4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Millihelen]

Hello all

I have not been around for a while (too busy keeping chickens ) - but I could really do with some advice now.

Deco has gone all broody - I didn't really catch on for a few days, but then I realised there was real discontent in the cube as "Ooops, word censored!"ody else can get into the nesting box. So, I have started removing her each morning and shutting the door. The trouble is that the others still can't get in (cos the door is shut...)

They are now all developing bad habits laying under the conifers (which I had just got them all out of), I am soaking wet from crawling around to collect the eggs - and Deco is in a really foul mood!

As soon as I open the door in the evening, she is back up the ladder like a shot!

So - is this all a waste of time?? Should I just let her get on with it??

[stoice]

Can you get hold of a dog crate of upturned guinea pig cage? Put your broody in there, standing on bricks, for about 3 days with food and water. The cool air around her knickers should reduce her temp and help snap her out of it. Then you can let your other girls have access to their cube. Hope this helps.

Edited May 27, 2009 by Guest

[OwenLdn]

Hi Millihelen,

 

I have just gone through broody chickens and very glad that this week Hermione (a blue laced Wyandotte Bantam) seems to have snapped out of it.

 

I tried dunking Hermione in the pond twice a day for the first few days! – this didn't do anything apart from leave me with a wet grumpy chickens and some extremely worried neighbours.

 

I then tried locking her down stairs but she sat down there, and the others couldn't lay, and like yours as soon as the door was open at night time she jumped straight back up and straight into the nest box. Then I let her get on with it- lifting her off twice a day to eat, drink (and poop- and boy do they smell when they are broody).

 

Then Flo my Silkie decided she wanted to get broody too and decided the same nest box was where she wanted to sit too- so much to Hermiones annoyance Flo squashed herself in too and the pair of them sat there for days and days! However Flo didn't have the dedication of Hermione and would sometimes forget to be broody if there was a titbit going downstairs or the others we allowed out into the garden.

 

Then my friend asked if Hermione would like incubate some eggs for her while she was sitting there- so 6 Blue Silkie eggs were palced under her and Hermione did a beautiful job.

 

But by this time Hermione had been broody for 7 weeks- and was seriously loosing condition so I decided enough was enough and even though the eggs only had a week to go I couldn't leave it any longer- so I returned the eggs to my friend for her silkies to sit on- and decided to lock Hermione and everyone else downstairs near the food and water. I placed upside down terracotta pots in the nesting boxes at night to prevent them going in. It took a couple of days but she has snapped out of it.

 

Whether Hermione was due to finish being broody or the locking out during the day helped im not sure- but what ever you do don't let them stay broody for as long as I did- as they can loose condition really quickly.

 

I have heard of putting the chicken in a wire crate for a day without food and water- but as cruel as it might sound I would have tried that next if Hermione hadn’t stopped. The idea is that they hen cannot get settled and comfy in the crate.

 

Luckily now Hermione is sleeping on the bars again and was second one out this morning for food! Phew!

 

Good luck!

 

[Raina]

Hi,

 

I've read somewhere that putting a bag of frozen veg in the nest box will snap them out of it.

 

 

Can't remember where i read it though

[Millihelen]

Can you get hold of a dog crate of upturned guinea pig cage? Put your broody in there, standing on bricks,

 

I have just stopped laughing!

I thought you meant that I had to get the broody to stand on the bricks and I wondered how on earth I was going to achieve that !

[Millihelen]

I love the photo of Hermione - just like Deco, only she is scowling more!

Thanks for your lovely long reply.

 

I think I will try blocking off the nesting box (footballs plus the lid off the waterbutt seem to work!) then she won't be able to get into it at all.

Doesn't sound as if the cold water treatment works - in fact, she doesn't feel particularly warm to me - so I won't try that one.

 

Meanwhile I'll continue foraging around in the undergrowth for eggs and hope the weather clears up soon.

