Auto door randomly closing during the day

[Debb11]

Hi All

I really hope someone can help with this dilemma with my soon to be mum broody hen.

 

My soon to be mum hen Amber has been quite a good mum to be sitting on her eggs since I put 6 pekin eggs under her late Saturday afternoon on 26th May until recently, last Sunday she had left her nest 3 times, getting quite worried she would be giving up sitting on them, I managed to sort out a temporary incubator out of a Coolbox, sawdust and a reptile heat mat.

The next day (Monday) I noticed Amber was not looking too good and quite pale, I thought it was with her not getting out much to eat and drink etc, so I decided the next day Tuesday I would put some food and water in next to her, but she was already out and not looking too good at all, luckily one of my other chickens was sitting on Ambers eggs while laying theirs. I had told my son to keep an eye out when the other chicken comes out, to put Amber back on her nest. He did that,and when I got back from work, I went to put some food and water in for her, only to find that she was standing in the other nestbox. I then had to quickly put her eggs in the incubator and let her free range. Later that day my son went to collect the other eggs only to drop 1 because something was crawling over it, with a closer investigation, I discovered that Ambers nestbox was infested with red mite.

I cleaned out and DE Amber and the chicken house and new bedding. Amber that evening was reluctant to go back into any nest box, though there is only two and slept with the other 3.

The 6 pekin eggs that I have, 5 are fertile and growing well and the other 1 not fertile, so I put the infertile egg in the other nestbox not the original one she was in and hoped she might still continue to be broody as I could tell from her clucking. The next morning ( Wednesday) Amber was sitting on that egg and looking alot better in herself. Today (Thursday) I went to check on her and to dust her again with DE due to running out of it, only to find she had nest hopped and sitting back in the original nestbox on a normal egg, leaving the infertile egg and 2 others cold in the other. I dusted her down and let her free range until she went running back to the hen house to return back to the empty original nestbox. I gave her the infertile egg and she happily put underneath her.

 

I am now at the dilemma of when or if to return her 5 fertile eggs to her before they hatch otherwise I feel she will never stop being broody until they hatch, but I don't want her to nest hop again before then!

I am also un sure when they will hatch as I thought this Sunday 17th, but counting on the calendar, it looks like this

Saturday 16th makes 21 days, I really don't know what to do and it's stressing me out.

 

Please help aaaaaaaah

 

Debbra

[Redwing]

Really she should be on her own with no nestboxes to choose from and no distractions

 

The other hens will attack the chicks when theyhatch apart from anything else

 

I'd try to sort out separate quarters for her now, even a box would do for now, it needs to be a quiet sheltered and safe place - rabbit hutches are ideal. The broody needs to be in a trance like state and may need to be moved each day for a bite to eat and a giant poo!

 

It sounds like up till now yours hasn't been able to concentrate on the task in hand.

 

If you can remove her to a new spot and get her sitting for 24 hours quietly I would give her the eggs back.

[Debb11]

Thanks Redwing for replying. I've put her in the little house she was going to go in when they hatch. It took some percussion, but fingers crossed, she will stay there and I can put the eggs under her later.

I candled the eggs last night, only to find 2 may have died, 2 have movement and the other one is a ? .I'm trying not to blame myself because the other 2 could have got too hot, I don't know, but I feel if I didn't find some kind of heat source, they would have been all dead by now through her nest hopping.

 

Thanks again

Debb