously something we will have to change!/ discourage. Tomorrow we will put her in the old guineapig run/ark. But i'm not sure whether to shut the door to the house area or whether to put some sort of slats in as the base will be on the ground? Its nice to know other people are having the same experiences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Let her sit in the nest box, but put a freezer pack wrapped in an old tea towel in first She will soon snap out of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Fingers crossed, I think Molly's snapped out of it . Two days in the cage (right beside the run so they could see each other) and two nights in the slammer, I mean shed . Here's hoping . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I have four broodies at the moment..... two brahmas, a mini buff Orp and a pekin (amazingly not the cochins). They are in four separate broody cages and the monsters woke me up at 5.05 this morning. Might get some of those dog crates to put inside the big run when we finally get it built. Hubby and I are going to measure up properly and draw out what we want this weekend now that the school work has eased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
