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

[jennie186]

Hi. I am a newbie to chicken keeping.

I have 2 buff Orpington's and for last 2 months and they have been laying well -10 to 13 eggs per week.

Yesterday when I got home from work, Mabel was in the eglu. She usually lays earlier in the day so was worried she was ill. She wouldn't come out for a treat so I poked her a bit and she just clucked at me. I got my husband to lift her out and put her on the grass. She had been sitting on 2 eggs - hers and Doris'. She just sat there on the grass all puffed up for about 30 seconds and then with a bit of encouragement just snapped out of it and carried on as normal.

Today I got home from work and they were both in the run, excited to come out, dust bath, have some treats etc. There were another 2 eggs in the nest which I took away. The eggs were warm and there was a poo in the nest which was odd. After half hour or so of running around, Mabel takes herself back to the eglu and into the nest box. Again I open the egg port and give her a little poke and lift her out. She sits on the grass and refuses to move for 2 minutes refusing mealworms before snapping out of it. After 10 minutes she tries to get back in the eglu nest again, so I put a flower pot in it. She looks moody and a bit scary but comes out for some corn and seems ok.

I put them back in their run at 6pm and when I check them at 6.15 Mabel is back in the nest.

Is she really broody if she is still laying eggs? Not sure how to keep her out the nest box if they both need to use it during the day to lay their egg. PS she sleeps in the nest box even though she isn't top chicken. Tomorrow night I will put something in the nest to keep her out of it at night. Any advice please?

[sjp]

she's starting to go broody if she's really broody she'll stop laying eggs in the next couple of days there are always a few eggs at different stages of production in the system so you can get a couple of eggs laid once a bird goes broody some don't show any signs of been broody until the eggs have stopped normally when it's those eggs you want to hatch others like your girl still lay 2 or 3

[jennie186]

Thanks for your reply. I put a brick in the eglu nest this morning after turfing her out but found her sitting on top.of the brick a bit later. So I filled a cat litter tray with water and sat her in that. She was not happy but got her moving I hAve now covered nest with some spare eglu roosting bars but neither chicken can go in to lay. Will check them in half hour and dunk her again if she's sitting. My daughter is home today so I will ask her to check every couple of hours

and do the same. Hopefully she will snap out of it. I have been worried all night!

[Chickabee]

My silkie has been doing the same. I've had her for 2 years so I know she's due to go broody. She's quite happy for my Daisybelle to lay next to her and will keep her egg warm too (got a strange feeling she's feeling broody too). What fun