nin-chicken Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I'm sorry if this has been covered before but I need some advice about one of my girls (Penelope)... For the past seven days she has been wanting to stay in the nestbox, all puffed up. I have been lifting her off, putting her in the run and keeping the door of the cube shut all day. But as soon as I open the door at bedtime she dashes in like a little white bullet! She isn't aggressive when I lift her and as soon as I put her in the run she behaves normally, eating drinking and dust bathing. I thought this would only last a couple of days so maybe I need to do more? Should I put a football in the nest box at night? One of my other chickens (felicity) lays really early so how would she cope? I am currently having to watch another hen (Jemima) who lays at around 8/8.30. When she starts to climb the ladder I have to take the broody one out of the run, open the door so that jemima can go in, then shut it behind her so that broody girl can't go back in the cube! Its all a bit of a palaver to say the least! I'm just wondering if I need to do more or if I just have to be patient and in a couple more weeks she will snap out of it? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayleybug Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 theres a couple of threads on the forum about this at the moment- the warmer weather brings it out in them! I would try an anti-broody cage if you have the room. if she's anything like my Clementine she will only get worse and will become more practiced at it too with each broody session! Clementine also started being quite aggressive to the other chook wanting to get into the nest box which isn't good for your layers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I have a previous post on here at the moment as my girl Shadow a speckldey is broody. According to others they are prone to being broody (I wish I had known) We are nearly 3 weeks in and I am not sure it is working I have a coup with 2 nest boxes but it is not an option to0 leave her as the others need to use the nest boxes and won't go in them when one is occupied. It is not a good idea any way to keep her in there as she is very hot under neat hand has lot of feathers on her tummy. I tried my friends dog crate but it was a nightmare as she really panicked and it never stopped. My WIR is separated in the middle by a door and in the mornings I have lifted her out of the nest box under protest and put her in the small side of the run with nothing but a log and food and water (but not drinking or eating much). When they have all laid I have shut the coup door and let her out with the others. She is fine but is very nervous now and I think she has gone down the pecking order . Clover my oldie who is a big softie has given her a few pecks. When I open the coup door at bedtime she is in like a bullet and in the day tried every way she can to get in the closed coup. After 3 weeks I don't think I am any further on . I don't think I have helped you at all. Jackie x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nin-chicken Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thank you for your replies. It certainly seems that I am not the only one going through this at the mo! I'm going to continue with what I'm doing for a few more days then think about a broody crate (I've got a dog crate I could use). My big worry is leaving her in it at night. There are loads of foxes around here and although my omlet WIR is completely fox proof it really wouldn't be nice for Penelope to be out there in full view of the fox and nowhere to hide . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayleybug Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Clementine panicked with the first visit to the dog crate but she soon calmed down and decided to sulk instead. mine is now permanently on a table in the WIR to allow better air movement below it (it used to be on the floor of the WIR raised on bricks too of course). this also gave me more floor space in the WIR as it isn't the biggest. also I decided as she is obviously prone to this I was sick of taking the cage in and out of the WIR constantly. if you put the crate somewhere so she can still see her friends then it shouldn't cause too much of a problem with pecking order etc (Peggy-Sue still fawns around Clementine from outside of the crate, sometimes getting a peck for her trouble). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
