Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[Twiglet]

My lovely Barred Plymouth Rocks - Mabel & Millie were laying like clockwork (after a Ve-e-e-r-r-y slow start by Millie) then suddenly about 2 months ago Mabel turned Broody. She's not been aggressive but shows all the other signs - pulling feathers out to "nest", very hot, constant clucky noises, sitting in nest box flat as a pancake etc.

 

Trouble is, she's done this for about 2 months now!!!

 

For about the first month she wouldn't budge, wild horses etc etc. Now she comes out occasionally to forage and feed & poo and sometimes spends an hour or two outside but then firmly makes her way back indoors. If I shut the run or door, she just finds somewhere else comfy to sit. Her comb and face has also lost it's redness and is a bit orange now.

 

Millie is feeling no-mates I think but still lays. I'm hoping she won't follow Mabel but with these pure breeds I know I can't rule it out.

 

Any idea anyone how much longer this could go on? - I miss my eggs and millie misses her sister to play with.

[Egluntyne]

I would give her the dog crate treatment as described in **this article** on broody hens.

[coco]

I tried the broody cage with Coco and Pipa who are both almost permanenetly broody. Coco was broody for 3 months then just snapped out of it, I had a week of no broodys then Pipa went broody again after laying for about four weeks inbetween broody spells. hopefully Mabel will come out of it soon.

[teee]

Just gotta say i love this forum ... soooo much info, thanks Egluntyne for you article on ` Broody ` my white sussex is the only one out of the four that is not a hybread... she has been broody for about a week.... is it normal for the other 3 to pick on her i mean really pick on her... as if she is the newbe... ( she is last in the pecking order anyway thats dosent help ) ... she will not come out unless i get her out.. and will not budge when the others want to lay, they just squeeze in next to her. Iv been letting the 3 out to freerange and closing the run door and getting lilie out to have a streatch and drink etc and closing the door to the eglu.... after a while i let her out to freerange for a bit to... the other 3 spend most of the time chasing her and pulling feathers ... once they have all layed should i get her out and close the door for the day .. she can sit up on the table and get away from the others... im just scared they will really bully her.. or should i leave the door open but put something in the nest so she cant sit on it

soz lots of questions....

[The Dogmother]

I have one of mine in this at the moment.

[Jossy]

Hi guys

I also have a broody hen, just had them for 3 weeks so I'm very new, she is definately broody shows a the signs. I'm just a bit concerned as her crop was full last night, felt smaller this morning now bigger again this afternoon. Do they eat loads so they can have a supply of food as they are nesting? She looks very healthy red comb etc and eating and dry king when I push her out into the run. So not particularly worked but don't want her getting sick

Thanks for you help

Jos

[shoura]

It's quite normal for them to have full crops by the end of the day, they empty overnight as the food gets digested.

[Jossy]

Thanks  is it ok if it dosnt empty fully in the morning? It feels almost like wet sand in a bag... Sorry lol is this right, a couple of the others feel like this too and some are empty . Sorry for being dim. As I said not too worried as she is looking healthy eating and drinking and now I've shoved her off the nest is running around with the others in the garden eating my lobelia ! Lol

[Jossy]

No worries about hens crop now. its nice and squishy like the others. i just worry too much. Put bricks in the nest tonight to see if she gets over the broodiness. Will take them out for the others to lay in the morning.

[Twiglet]

Thanks for the tips - i had already tried most but thought - "one last time" with the cold water dunk. I also put scrunched up chicken wire in the nest box (after Millie has laid) so she couldn't make herself comfortable.

Don't like to talk too soon but she seems to be coming out of it, no eggs yet.

I've looked at clarets broody box and reckon I could sort something out like that if it happens again so here's hoping for some more eggs and company.

You know, I TOLD Mabel that she was sooooo silly sitting on the nest, especially as she wasn't sitting on any eggs and double especially that she hasn't got a boyfriend either but she wouldn't listen!!!

[The Dogmother]

On eof my pekins is like that Sarah - she'd sit on a baked bean if you put one in the nest!

[Barkisland]

My Light Sussex is almost permanently broody throughout the summer and nothing will break it (tried the dog crate more than once). She goes broody on a regular cycle, which resumed as soon as the warmer weather started in the spring. I lift her out several times a day, but was resigned to letting her sit it out, but today I've come home from work and found my RIR planted in the nestbox as well First broody spell for the RIR. With the pair of them fluffed up in there, there's no room for any of the others to get in to lay. What a pain. I've locked them out of the cube for a few hours to cool off.