[Egluntyne]

There is an excellent article on managing broodies **here**

[yelsel20]

Hi. Like you my blue lace wyandotte, "Clucky" recently went broody, taking over the cube nest and not allowing the other girls in. I tried lifting her out several times a day, sitting her in a bowl of cold water, putting ice cubes under her and leaving her in a "broody cage" for 48 hours, all without success. So I have given in to her need to become a mum and has been separated from the others and is in the "maternity wing" (a second hand eglu and run) and happily sits all day on 8 fertile wyandotte eggs. Due date 11 June, how eggciting!

 

My query is with regard to the roost bars in the eglu - do I remove them as the chicks are going to be very small and probably fall through the gaps. What do I do about innoculations? Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

x3 Edna, Mabel, Olive

x 2 Grace and Flavia

Erin

Bantams, Clucky, Belle, Rosie and Ruby

[Millihelen]

An update - I have now put three basket balls in the nesting box (two were not enough, she managed to squeeze in!) so she is now sitting on the roosting bars as near to the nest as she can get.

Is this progress?

Is it likely that they all are going to take a turn at being broody? If so I think I will have to try and get hold of some sort of cage or dog crate.

[OwenLdn]

I think thats def an improvment! The air will circulate under the bars and keep her cooler!

 

Im not sure what sort of hens you have Millihelen but some breeds are more prone to it than others, and im sure there is variation within each breed.

 

I had 2 out of my 4 hens broody, and for a couple of days my Light Sussex stayed up in the nesting area too i wasnt sure why- so that left the Plymouth Rock all by herself downstairs looking where everyone had gone- and then even she used to come up into the house and spent the day there- even though she wasnt broody! Daft birds!

 

When the light sussex used to lay eggs the broodies used to steal them and sit on them!

 

Just make sure you take them off the nest at least once a day if you let her sit it out to poop and eat and drink.

[Millihelen]

Mine are all Miss Pepperpots. I am just glad I have a cube as it is easy to open the roof and lift them out!

[Trapper]

I have had this happen to one of my chickens a couple of occassions and I have found that the quickest remedy is to put the chicken in a bowl of very cold water and hold them in that for a few minutes. I usually just let the undercarriage get wet. After this she will happily just stay in the water for quite a while and after 2 times in one day it knocks them out of this moody, broody situation.

 

Good Luck

[freckles]

I'm going through this just now too We've tried dunking in cold water, sitting her on ice packs, even ice cubes (poor frozen chicken) but all to no avail ao now she's in the broody cage.

 

Good luck, it is all consuming isn't it!

[Millihelen]

I can't face the cold water treatment yet!

I have now put 3 balls in the nesting box (so she can't get in) and opened up the cube with back off and roof open. She's sitting on the roosting bars and its quite breezy so hopefully it will cool her down.

Do you think I could try the garden hose on her? (gently)

[OwenLdn]

Come on Millihen- be strong- try to snap her out of it sooner rather than later!

 

Yes the hen will probably swear at you if you dunk her but tell her your doing it for her own good!

 

Good luck!

[poachedegg]

One of ours has been broody for about the last week or so - when the others have laid I turf her out and close the cube door - doesn't make any difference though, the minute it is opened @ about 7, she is straight back in there!

 

Have decided to continue doing this and just let her get on with it - am I storing up future porblems by doing this?

[Millihelen]

I am not an expert - this is my first broody - but I think the issues are that you don't get eggs for 3-4 weeks and the broody can get out of condition as she is not looking after herself properly.

I am just thinking of taking the poo trays out of the cube (she is on the bars) and hosing her underneath.

It is a good thing I am at home this week its all so time consuming

[Budgies]

 

Have decided to continue doing this and just let her get on with it - am I storing up future porblems by doing this?

 

Not really. The most important thing to remember is that whilst they are broody they do lose condition somewhat. You must make sure they are getting off the nest once a day, to eat, drink and poop.

 

Because they're not dustbathing and are remaining still, they are an absolute magnet for red mite, so dust her one day when she gets off the pot - you might have to do battle a little because she won't like it, but it will ensure you don't lose a hen to redmite.

