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Barkisland

Broody already?

By Barkisland, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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Mary, my Light Sussex, has only been laying since new year's eve. This morning I went down to see my girls and she was in the nest box, but didn't come out - most unusual, she is top chook and always first to check out a grape opportunity. I thought maybe she was just laying an egg - had a peep and could see her shuffling about a bit, so I went away. But, when I returned an hour later, she was still in there, sitting on her egg. I picked her up and plonked her outside again with the others. She looked a bit confused - and she wouldn't normally allow me to pick her up. I think she is broody, but I am surprised it is happening so soon after starting laying - is that usual?

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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Thanks for the replies. She didn't try to go back in, so I hope I have thwarted her! I read a post in the FAQ section about them sometimes becoming more docile when broody, and she looked confused, as though she knew she felt 'different' but didn't know why. Hormones, eh?! I can do without her getting broody, I wouldn't be able to keep her out of the nest when I am at work and so I would worry that the others wouldn't be able to get in to lay. Molly hasn't laid today, and I wonder if that's because of Mary hogging the nestbox.

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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OK, I have established for certain this morning that Mary is broody.

*Thicko questions alert*

For how long does a hen usually disappear into the nest box to lay an egg in the normal way?

If I put Mary into a broody cage - which I may have to do, as she is stopping the others from getting into the nest box - how long should I leave her in there?

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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*bump*

I have been in and out of the run all day, lifting her off the nest. Tried putting obstacles in there, she just cosied up alongside them! She did eventually lay an egg at about 3pm, which I immediately snaffled (heheh) She's deffo broody though, she looks lovely, all serene and sort of 'fluffed up', poor deluded girl :lol:

 

Advice re broody cage anyone..... please ???

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abwsco Feathery Fanatic

abwsco

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Oh no Fiona :( Friends have used dog crates lifted up onto bricks so that there is cold air circulating all around them with only food and water in with them. You have to keep them in this day and night. Dunking in cold water is another method. I hope our Snowball doesn't decide to go broody!

 

Good luck :)

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laurmurf Chatty Chicken

laurmurf

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We've just come out of a broodie phase from hybrid, Bea. She's not even a year old yet, just started laying in September.

 

She never went vicious, just grumbled hugely whenever we took her off the nest and then made a dash back for as soon as she could. She was very fluffed up and incredibly easy to pick up and move since she'd take her position on the nest and never move out of it throughout being carried into the garden!

 

We tried the cold water dunking, taking her off the nest every half hour and then gave up and put her in our version of a broody cage (a guinea pig cage for indoors, but put in the cube run) from dawn til dusk.... still didn't make any difference. It was only when we put her on her own in the empty eglu and run, with no nesting material at all for a week, did she recover. But... as she'd been broody for 3.5 weeks by that stage, I think she was ready to stop on her own anyway.

 

She still hasn't returned to laying though, and that was 2 weeks ago.

 

I have a feeling she's going to be a broody bird for good now. We'll wait and see, but if she's going broody so quickly, so young and in the winter and despite the fact that eggs are never never left in the nest box then I don't hold out much hope.

 

Harden your heart, get a broody cage going but in sight of your others so they don't become estranged, then wait it out! (do take advantage of the extra cuddliness though :wink: !)

 

good luck!

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helenmb All Knowing Superchicken

helenmb

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I just looked this up in a couple of my books and it seems that is can last 2 to 3 weeks. Here is a quote from one

 

How to cope with a broody hen

A broody hen has the instinct to sit upon eggs, keeping them warm and incubating them until they hatch. Hybrids have been selected so that broodiness is reduced but they can still sometimes go broody. You will find that one hen will insist on staying most of the time in the nestbox and may well try to peck you when you are collecting eggs. To check if she is really broody, gently slide your hand under her, palm up, and if she 'cuddles' your hand with her wings, then she is serious. The best way to reset her cycle is to construct a 'sin bin'. This could be as simple as a rabbit hutch with food and water available, but should really have a small mesh floor so that she does not want to think of a nest. It will take about a fortnight for this to be effective, but harden your heart and do not let her out before this time as she will go straight back to the nestbox and begin sitting again. After two weeks in the sin bin, integrate her carefully back into the flock (or place the sin bin in the henhouse if there is space) and she should begin to lay properly again quite quickly, therefore earning her keep. The next time she looks as though she is going broody put her in the sin bin straight away for a few days. This may be enough as the hormones are not at full power at the beginning of the broody cycle. (It is possible to have the hen injected by a vet with a hormone to reset the cycle, but that can become pricey.)

