lizbeth Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Delilah is broody! She is OK to come off the nest when we are letting them free range but the rest of the time she seems to be firmly clamped to the nest. Not sure what to do for the best. Struggling to get close enough to dunk her so have sprayed her with the hose which she was very unimpressed with! Miss Hetty is laying so I don't want to shut the Eglu door (we're not here for most of the day so won't be able to spy for when she wants to lay). We don't have a crate which we can put her in at the moment, are there any other suggestions? Thanks x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 When one of my girls was broody I didn't have a crate neither so I ended up either leaving her on the nest while the others squeezed in to lay-then chucking her off and shutting the Eglu or on days when I had to go out I would just put a football in the nest. The girls would still lay although it was probably awkward for them, but it meant that the broody one couldn't sit on the nest all day. It took about 1 week I think, then she just gave up on the idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teri Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 you could always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizbeth Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 We have now managed to dunk her (heavy duty garden gloves required!) and she tried to go straight back in! We have shut the door for now but she is still trying to get in and I feel so guilty!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I don't like the idea of dunking them just in case they get a chill. I know that people say it's ok to do it but people also say that if you give their bum feathers a wash-if it's not a very warm day, make sure that you dry them off properly before putting them back out in case they get a chill, so I am not sure about the whole dunking in cold water thing Maybe I'm too much of a softy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregson Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Tallulah was broody for about 3-4 wks and came out of it about 2 weeks ago. We tried the football in the nest box but I obviously have a clever chook as she always managed to roll it out of the nest box - don't ask me how! We tried the dunking in cold water, to which she was clearly unimpressed, and that didn't work either - fortunately for us, it was when we had the hot weather so had no worries about her getting a chill. We'd close the door when the other 2 had laid and she'd freerange ok. We didn't have a crate but was on the verge of getting one when she came out of it, but she's still not laying any eggs. And now, just as Tallulah stopped being broody, it's now Harriet's turn If there's a magic answer I'd like to know it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Heavy flower pot in nest box? Drive you mad don't they? The little madams!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CluckyBucks Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 You could try a cat box (one of those fluffy things cats tend to snooze in if you didnt know ) and leave it somewhere sheltered. xx xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
