Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[number1chick_2008]

Hi new to hen keeping and have had mine now for just under 6 weeks. One of our hens that was happy to feed meal worms from hand (they are still not wanting to be handled) has the last couple of days turned very noisy almost growling when I go near. Is staying in next box and I have to lock her out of cube . How do I know if she is broody or if it is something I should be concerned with. Picked her up just now with aid of towel but not sure what I am looking for her vent seems ok a little poo around vent but she is quite feathery there being a Wyandotte. The four of them are just going through the last stages of moult and are laying most days. Any suggestions please .

[sjp]

broody or thinking about it keep turfing her out not easy I know just had 2 wanabees give up over the weekend after about a month

[Luvachicken]

Hello and welcome from me

 

One of mine is almost constantly broody.

Just before I think she is broody, she starts muttering and showing her feathers to the others.

The next day she doesn't come out of the nest box so I lock her out of the cube and she spends a lot of the day trying to get back in. Then I know for a fact that she is broody. When she is in the nest box she lies down quite flat and if I go near her she growls at me and raises her feathers up.

 

The solution is to put them in a dog crate or similar for 3 days and 3 nights so they get cold.

 

If she appears to be like this then I would suggest she could be broody, but if she's not you need to keep an eye on her to make sure she is ok.

I'm not that good on illnesses but am becoming an expert on spotting a broody

[number1chick_2008]

Thanks for your posts its good to hear we are not the only ones with the same problem. Will try and keep her locked out once the other three have been in nest box. I hope she is not going to be like this for long as she was the one that was starting to be the friendliest, so wanted hens that would come and sit with you on your knee!!!! I am guessing if it is more serious she would look poorly quickly, will keep a very close eye on her.

[Chickabee]

Am I the only one who leaves my Broodys to it then. I just let them get on with it. The other girls just lay around them, or squeeze in next to. You have to be brave enough to steal the eggs away from them though

[Luvachicken]

Am I the only one who leaves my Broodys to it then. I just let them get on with it. The other girls just lay around them, or squeeze in next to. You have to be brave enough to steal the eggs away from them though

 

I don't leave mine.

I worry they don't eat or drink enough.

Also they are more prone to mites when they are just sitting around.

[Chickabee]

But it's a natural phenomenon (long word for me ). I think we all have to do what we think is right. I read a lot of things about it when my first hen went broody. She was mean to me when I pinched her eggs! There was even a suggestion of dipping her bottom in cold water. How undignified! I decided to leave them to it, and (touch wood) have had no problems at all

[mimi5]

Hi there! I have just had my 2nd henniversay a couple of weeks back and I have pekin bantam hens...... man oh man do they go broody!!!!!!! Last year was so bad I let 2 of them hatch!!!

 

But, on a serious note they really can do them selves harm by losing condition and it's so pointless if they are not actually hatching! Then of course that's when illness/mites can strike (my 2 who hatched last year both got scaly leg mite! Top tip never use straw in your nestbox )

 

I am no expert but have invested in a wire cat carrier, which has been in constant use this year as an anti-broody coop. Once your hen is broody (wyandottes are prone to this) she will sit for atleast 3 weeks (21 days for eggs to hatch) so you need to "break" this. So mine go in the carrrier, inside the run with the others, raised up on bricks (so air can circulate and cool the hen down) with a couple of clip on cups for food & water. As Luvachicken says 3 days & nights straight and then she can come out.....cured! In my case, another hen goes in next!!

[Chickabee]

Oh dear. Seems I've been lucky then. I've got a couple of POL's, will probably be thinking about a cage next year. How do these blinking mites get here in the first place. Is it the pigeons?

[sjp]

Am I the only one who leaves my Broodys to it then. I just let them get on with it. The other girls just lay around them, or squeeze in next to. You have to be brave enough to steal the eggs away from them though

 

I try to discourage the ones I don't want to be or are not good at been broody but I don't sin bin them but I've had 5 first timers this year 1 hatched 2 chicks, 2 gave up on day 18 then the other 2 got the message last weekend,

Rebbeca my no1 broody has had 2 goes this year she's still with her 2nd brood their 8 weeks old this weekend

[Chickabee]

My silkie goes broody after laying 12 eggs. She only lays every other day. Her eggs are delicious so we do miss them. We then have 3 weeks of laying on the nest, she does come out to eat and drink. Last time she moulted after being broody so we didn't have eggs for ages. Fortunately (touch wood) she has never had any kind of mites

[Chickabee]

SJP you and your girls have been busy. Really interested to see that your legbars laid in winter. I've got a cream legbar is about 21 weeks. So there's some hope that I might get a blue egg in a couple of months (so excited). I love the gold legbars name. They do look like roadrunners.

[sjp]

SJP you and your girls have been busy. Really interested to see that your legbars laid in winter. I've got a cream legbar is about 21 weeks. So there's some hope that I might get a blue egg in a couple of months (so excited). I love the gold legbars name. They do look like roadrunners.

no but she was manic and always rushing about when she was a youngster now she strolls about or relaxes all day as she's more or less top girl she's always assumed she was from a young age but that job was taken by my late columbine then my Marans cross but she's turned into a wimp and has more or less lost the job she spends part of the year broody/raising chicks and gets a bit more of a wimp after each brood I can't take any of the credit for the chicks the broodies do all the work