Chicken bald back

[Millie-Annie]

Issey is coming to the end of her fourth week of broodiness now. She is so thin. I make her get up at least twice a day, and try to feed her on her own but Meva and Ivy bully her horribly at the moment as soon as they even look at her, she squawks and goes back to bed. She brings it on herself to an extend because she will walk round making that deep clucking noise, I think she gets on their nerves

[chuckmum6]

Are you hatching eggs? If not really you need to snap her out of it as just waiting for her to give up takes its toll on her physically. I have four grumpy broodies who are doing time in a separate coop which has no nest area - the coop of shame! I would expect it to take 3 to 4 days. You do really need a spare coop or dog crate. I have a little rabbit run I got from home bargains that I use if I have only one broody.

[Millie-Annie]

My run divides into two so I can shut her off and close the nest box in the morning. The other three would then have the larger run and the big nest box to use. I was loathe to do that as shutting the nest box felt cruel and I was worried that completely shutting her away from the others would make it harder to re-ingegrate them afterwards.

 

I have tried to get a wire cat carrier to use but no one seems to have them unless I want to pay a fortune and buy new

[chuckmum6]

If you put her in solitary at the first sign of broodiness hens snap out of it pretty quickly, so are back with the flock promptly. Tough love, but they are back to normal sooner. The run I got from home bargains is £23. I have had quite an out break of broodies, who are a right pain and a mass of hormones. I am hoping after three days in the cube train aka coop of shame, they can be rejoin the rest

Your hen should be coming out of it soon, as the average time it takes to hatch is 21 days, if she tries to sit much longer, you need to discourage her for her own healths sake. Good luck!!!

[Millie-Annie]

Sometimes she is out and about with the others and I think hallelujah, then she is back on the nest again. Think as you say I need to try some tough love

[The Dogmother]

Pop her in the broody cage at the first sign of brooding - it works

[gavclojak]

Hi the dogmother, I clicked on the link for the broody cage......and I guess your claret63......well I didn't see that coming, isn't it funny when you see regular posts from someone and you can't help building an image of that person.....I couldn't have been further from the truth....truly..I was imagining......no better not.....

[Beantree]

The answer to your initial question Millie-Annie is 'as long as you let it', in extreme cases. As you can see broodiness takes a lot out of a hen as they need to raise their body temperature to incubate. Weight loss can be rapid in cold conditions and it is important to break the broodiness quickly before they run out of energy. We had a lovely Vanilla Wyandotte called Loulou who burned out and died three days into incubation. I pulled her out at two days but was too late. We have a Gold Laced Wyandotte called Hyacinth who has just started broodiness. She is very fat and very feisty. Two months she went last year, but now she is over 4 we will snap her out of it quickly.

 

Some cases are simply a matter of blocking the nest boxes with plant pots at night, but in extremes we use a fox trap set up as Dogmother's cage. The important thing is a good air flow underneath and shelter from rain.

[Millie-Annie]

I have tried to get a broody cage but they are very hard to get hold of,unless you buy new and I don't really want to spend that much. At least I feel four weeks isn't too long. I can block the nest box in the day by shutting the pop hole, the others can use the other one. Will see how it goes today

 

Thanks

[Daphne]

Just be careful, Millie-Annie, people have lost birds to broodiness, it does happen - apart from the fact the bird stops eating properly and looking after itself, sometimes lice/mites get a real hold and the combination can finish off a hen. Its not uncommon, and I have to say I would not contemplate a 4 week broody with no productive end result. I don't know where you live, but 2nd hand cages regularly come up on ebay, or you could look on Freecycle or in your local FreeAds mag. Or maybe you have a friend/neighbour who could lend you one. Alternatively you could look on it as £35 well spent as a necessary bit of kit, to maintain health in your flock, you could always sell it on at a later date

[The Dogmother]

I have tried to get a broody cage but they are very hard to get hold of,unless you buy new and I don't really want to spend that much. At least I feel four weeks isn't too long. I can block the nest box in the day by shutting the pop hole, the others can use the other one. Will see how it goes today

 

Thanks

 

 

I got mine off Freecycle.

[Millie-Annie]

She was up this morning scratching around. I do check her regularly for mites. She looks well, albeit feels light. When she is up she eats and drinks and has a dust bath. She is also preening herself well. In her favour she is very young.

 

I will continue to try and break her of the broodiness, and will continue looking out for a wire cat carrier.

[Luvachicken]

We use a dog crate in the run when one of ours is broody.

Ok, it used to belong to our dog but I think if I didn't have one it would be worth the initial outlay.

For our Suzie - who is the broodiest of all of mine - she spends the 3 days/nights in the crate, then a week getting back to normal, then a few days laying some eggs then back to being broody. This will go on until the Winter so the crate will get a lot of use.

Also, anytime they are not well, you can use it to keep them indoors, not only that, but for overnight stays when the weather is at hurricane force.

[The Dogmother]

luvachicken, I have a pekin who is that same - always broody through the summer months. She is 7 years old now and has been an excellent broody mum when we have been hatching, but if we aren't setting eggs, she goes in the 'Cage of Shame' as my daughter calls it.

[Egluntyne]

A dog crate definitely works, and being broody is certainly detrimental to a hens well being if you don't intend to hatch, fas they lose condition and become magnets for redmite. Could you borrow one for a few days?

[Luvachicken]

luvachicken, I have a pekin who is that same - always broody through the summer months. She is 7 years old now and has been an excellent broody mum when we have been hatching, but if we aren't setting eggs, she goes in the 'Cage of Shame' as my daughter calls it.

 

Yes, funny little pekins aren't they if a bit annoying, but I don't mind so much if the others are laying.

I was thinking about doing some chicks with her but was more worried about upsetting the apple-cart when they all get mixed back in with the others and I would rather the peace they have at the moment.

Seven years of that behaviour though

[Choo-chook]

Mine go in a retriever sized dog crate, but amazon warehouse have 2 x 30inch medium crates for only £13.69 (free shipping) each at the moment, this might be a better size than my xxxl one lol

I only mind mine going broody because of the noise the others make if the nest box is full of stubborn pekin

[Millie-Annie]

Right, I will gat a broody cage but in the meantime I have gone for tough love. I have separated her into one side of my run. She has food and drink and room to scratch and peck, but I have shut the pop hole so she can't get into the nesting box anymore. The other three have access to the alternative nesting box. Do I leave her out all night? As if she was in the broody cage she would be out all night?

[Millie-Annie]

, but amazon warehouse have 2 x 30inch medium crates for only £13.69 (free shipping) each at the moment,

 

Could you post a link please I have been and looked but can't find it

[The Dogmother]

Yes, leave her out for 3 days, 24/7. Avoid feeding corn when they are broody as it makes them hot when they are digesting it.

[Millie-Annie]

I have bought her some tonic and some garlic and something pellets.

 

She doesn't seem over bothered she was having a dust bath last time I looked

[Choo-chook]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00591001O/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Hope this works

[Millie-Annie]

Right thank you, I have ordered the crate.

 

I feel really cruel leaving her out all cold and lonely tonight

[The Dogmother]

I wouldn't worry, it's not a cold night and she has a warm feather duvet. Their body temperature is 105deg, so they don't feel the cold as we do..... I had one which used to roost in a tree at night

[keyhole kate]

Just found this thread and Oops a crate jumped into my basket whilst perusing amazon just to see what was being discussed you understand

 

Thanks for the head up I have seen the same one sell for more second hand