Omlet cube and run

[ZoeBunny]

I've got my first ever broody! She's been stealing & sitting on all the other girls eggs since Saturday morning and so I've moved her out of the cube and into my empty classic. She's sitting on a batch of infertile eggs at the moment as I want to make sure she's serious about being broody since it's her first time... Mine too, so hoping you can help me!

 

She's sitting on the eggs regularly throughout the day but coming off for extended periods of time to feed etc. Sometimes she's off

for over an hour so the eggs get cold - is this normal? Want to exchange the eggs for fertile ones but dare no

t if she's not going to care for them properly.

 

She's not near the main coop but she can see the other ladies free ranging, so wants to be out with them.. I read somewhere that you should keep them shut in the coop with the eggs & only let out for food/toilet breaks. Surely it's too dark and cruel to keep her in the eglu itself with the door shut?

 

Lastly, when would be the best time to exchange the eggs for hatching ones? I can get part incubated ones anything from 2 weeks to a few days from hatching. Is it best to put some under her almost at the 18 day cut off since it leaves the smallest margin for error on her part?

 

Any advice would be greatly received xx

[sjp]

I'd hold fire putting eggs under her as she's not totally committed to been broody. I've got a couple of cream legbar crosses that are the same want to sit on eggs all the time until something distracts them then their off for to long but they aren't that hard to brake I just keep removing the eggs and after a week or 2 they give up. I did give the older one a few eggs to sit on but she didn't want to be in the brood coop on her own and gave up the next day.

I normally put the eggs under my 2 good broodies in the evening and shut them in over night but I open the pop hole in the morning and close it at night right up to day 18 then they go on lock down until 'till about 24hrs after the last chick has hatched but I do put food and water in with them. broodies do need to get off the nest at least once a day one off mine will do that herself the other sometimes needs removing for the first week

[atsw]

I'd echo every thing that sjp said.

 

If broodie's get up off the eggs for more than 10-15 mins each day, they are not fully focused on the job at hand. I have two Pekin's which are great broodies, so good that unless I get them off the nest myself each afternoon they would sit there for 21 days solid! I take them off the nest and pop them in a guinea pig run for 10 mins. In that time they have a good preen, fluff up their feathers, peck at some grass, scratch and finally poo. Once the poo is done I pop them back on the nest.

 

One of mine is currently on six eggs and will go into 'lock down' tomorrow (day 18). This is important, not so much for the broody, but for the chicks when they hatch, as they can wander off, get lost, get cold and ultimately die if they are given too much space in the first couple of days.

 

Andrew

[ZoeBunny]

Thanks for your replies, you have both echoed exactly as I thought it should be.

My hen is definitely not committed this time and this afternoon I've pit her back in with the others (much to her delight).

 

At least we've had a trial run now & are more prepared when and if we get another girl go broody!

 

Thanks again

[Old Speckled Hen]

I'd echo every thing that sjp said.

 

 

One of mine is currently on six eggs and will go into 'lock down' tomorrow (day 18). This is important, not so much for the broody, but for the chicks when they hatch, as they can wander off, get lost, get cold and ultimately die if they are given too much space in the first couple of days.

 

Andrew

 

What do you mean..."lock down" ?

I have a broody on day 19. She is in an eglu. I open the door in the morning and shut it at night.

 

Thanks

[atsw]

What do you mean..."lock down" ?

I have a broody on day 19. She is in an eglu. I open the door in the morning and shut it at night.

I put my broody in a guinea pig cage while she's brooding. At day 18 I put a piece of wood between the 'nest' area and the open part of the run. This prevents any chicks that hatch over night from wanding off from Mum in the night, getting lost, getting cold, and potentially dying before Mum realises they have gone.

 

Andrew

[Old Speckled Hen]

Thanks for that, Andrew.

She should be OK in the eglu,then.

I have taken out all the roosting bars, replacing them with a layer of straw.