Auto door randomly closing during the day

[Kylie1007]

My silkie has gone broody (I assume - she has been on the nest all day and was really puffed up when I checked on her) so I have kicked her (not literally) out of her nest and replaced both sides with a plant pot. Shes out now pecking around.

I'm just wondering how long it takes for a broody chicken to snap out of it or is it gradual? Should I give her a dunking in some water?

[Chortle Chook]

Oh a dunking does not sound very nice, poor wee thing. She is only doing what Silkies do best.

I pop any broody Silkies out to get morning breakfast and again at lunchtime and again at corn time when I shut all chooks out of the nest area (but leave them access to the roosting area) till the next morning. My white broody snapped out of it after just a week of this routine but my gold one carried on for a good three weeks. I did try shutting her out for a full day when I cleaned my chooks out but she just sat right outside the nest area making sad little noises for the full day, so I let her go back to her sitting.

 

One thing, do make sure you collect any eggs (hers and other chooks as she won't be fussy whose she sits on) pronto so she has nothing to sit on.

[Kylie1007]

Will she stop laying eggs while she is broody? She laid this morning but not yesterday.

[Chortle Chook]

Mine laid eggs for the first few days of being broody, but then stopped altogether (which is perhaps not such a bad thing, as it gives them a rest). I did find, however, that they were keen to move anyone else's egg underneath themselves - the thieves. One day my little gold chook, Dolly, even sat on the egg shell of an egg that had been laid and then eaten by my black chook who had a bad habit of eating her own eggs. Poor wee Dolly.

[mollyripkim]

One of mine has just stopped after 3 determined weeks, kept taking her out and she would have a drink and food and the toddle off back to the nest. I kept an eye on the others laying as she would gather those underneath her and wasn't happy to be moved. She stopped laying and hasn't started again yet, also has a bald patch on her tummy. Now Gertie is showing signs too. Personally I wouldn't dunk them in water, silkies aren't waterproof and I think its only what comes naturally.

[coco]

Two of my silkie crosses are broody, I'll let them sit for a bit then pop them in the broody cage if the weather gets warmer but its too cold at night at the moment. Fizz my silkie frizzle x sounds like a Teradactyl the noises she is maing in the house.

[Kylie1007]

She managed to get back into the nest box even though there was a flower pot in it I guess we might just have to sit it out - no worry about her stealing the others eggs as she's the only one laying at the moment.

[mollyripkim]

One less thing to worry about then!