Chicken bald back

[sadietoo]

Pansy has been out and about today, but this afternoon disappeared into the Eglu...for hours When I put some mealworms in the run she came out to enjoy a few treats but was making the deep cluck, cluck clucking noise she makes when she is broody....and soon retreated back to the nest box. I took a peep and I thought the familiar Chicken pancake greeted me...

 

I wanted to nip this in the bud, and having read on here about a cunning plan to put ice-cubes under a broody I ransacked the freezer, and eventually found a coolpack thing, which I wrapped in newspaper before popping it under Pansy, who was still on the nest...she looked a bit like this

 

I didn't want to give her frostbite, so I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes, as I thought that would be long enough for a first go..

 

Of course when I went to retrieve the coolpack, she had laid an egg and wasn't really looking broody at all any more

Poor little love, I feel sooo mean now - next time I'll wait a bit longer before I jump to conclusions

[Mollie333]

AWW!

Oh well, she will forgive you with a few mealworms, i guess..

[Chook n Boo Mum]

little minx......I have a similar problem with Drusilla one of the blue Orpies...she's spent all day in the nestbox in that pancake stance & was less than impressed at being evicted via the egg port..I'll go back out in a little while & see if she's gone back in....trouble is that although I have 6 eggs in the inccy which she could sit on & hatch in about a week, I've run out of eglus as maternity wards

 

Sha x

[sadietoo]

:....trouble is that although I have 6 eggs in the inccy which she could sit on & hatch in about a week, I've run out of eglus as maternity wards :wall:

 

Sha x

 

Sha, is that really what the trouble is???

[Chook n Boo Mum]

GUess where Drusilla was..............

 

:....trouble is that although I have 6 eggs in the inccy which she could sit on & hatch in about a week, I've run out of eglus as maternity wards :wall:

 

Sha, is that really what the trouble is???

 

Not really, I've got my wooden house still sitting in the corner of the garden redundant I need to sort a run to go around the house & probably take the nesting box off to give me access to the inner "room"........I wonder if DH will be open to a little emergency DIY

 

The way I've put it to him is that if the eggs go under 'Silla, then we won't have to house them indoors under heat etc...and "IMHO a chick raised by a mum is often healthier" though of course I have no evidence of this, before anyone starts jumping up & down

 

Although I said that none of my Orpies would ever be allowed to be a broody again, I would be willing to risk it as the incubation period would be seriously reduced ie only a few days rather than 3 weeks.......we'll see if she stays put tomorrow, then I'll move her to the wooden house on Tuesday with the fake eggs & put the Marans in with her on Weds/Thurs if everything goes to plan

 

Sha x