 

Other than that the only problems are logistics, like is she keeping the others from the nesting box?

 

Good luck!!

[poppy33]

I have a broody sussex, she has made a nest in the garden and sits on the nest all day. I pick her up off the nest several times a day and put her back in the eglu at night, she still lays an egg every day, is that normal ? I thought they stopped laying when broody. do you have to snap them out of it or do they sort themselves out eventually

[poachedegg]

I do make sure she is off the nest box, basically by waiting for the others to lay and then hoisting her off and closing the cube door, so she is off it by about 11am.

 

This way she is eating and drinking, however took a while to get her off the eggs this mornig , so may consider a broody cage (aka dog crate )

 

Am not bothered about whether she lays or not as we are over run with eggs!

[Barkisland]

My Lt Sussex goes broody for 3 weeks out of every 7, and it is impossible to get her out of it. I tried a broody cage without success. I cannot dunk her, that is cruelty to my mind.

So I do the same as poachedegg, once the others have laid I lock her out of the cube until evening. And as soon as she hears the door being opened, she races up the garden and straight into the nest box!

poppy33, they do still lay in the early stage of broodiness, they stop when they think have laid a nice clutch for hatching.

[poppy33]

Thanks Barkisland for answering my query. I was slightly puzzled as I remember reading other posts with complaints of no eggs during broody sessions....all makes perfect sense now thanks

[hilda-and-evadne]

what ever you do don't let them stay broody for as long as I did- as they can loose condition really quickly.

 

Seconded. I noticed that.

 

For the time being, I am going to have go on shutting them all out of the eglu for most of the day until my Light Sussex stops being broody. I have put a cardboard box in the run, on its side, with some Aubiose in it, for the other hens to lay their eggs in. They haven't yet - they have hung on until the eglu is opened up again in the late afternoon.

[angusandwendy]

We have four chickens, Rhode Island red "Molly", Barnvelder "Norma", Light Sussex "Jean" and Corbar "Franny". "Franny" got broody again and this time we put 9 Duck Eggs under her (provided by a kind neighbour). Bless her, she religiously kept them warm and I had to pick her up and take her outside twice a day to make sure she got exercise and food and water. Next thing we find that "Jean" has decided she wants to be broody and the Duck Eggs have been shared between them!

 

Eventually we had four eggs hatch successfully and the two "Mum's" keeping the ducklings warm under their wings. However, we found after a few days the ducklings started to favour "Franny" over "Jean", making "Jean" somewhat jealous. She kept trying to climb on top of "Franny" while "Franny" was sitting on the ducklings, so we had to take her out of the shed. For a few days she loitered outside, trying to get back in to the ducklings at every opportunity, then eventually gave up.

 

We have now got to the point where "Franny" wants to move outside and the ducklings are ready to follow her. When "Franny" joined the rest of the hens they attacked her viciously and I had to split them up. How am I going to reintroduce her without mayhem? I am also concerned how the rest of the girls will react to the ducklings too! Or am I now faced with separating"Franny" and her ducklings permanently?

 

Has anyone been through this scenario before?

 

Angus

[Dawny1307]

Hi there. Just reading ur post regarding Franny and the ducklings. Have u sorted it out yet? I have just had a broody hen; our first and was a bit perplexed on what to do also. In the end we had to separate the mother and chicks (which we bought since we don't have a rooster). We bought a rabbit hutch and made it slightly larger and we use that as a broody coop now. Our chicks are now 5 wks old and the mother has lost interest really but they r doing fine and have been moved to a larger coop. The other hens definitely didn't like the mother or the chicks and constantly bullied and pecked them! But once they were separated it was ok and when the chicks were about 2 wks old we let them all free range in the garden. The other hens still had a bit of a go if the chicks got too close but generally it was much better.

 

It was a real learning experience for us and we are glad to have done it but we really did come up against some pitfalls!

 

Let me know if you need any info/advice.

 

Best wishes,

 

Dawn