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chocchick

Broody cage

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Feel so mean, but it is now 6 weeks with no sign of letting up. There was fluffing up within a minute of cooling in water. She followed me round begging to be let back into the eglu yesterday. Have put spare roosting bars over the nest and poor Susannah has a doleful look in her eyes and is brooding on the roosting bars. :cry: I'm being emotionally blackmailed by my chicken :roll:

Thinking of buying a dog cage as she is very persistant.

A few questions...

Do you keep the broody in the cage overnight?

Do you think it would be cool enough in the day with a blanket over a wire dog cage, and warm enough at night?

Is she safe in a cage at the edge of the eglu run from predators as she can't run away? (Should I say put her in the house as the shed is too hot?)

IMG_0790_Medium.thumb.jpg

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Hi Choccy (poor you!)

 

I got a mesh pet carrier from our local pet store, it was about £20-ish. I took out the plastic tray in the bottom and attached two budgie feeders for water and pellets. I keep the hen in it 24 hours a day (I hated doing this), the cage was in a sheltered, shady part of the garden during the day, raised on bricks to encourage the airflow, and locked in the run (on bricks) during the night. It took 3 days of this to snap the last one out of broody mode and a week after that she started laying again. One of the days that Ruby was in the cage, it was hot, so I sprayed her with water to cool her down, which must have helped..

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How about this for a bit of lateral thinking from my son.

 

1. Why doesn't Chocchick take Katy to Meadowhall? Its flippin' freezing in some of the shops with the air conditioning blasting away?

 

2. Take her for a long drive in the car with the air con on full blast.

 

3. Bring her indoors and aim a fan at her.

 

All spoken in jest, but there may be the germ of an idea in there.

 

Best of luck

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Cage has arrived at OH's work. Watch out Susannah :!:

The little horrors managed to remove the extra roosting bars completely from the nest yesterday and put in the doorway, and I found Susannah on the nest on top of Trinny's egg.

I'm starting to think it was cruel subjecting Su to water as she fluffs up like a puffer fish afterwards so I think just annoys her.

 

OH would not let chicken inside car :shock::!:

Could let her cluck round Meadowhell, could be interesting :lol: I bought Beth from the back of a van in Meadowhall car park :!: (actually turned out to be from Terry Beebee from Practical Poultry magazine)

Could try fanning her, but neighbours would think I'm barmy :lol:

 

Thanks Claret/Louise :D

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:lol: A bit like shaking the roasting dish at a non-laying chook :wink:

 

Unfortunately it's the time of year for broodies, and this heat doesn't help.

 

Try spraying her with water while she is in the bage Choc-ster - I did that to Rubes and it helped snap her out of it. I was trying to clean some poo off the mesh without letting her out and thought that it might help if she had a soaking too so I got it under her wings and on her tummy - she wasn't happy, but stopped brooding a day later and laid again a week later.

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I think she's too busy escaping to be broody :roll:

Trinny just keeps stealing what food she can from Susannah :roll:

caged_001_Medium.jpg

I turned the cage upside-down and taped chicken wire on the bottom as the bars are wide. The tray is on top, the holes are wide enough for a Susannah to squeeze out of apparently. I've found a heavy water container and moved it where I can keep an eye on her. I will put bricks in the nest and let her sleep in the eglu at night as it seems best for us.

She looks less fluffed up than in the picture already. :D

The cage packs flat which is good for storage.

I got this cage

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She might be naughty, but she is very pretty Choccy :!::D

She is so pretty fluffed up, and so easy to lift out and cuddle, I'm quite enjoying that part. :oops:

She's quite hacked off trying to escape now (when I'm there :lol: )

She could only squeeze a shoulder on the nest last night, but squashed under poor Trinny's wing which she had out to keep cool. :roll:

It actually seems quite big for transport, I'm not sure how easily it would go in a car. She is twice the size of a normal chicken fluffed up. There were smaller cages from the seller as well.

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