Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[Millie-Annie]

I have never had a broody girl before, but having read my book Issey appears to be text book broody. She is constantly in the next box, really flattened down, boiling hot underneath. When I put my hand in she makes a deep clucking noise. I lift her out and the other girls attack her. She is also fluffed up, but not in a poorly way, more in the way the cat is when she sees another cat. Sort of feisty fluffed up. As soon as she gets the chance she is straight back in the box. So I would say broody..........but, what is confusing me is she is still laying

[Chickabee]

It is strange that shes still laying. Has she plucked any chest feathers for her nest? What's also unusual it that the others are attacking her. This is normally a sign of a sick hen. Have you got a dog crate you can keep her in during he day, or a run without a nesting box. Give her a thorough checking over tomorrow, or tonight and report back. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge will read your post

[Millie-Annie]

She is absolutely fine. Eating, trotting about, keeping herself to herself, but happy and bright eyed and bushy tailed

[Chickabee]

How strange. Perhaps she just practicing. Hormones I reckon

[Millie-Annie]

I have just been looking on google and apparently they can lay for up to a week so they have a clutch of eggs to brood

[Chickabee]

Great. New lesson for me then

[coco]

I have had broody girls that have been attacked by the other hens when they come out of the house, they loose rank whenthey go broody. It will settle down when she finishea being broody.

[Millie-Annie]

She is bottom girl anyway. She hides behind my big old Orpington

 

She definitely sounds broody I think?

[jimnpaula]

Yes, the 'angry pancake' sounds like broody behaviour.

[Chickabee]

Yes, the 'angry pancake' sounds like broody behaviour.

 

[Millie-Annie]

Fantastic description. I shall think of that tomorrow.

 

She has stopped laying now. I evicted her this morning, when she was sitting on eggs laid by Ivy and Octavia. I thought we were safe, but lovely Meva laid one in the spare box especially for her. So she was a happy pancake when I got home with a very warm egg.

 

This might sound a silly question, but I presume these eggs are ok to eat? They are a heck of a temperature when I get them out from under her every morning

[Chickabee]

I actually read about this today. It's only if she's been sitting on them for quite a while. They deteriorate quicker than normal eggs. My silkie goes broody all the time. I just leave her to it She gets everyone's eggs under her. I've never had a bad one.

[Elliebop]

Two of mine - Anastasia and Tatiana - have just gone broody together. Tatiana has been 'practising' at it for a while, but for the past 2 days they've got more serious and have started to make the deep clucking noise and being snappy towards me. They hatched last July, so this is their first proper go at it.

 

The thing is they are 'sitting' on nothing. I remove any laid eggs, and they continue. There was quite a scene today, as they do not usually ever share the nesting box, but they both want to 'sit' there, so they've had to find a way.

 

Olga seems most bemused by their behaviour.

[Millie-Annie]

Its a nightmare isn't it? I wish I had stuck with my ex-batts, so easy to look after. Today Issey is sitting on nothing but she has now started pulling her feathers out on her chest. Could I send her round to you and have your Olga in exchange?

[Purplemaniacs]

One of my hybrids used to go broody but still lay for a few days, then she would go into full blown broodiness. She was scary when she was broody DD hated her then and wouldn't go near her .She was a Sussex cross.

 

Chrissie

[Elliebop]

Its a nightmare isn't it? I wish I had stuck with my ex-batts, so easy to look after. Today Issey is sitting on nothing but she has now started pulling her feathers out on her chest. Could I send her round to you and have your Olga in exchange?

 

It is a nightmare indeed, and I know I've got very broody breeds for my first lot of chickens!!!! I wanted ex-batts, and will have ex-commercial hens in the future, but neighbours said our garden, which is small, would be too small for them and they would trash it. However, my 3 small, feathered-feet, friends have also made light work in trashing the garden!!!

 

I'm thinking of putting Tatiana in a broody cage - I have a small cage, but it is too small, so I'll have to make another trip to the pet shop for a small dog cage - but my real concern right now is Anastasia, as she is not proper broody yet - she was just spending hours laying an egg yesterday, when she is normally a fast layer, and then she came out of the nest, but she has become very aggressive to Olga. Maybe she is proper broody, but can't bear to be in the nest with Tatiana?!

 

The attacks on Olga also seem to occur when I am around, and so maybe only when I am around, in that It'll all be quiet from the garden and then when I open the back door the screeching starts and Anastasia starts chasing Olga. When I am out there, Olga will hide behind me. I'm concerned I'm just making it worse. Anastasia does these little tantrums, where she'll stand in the middle of the garden, fluff up her feathers, screech at no one in particular, and then storm off. For such a little chuck, she looks quite scary.

 

It was never like this when I looked after neighbours' chickens, it was always just lovely. Any advice would be really welcome.

[Millie-Annie]

I can't give you any advice on broodiness this is all new to me. With bullying though, vaseline the combs and the wattles and spray with anti peck. That is what I have to do to poor Issey before I evict her. If I could fit her with a flack jacket I would.

 

I can't shut the nesting box as the others use it, so I just evict her and make her have some fresh air and some food at least twice a day when I am at work, and more on my days off. I have noticed her comb is shrinking, is this normal? Its perhaps a good thing as it is what Ivy and Meva go for. They are evil to her, chasing her round, pulling at her, she screeches for England. But I have to harden my heart and walk away and I know she will go straight back to bed and who can blame her. Octavia my Orpington doesn't bully her, so she runs to her.

 

I keep saying to Meva, you wait until it's your turn, but I can't see that evil chicken going broody. I can my Orp though and I have no idea what will happen then, she is so big