Omlet cube and run

[KitG]

Saunders is refusing to get out of bed! She is settled very happily in the nesting box of the cube and if I open the side door she immediately ruffles all her feathers up and clucks very crossly at me. I have lifted her out about 4 times today - when I first get her out she does all the fluffing and cursing for a bit but then settles down and pecks around very happily. She feels very warm underneath. She is clearly not off her food - comb looks nice and red. She isn't laying. Her behaviour towards the other four is as miserable and cussed as it usually is. Have read the advice about broody hens and this seems to fit with what I'm getting but I thought I should check before following the advice to dunk her in a bucket of water......

[Egluntyne]

Yep, she is broody.

 

Love the name.

[KitG]

Thank you Egluntine. Do I follow the advice to dunk her in a bucket of water?! I don't have a broody box and putting a brick in the nesting area is not going to amuse Adele or Cleo who laid her first egg yesterday! For the moment I will continue simply removing Saunders from bed every chance I get.....

[Egluntyne]

I've never found the dunking method very successful tbh. I'd just keep turfing her off the nest for now. Could you borrow a dog crate from someone?

[darkwoodali]

Sylvia gets broody from time to time and I also tend just to remove her from the nesting box continually. I know it might take longer to break the cycle than dunking or separating from the others but it does seem to work eventually. Good luck!

[ashjc]

Kit I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. Shes definately broody. You can try lifting her out of the nesting box. I tried that for about 5 days. It was difficult as we work during the day and didnt want to shut the cube door as our other chicken couldnt go and lay her egg.

 

After about 5 days of turfing her out and blocking the nesting box hole every night we went with the crate method. I purchased a dog crate from pets at home and bought some wire mesh, cut to size for the base of it and put her in it on four house bricks inside the run. I put some clip on bowls in it for pellets and water... then shut the conservatory blinds so I didnt have to look at her sad face for 3 days. But it worked!

 

3 days in prison and she was cured .... it took a further 3 days of not laying but then she started laying again... and hey presto yesterday a double yolker!

 

Based on the experience I have just had I would recommend the caging method... it cured her in 3 days, she ate and drank more than she would have done had she been brooding so in the long run it was better for her health... it was just sad to see her in the cage for those days.

[KitG]

thank you all so much. We're out at work too so same problem. My 10 year old has however lifted Saunders out of the eglu almost continually since she got home this evening! I do have a cat crate but it's quite a large one so I may well try that. It has a tray in the bottom but that lifts out so she would be on the mesh which I presume would be sufficiently uncomfortable! Although I don't speak fluent hen I'm confident that what she is saying every time she is lifted off is VERY rude indeed.