I hope this helps - and that she 'cools off' quickly for you as its never nice to have to separate them from their friends is it.

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Chili Chicken Eggspert

Chili

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I have 5 hens but the only one that has ever been broody is my light sussex. She drives us mad and has been broody in a regular 6 week cycle since last April :evil::evil: We cure the broodiness, she lays a few eggs and then starts with the broody thing all over again. I have become expert at spotting the signs very early and have an all wire broody cage permanently set up as it's the only thing that stops her!! My best advice is don't delay, pop her into the broody cage as soon as you can (and leave her in there 24/7 for a few days).

 

Good luck.

 

Chili XX

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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Thanks all for the replies!

:shock: OMG Broodiness on a six week cycle??? :roll: I hope she doesn't go that route, she has been my best layer up to now. Funny though, she laid another egg today - or at least I think it was hers, but maybe it was one of Gilda's she was sitting tight on when I got home from work this afternoon? I took her out of the box and snaffled the egg again. She is definitely uncharacteristically docile, and feels very warm when I pick her up, she doesn't grumble, but she is straight back in there the minute my back is turned.

I have a dog crate from when we had to isolate Gilda early on in the pecking kerfuffle, so I guess I can use that as a broody cage. Will the wire floor not hurt her feet though? And 2 weeks of isolation sounds so mean.... :cry: Ah well, I suppose this chooky business is not always straightforward. Thanks for advice everyone, I will try the cage and let you know how I get on.

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Chili Chicken Eggspert

Chili

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In my experience the hen will only need to be in the cage for up to a week with food and water of course!! Raise the cage up on bricks to ensure a good air flow underneath her, as you are trying to lower her body temperature and snap her out of the broody phase. Obvious signs to look for are a blood red comb, elevated body temperature, fluffing up of her feathers and a rather cute little cluck cluck cluck sound ( as she is calling to her chicks :roll: )

 

Will post a picture of my cage as soon as I can, but I'm sure somebody clever ( cooee Egluntine ) can post a link to a previous picture of one.

 

Chili XX

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mostin Feathery Fanatic

mostin

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Just another thought re the cage, could I put some roosting bars in? Might be kinder for her tootsies if she has to be in for some time? (I got two Ikea shoeracks for Christmas so could perhaps use one of those?).

 

Am I soft in the head? :oops:

 

That sounds perfect to me, not soft :D

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helenmb All Knowing Superchicken

helenmb

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Will post a picture of my cage as soon as I can, but I'm sure somebody clever ( cooee Egluntine ) can post a link to a previous picture of one.

Chili if you right click a previously posted picture (if you have windows XP for instance) you can select the option to Copy Image Location then in your post click the Img button and paste (Ctrl + V key) between the middle brackets like this ]paste in here[ it should work then.

Hope this helps.

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Barkisland All Knowing Superchicken

Barkisland

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Thanks for asking Anne. Well, I'm a bit confused. She doesn't seem to be doing it now. Today is my day off, and I planned to dig out the dog crate and set it up. However, Mary seems to be back to her normal self, out and about with the others. She was in the nestbox when I went down first thing, but she came bursting out as soon as she heard me draw the latch, and elbowed everyone out of the way to grab most of the grapes. (A nuisance actually as, following advice on another thread about Molly's yucky liquid poo, I am trying to worm them, and now she has been overdosed :roll: ) And she laid an egg again today. (She didn't lay yesterday). So, is it possible that she has cooled off of her own accord? I hope she has :pray:

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