Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[Roobaloo]

EDIT (29/06/2010): Toph is definitely acting like a broody but she's still laying eggs...?? Sorry to keep worrying but is this still a broody hen rather than anything else?? Will she continue to lay eggs or will she stop?? I'm loathed to keep her away from the nestbox is she is actually laying.

 

Thanks again!!

 

 

I put a post a few days ago about my magpie, Toph, turning into a stroppy madam...it seemed to be heat related.

 

Now she's sitting in the nestbox from about 7am until about 3pm. Poor Suki laid her egg where she stood yesterday as Toph just wouldn't move. Toph has always been a slow layer, normally sitting in the nest for a couple of hours from whatever time Suki finishes with it...but the latest she's ever been was 11am.

 

She gets very aggressive, fluffing up her feathers and screaming, if you go too close.

 

The problem is that Suki is getting very anxious being out by herself (I'm letting them free-range as early and as late as possible) to the point she threw herself at me on Sunday - I mananged to catch her on my knee but she just leapt at my chest! Or I find her sat on the kitchen window ledge, staring in...

 

Is Toph just in a heat related sulk or is she turning broody? I've found lots of advice on here for broody hens but nothing describing the build up.

 

I turfed her off the nest at 1pm today and shut the Eglu door before she got back in...which made her even angrier. I don't know if it's cooler in the eglu (doesn't feel it!!) but she's not getting up to eat or drink (other than when I leave fruit within reach)...which is surely more important??

 

Does she sound broody or just fed up? ...or could it be something worse??

 

x

Edited June 29, 2010 by Guest

[Redwing]

It sounds like she is just plain broody

 

shut her out of the Eglu once the other one has laid in the morning, just make sure the run is shaded so they arent exposed to the heat of the sun all day

[oneyolktoanother]

my buff orpington bertha goes the same if i catch it in time its over with in a few days but if not about a week, i have to shut the coop door shes goes mad but i throw some corn in and try and give her things to do to take her mind off being broody, it can be a nightmare but great when it goes back to normal

[Roobaloo]

Not ideal but as least I can deal with a broody!!

 

The run is only wired on one and a half sides as it's a converted shed...so we've got two omlet shades up and installed a whisper quiet fan to help keep things cool!

 

Thanks!!

[Egluntyne]

Sounds typical broody behaviour to me too.

[Roobaloo]

Thanks!

 

How long will she stay like this (roughly)? This seems to be day two...!

[Egluntyne]

She could go on for a long time unles you snap her out of it.

 

Some advice **here**

[Roobaloo]

Thanks for the link...that's definitely finalised it!! The "clip clop" clucking, the line down her breast and the feathers in the nest (I hadn't added the two... ) ..and the aggression!!

 

Thanks so much!! Now I just have to figure out how to keep Suki sane by herself!!

[Roobaloo]

Edited first post rather than adding new thread...more questions I'm afraid!

 

EDIT (29/06/2010): Toph is definitely acting like a broody but she's still laying eggs...?? Sorry to keep worrying but is this still a broody hen rather than anything else?? Will she continue to lay eggs or will she stop?? I'm loathed to keep her away from the nestbox is she is actually laying.

 

Thanks again!!

[susanb]

We have just had this with one of ours. We finally realised what was happening after she had had most of 2 days sitting on the nest. And yes, it was the clip-clop noise that gave her game away....very funny!

 

anyway - we shut her out of the nest that night (they have all been sleeping on perches in the WIR anyway) and kept her out for all of the next two days. By the third day she was back to normal - all of a sudden just started eating again and stopped the silly noise and her tail went back to normal shape and she was friendly again!

 

She had still been laying eggs for those first two days, but on day 3 and 4 she stopped (probably a good job since she was locked out of the nest ), and she has not laid again yet (2 days on). We were worried keeping her out of the nest since she had been laying eggs.....but it all turned out well... and only took 2 days.

 

(she is a black star, hybrid.....if that makes a difference).

 

So I say - lock her out for a couple of days and ir might be enough to snap her out of it!

[Redwing]

A properly broody hen will stop laying eggs, it sounds like yours is going through the motions but as she is a hybrid she is pretty hard coded to lay so I'd say that although she is trying to be broody her body isnt very good at it