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

[LittleOwl]

After going broody many times last year and us successfully taking her out of it, this time we have let nature take it's course. Beatrice was in the Eglu for a week and popping out to eat and little and drink and decided she was staying broody. Then 5 days ago we gently moved her and the eggs to a dog crate in our safe outhouse with water and pellets in and she immediately settled on the eggs. She was drinking some water, not eating much. She now hasn't drunk anything for maybe 3 days, and seems to have given up eating. As this is our first time we aren't sure what to do about this. So long as everything is there will she regulate herself? Should we be forcing her to get up, or come out, or anything else? We are starting to get a little worried about her and would appreciate some advice from someone more experienced than us in this. Thank you.

[Egluntyne]

Yes, I would force her of the nest at least once a day so that she can eat and drink. You could try putting a dish of very wet mash or pellets in front of her, within reach whilst she is sitting, but in my experience they rarely touch it.

[The Dogmother]

You say that you moved her and the eggs.... is she sitting on fertile eggs?

 

If so, then (as Egluntyne has said) you will need to force her of the eggs to eat and drink, otherwise she will starve herself to death. If she is sitting on infertile eggs, then get her off them and in a broody cage pronto before she starves herself, and the eggs addle and explode.

 

My persistent broody (a great mum when we are hatching) is liable to turn anorexic when she's brooding, so she is in the cage at the first sign of broodiness.

[LittleOwl]

I am not sure if she is sitting on fertile eggs…we have a rooster, and she is sitting on a mix of eggs from her and the others.

 

I am not sure how exactly we force her off, simply lift her out (with thick gloves!) and lock her out for an hour or so? Or would you be inclined to remove the eggs and break her broodiness? One of the issues is that she seems to go broody regularly, and we have had to break it a few times, and we wondered if it might be best to just let her go through with hatching. Any thoughts please?

[chuckmum6]

Do you want to hatch chicks? Are you set up to house them and their mum seperately? Have you got a plan to deal with any boys?

If the answer to the first question is no, you need to break her broodiness straight away, for the reasons explained by others. If the answers are yes to all three them, you do need to shut her out a couple of times a day for upto 30mins, my broody (who hatch 8 out yesterday) was taken out for 10mins first thing in the morning and again in the evening, she still lost weight, as being broody does take its toll.

[LittleOwl]

Thanks chuckmum6. Do we want chicks? Well, we didn't when we got hens, but we don't mind having them and have been researching our options. We have a few secure outbuildings and as we were going to buy a second coop to get a few more girls anyway we can just bring that forward and buy one this week. Do we have a plan for the boys? Vaguely…we have a woodland area and plenty of space, but I do admit we were more thinking of seeing what happens (which doesn't sound ideal I know, especially if they all ended up being boys). We have quite a few acres and a couple of acres of woodland so we have the space.

 

Do you think it would be best to carry on just breaking her broodiness every cycle the way we have been? 3 days or so in the sin bin? It just seems an awful thing to do every few weeks to her, but it is probably better than the alternative.

[chuckmum6]

My broody who has just hatched a brood, is always the first to go broody and spends a high proportion of the spring/summer in the coop of shame, being snapped out of it. I have given in to her this year after four years and allowed her a family (I wanted some more hens anyway). I doubt this will change her long term though and the cycle of broodiness will go on, I have three others who had the same idea as Daisy, they have all done time in the coop of shame, two have reformed one Pekin is particular is determined - but so am I!

Really the choice is yours chicks or no chicks. Breaking a broody if caught quickly can be done quickly, the longer they brood the hard it becomes to break them.

[The Dogmother]

Exactly!

 

make a decision and stick to it, but if she is to continue brooding, then you will need to ensure that she eats and drinks at least twice a day. I take it that you sprayed and dusted the coop for mites and treated her for lice before you set the eggs.....