minieggs Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to chicken keeping, and not quite sure if our girl is broody or if anything else is the matter. Zinger, our pekin began laying around 1 month ago, and always goes in to the nesting box for around 3 hours to lay her eggs, and can often be in and out all morning before she finally lays. On Friday she seemed to be spending longer than usual in the nesting box, but I left her there all afternoon anyway. Friday night I turfed her out of the nesting box, and collected the egg. Saturday she spend most of the time in the nesting box again, but not knowing whether she was trying to lay I left her there. In the evening again we checked and no egg. I'm sure she slept in the nesting box last night as she was there today. We kicked her out this morning and closed the door to the eglu. At first she didn't seem too fussed, didn't squark or try pecking us, and had a bit of food and some water. But after 10 minutes she wanted to go back in, and got really stressed, pacing round in cicles and whining. She also was really puffed up, almost looking double her size, and has been doing the most enormous poos! In the end we felt guilty and opened up the eglu, and she ran straight back in to the nesting box. Do you think she is broody? Or could she be ill? If she is broody what would be the best move now? Will it stress her out too much if we just close the eglu door all day (she is the only girl laying at the moment)? Thanks Julia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 She definitely sounds broody to me, mine do enormous broody poos and do the pacing when the nest box is shut. Different people have different ways of dealing with it, lots use a broody cage which is often a dog cage up on bricks so she cools down, I think three days is the usual time in the sin bin. As I work from home I just turf them out every couple of hours to eat and drink. Cilla has been broody for about three weeks now and it's only this weekend that she has stayed out with the others of her own accord. I close the door in the afternoon when I know everyone has laid but to be honest she just finds somwhere else to hunker down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 My Melody has been broody 3 times now and for her the only thing that seems to work is the broody box. We put her in our dogs crate for 3 days and the 3 nights with food and water, covering her with a blanket once it was dark. She hasn't been broody for a while now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minieggs Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I picked her up to put her outside this afternoon and she had laid an egg - do they still lay when they're broody? Closed up the eglu, and she's been pretty good this afternoon socialising and hunting for worms, but keeps returning to pace every now and then. I've just put a brick in the nesting box, and opened up the eglu - she raced inside and looked very put out to find something in there, tried to push it out the way, and eventually just settled on top of it! Hopefully she'll just snap out of it soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 No I don't think mine lay when they are broody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Mine didn't lay when she was broody and then when the broodiness was over she didn't lay until about a week later. Before I realised when she was first broody she would pinch the egg of Myrtle and try and hatch that. Now I know more what to look for it is straight in the broody cage for her. If I shut the cube door she would only sit in the wheel of the house all day instead. I hope she gets sorted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dance in the dark Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Yep, definite broody. Some broodies are less violent than others, some will peck and snap at you, and chunter and all the rest of it (as my hands can currently testify). Other's will just make noises and swell up, but not actually take a swipe at you. It is also often true that when you lift them off the nest they will normally be fine for a bit, then get desperate to get back. This is because hens needs breaks from sitting to eat, drink, have a stretch and do a big poo, then will normally go back on the nest after maybe 10-15 minutes. Also, this pattern of egg laying is normal. I don't know how consistent a layer pekins are, but normally, you will get a couple of eggs after they first show signs about serious broodiness before they go off lay. I did have an orpington who spent four days being broody before stopping lay, but I think that is unusual. My suggestion is to either get a broody cage (which if you have pekins might be wise, you will have some serious broodiness to contend with) or just keep lifting her off the nest. I normally lift my broodies off the nest whenever I am outside, which normally keeps them busy for a few minutes. Then once all the other girls seem to have laid, I lock the eglu door, and she just has to cope (there will be some desperate efforts to get back in) and then block access to the nest at night (although since I have an eglu cube I appreciate this is virtually impossible with a regular eglu. She may get over it in a few days, but you can never be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Our Welsummer is broody at the moment, just like she was last Summer too. I am having to turf her out of the nest every day and shut the Cube door once I know all the others have laid. However she is trying to make a nest on the floor of the run as it's covered in a layer of Rapport. She is also making a hell of a racket all day long because she can't get back into the Cube. Out of our 3 pure breeds so far she has been the only one that has gone broody. She is not laying either and I think that is how it goes when they are broody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I was just wondering, can you put more than one broody in a broody cage at a time if they were broody at the same time ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minieggs Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks for your replies. We've been chickening out (excuse the pun) and just pretty much left her to it the last couple of days, locking her out in the afternoons and putting a brick in overnight. She doesn't seem any better, so we may have to investigate the broody cage... What would you suggest is the most cost effective option for one of these? Do you leave the chicken in there day and night? Also, would anyone recommend dipping them in cold water? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I got a dog crate and put it on bricks. The base of the crate I use as a roof to keep the rain off. Put in food and water and leave her in there for 3 days and nights. Hopefully that should do the trick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minieggs Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thanks everyone for your advice. I put her in to a dog crate for 3 days and now she's back to normal again At least we'll know what to do next time and can act quicker! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
