Unsecure chicken perches

[AndreaT]

Wow, they are bad tempered aren't they!

 

Cristal has been trying to take charge in the nest box for a couple of days now. I've gone down the dunking in bucket route as she wasn't letting the other girls in to lay. She makes a right racket and tries to peck me when I take her out but once in the water I think she quite likes it. She'll happily stand there for a few minutes before jumping out and clucking round the garden.

 

Yesterday she was fighting with the other girls. Today she's been making a noise like an elephant every so often whilst fluffing herself up!

 

She still trying to get back in the coop but not as frantically as she was yesterday so I'm hoping she'll snap out of it in a day or two

[LolaLayla]

You may need to use the cage method if she won't give up. I tried all sorts and it was only the cage that sorted mine out. I found that they settled quite quickly and did not seem upset about being put in it. Broodiness must be in the air as Estelle is hogging the nest a bit at the moment. I have taken her off several times today but she still returns so it may be back to the cage (room 101 as OH calls it) for her tomorrow.

[sparkysmum]

I've just let my pekin out of the sin bin after 3 days and nights. It's worse for us than it is for them. You really just have to do it. Longer you delay the more entrenched in broodiness she will become. Alli x

[AndreaT]

I'm away for the next couple of days so will have to leave her to it. Think I'll be paying a visit to the pet shop on the way home though to pick up a cage!

[LolaLayla]

Good plan

[kinsk]

It's what got my parents hen the nickname 'Darth Vader' she turned into a complete 'mare.

 

After her first eviction she came storming out of the bushes at me, the next night she went for my collie, 12months on he's still scared of hens, and there seems to be a lot on TV adverts at the moment

 

I found cold water dunking 3 times a day, really cold water for about 3-4 mins a time, whole body in, and then making sure they can't get back in. It did take 5 days to snap her out of it. This year we are thinking of giving into her and letting her sit on some of our Welsummer eggs.

[Luvachicken]

I have just had my first broody too, and will be letting her out later - when it stops raining - after 3 and half days in the dog crate.

It is harder for us than her, as she just seemed to pace up and down but I think she has accepted what has to be done.

I just hope she has been there long enough and doesn't start all over again.

Good luck with yours.

[AndreaT]

I have just had my first broody too, and will be letting her out later - when it stops raining - after 3 and half days in the dog crate.

It is harder for us than her, as she just seemed to pace up and down but I think she has accepted what has to be done.

I just hope she has been there long enough and doesn't start all over again.

Good luck with yours.

 

Thanks! I've just put her in the cage and she's not happy! I'm worried about her feet though as the cage has quite large holes. I've had to turn it on it's side as when I took the bottom tray out the holes where much too large. I've put it on a couple of planks of wood underneath and a perch so that she had something to stand on that won't hurt her feet. Hoefully she'll be out in a few days.

 

How's your girl luvachicken?

[MummyHen]

My two lemon orpingtons are broody - again!?!?

 

Interestingly it seems that a year ago there were also broody

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=76650&start=15

 

They have been banished to the cages - but hubby came up with the idea of sectioning off the WIR (I can do that as I have an internal door panel) block off the cube at that end - it give them more room.

[Luvachicken]

 

How's your girl luvachicken?

 

Well, so far so good.

I was worried about her feet too but she seems to have been fine on the wire.

I only let her out yesterday afternoon, so she was in there for a little bit longer than I intended, but she was very pleased to be let out. She played all afternoon and when I put them to bed I made sure she wasn't in the nest box. She wasn't, she was happy with the other 2. So fingers crossed we have cracked it for now.

Hope it is going well for you - the 3 days do seem to quicker than you think.

[AndreaT]

Glad to hear your girl's snapped out of it!

 

Here's a couple of pics of mine....

 

 

Is this ok? Do I leave her like this overnight or should I cover her up?

 

It's a real learning curve having chickens! In eight months I've have rasping breath, aggressive bullying, a disabled chicken with the use of only one wing, feather eating and now broodiness. Gone from one and WIR to and two WIR. Wonder what I'll get next

[AndreaT]

This is what I got next;

 

I just went out to see how Cristal was getting on and she wasn't there She'd manage to open the cage door and was back firmly pancaked in the nest box

 

She's back in the cage now and I'm going to cover it up to see if that will calm her down.

 

That'll teach me for question the whys of chicken keeping!

[LolaLayla]

Good grief, I think you should rename her Houdini Estelle is in the broody cage at the moment and I cover it up at night as last time she was in it she started shouting early in the morning. I do not have any wooden boards under mine just logs at the corners to keep it off the ground. I know you were worried about her walking on the wire but I think they seem to get the hang of it. The only problem maybe if she is still able to keep herself warm by sitting on the wooden bits. I expect some of the more experience folk will let you know their opinion. Good luck

[Cheeky Chooky]

Determined when they're broody aren't they. I've got 3 who are broody at the minute I'm chucking them out of the nest box when I'm around, removing any eggs ASAP and blocking the nest boxes in the late afternoon/overnight but I'm just leaving them to it now

[Luvachicken]

AndreaT how have you been getting on ?

I have been a bit poorly so haven't been on for a while.

 

My broody is no longer broody.

She spent the few days in the crate and that seemed to do the trick.

I just had to wait and see when she started laying any eggs.

Which she did 2 days ago

[Salop Chuck]

I see what you mean Andrea about the large gaps in the bottom of the pet cage. I eventually lined the bottom of the cage with some wire mesh to give a more secure base for my broody girls to stand on. Then I raised the whole thing off the ground on bricks at the four corners. I covered the whole thing at night with a piece of thick opaque polythene to protect from rain and wind. Like others, it took 3 days and nights to break the broodiness.

[AndreaT]

AndreaT how have you been getting on ?

Well I let her out after 3 days and she went straight back in the nest box! I've been away for the last few days and as the neighbours where looking after them I didn't want the hassel of them having to fight to get the eggs out from under her so she's been in the cage all that time. I'm hoping that she'll be ok now, 6 days felt a long time to have her in there!

 

I covered the whole thing at night with a piece of thick opaque polythene to protect from rain and wind

I used an old throw in the end as she was inside the WIR. I thought she was little too exposed without it

[Luvachicken]

Is she behaving yet ?

[sadietoo]

I see what you mean Andrea about the large gaps in the bottom of the pet cage. I eventually lined the bottom of the cage with some wire mesh to give a more secure base for my broody girls to stand on. Then I raised the whole thing off the ground on bricks at the four corners. I covered the whole thing at night with a piece of thick opaque polythene to protect from rain and wind. Like others, it took 3 days and nights to break the broodiness.

 

I put my broody cage on bricks overnight in the shed, as I don't like the thought of it being exposed to a fox sniffing around (even though she and it are inside the run)...

 

Lucie is doing her second spell of solitary in as many months as I write!

 

I don't care about lack of eggs but I do care about not eating and drinking!!

[AndreaT]

Is she behaving yet ?

I don't think she's completely over it, she still likes to sit in the nest box for too long, but she gives up as soon as I gently persuade her to leave (chuck her out )

 

I've just reintroduced Tattie the feather eating so I think that's given her something else to think about, if Cristal doesn't get out of the way when she wants to lay Tattie just stands on her back!