Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[EileenH]

I thought that Beauty was egg bound. She`d been laying beautifully and daily for three weeks then yesterday she was on the nest nearly all day and wouldn`t come out. OH eventually said that we couldn`t do anything about it until we knew for sure so he took the top off the eglu and lifted her out. There was an egg!

And, Oh the fuss! She rampaged round the garden Sqwarking loudly and indignantly for ages.

Oh I see, not egg bound, probably broody.

I put a plant pot in the nest at bed time but she pecked and kicked it about furiously so I moved it. (I know, I`m so easily manipulated!)

Well, this morning she didn`t dance out of the eglu as usual and there she was, sitting in the nest box glowering at me. This time I was more assertive and turfed her out and closed the eglu door. She then went around the run as normal, eating and drinking and scratching. That was over an hour ago.

Except that I`ve just checked out of the window and she was distractedly pecking at the eglu door. I thought, `If she genuinely needs to lay an egg I can`t keep her out of the eglu can I?` So I`ve let her in. She`s now sitting on the nest again.

I`ll give her a couple of hours and move her. But what if she`s in mid-lay?

And Ginger has been crouching for a day or two so she`s probably ready to start laying too. I can`t keep her out of the nest box can I?

Oh dear - it all seems so clear cut and easy in the guidelines.

Oh dear - what a wimp I am!

[judith67]

Poor you, this has just ahppened to me too. We are broody virgins haha.

Day 1 - i presumed she was eggbound, but was puzzled when I went up to her in the nesting box she was growling. So did some reading on here and decided she was broody. Tried to get around it for a few days, as when you have 2 other hens you dont want to stop them from laying do you? Tried the ice in the nesting box, bricks in the nesting box, her bottom in a bucket of water , nothing. So since saturday she has been all by herself in a friends cat cage. I did let her out in the sunshie for a few hours yesterday - cos I'm so soft, but with the coop door closed. For the first time in a week she didnt peck ferociously at the coop door trying to get in, and happily pecked about. She did go back in the cage at bedtime though and will be in it all day today. I expect her to be in there til about wednesday.

 

I took the decision in the first few days, if she was indeed eggbound and I locked her out, it didnt matter if she laid it in the run, at least I would know.

It sounds like she is broody and you will have to be a norty mummy for a while and lock her up. Have a look at FAQ's and search on the forum for broody hints and tips.

Good luck.

[LittleBoPeep]

Defo sounds like she's broody. They do get very upset if you try to move them. One of ours was broody for about 2 weeks and in the end we actually got some fertilised eggs from local farm and she was so happy doing exactly what she wanted, three weeks later had three cute chicks. They can be very determined.