Will hoey

[Mar1a]

My speckeldy spent three hours in the nest box today, I turfed her out, took out the two eggs, one of which was hers. Both eggs I took out were today's. When she was in there, she had spread herself as much over the box as she could.

 

She got very vocal, almost cross in her behaviour and after 15 minutes she went back in the nest box again. I have two boxes- the one she wasn't in had a pecked egg in there.

 

Should I prepare myself for some broodyness or is there something else i should be looking for?

 

I don't have a cockerel.

 

Thanks

[Luvachicken]

It does sound like she could be heading for the broody epidemic.

Mine often lay very flat, stick their feathers up at me and growl at me.

They also often have very hot tummies.

They are also a lot more cuddly when they are broody.

 

A broody cage is also handy as a hospital space.

 

I currently have 2 broodies in one dog crate at the moment.

I did think about getting another crate but they seem to be ok in there together at the moment. I might just keep them in there for an extra day in case they have been trying to hatch each other

[mullethunter]

Yes

[Mar1a]

Oh dear

 

Thinking about it, my only option I think is to let her ride it out- a broody cage isn't an option because of where they live- they live on my allotment and leaving her in a cage 24 hours is a recipe for disaster. Bringing her home and broody caging her here isn't an option, and neither is giving her fertlised eggs

 

Didn't really think this through did I?!

[Luvachicken]

You could always get a smaller dog crate

Would one not fit inside the run you have at the allotment ?

[Mars]

In your situation you shouldn't get a breed that is prone to broodiness. "if she is speckled sussex" speckled sussex can get broody.

[Beantree]

We don't use broody cages anymore Mar1a. Fortunately we are now able to keep an eye on our birds almost continuously during daylight. The methods we employ are simply to put plant pots in the nest boxes at night and shut them out of the coop during the day. Our birds will tell us if they want to lay and they can be let in to do so. These steps probably won't help you but one method that could is 'disorientation'.

 

Moving a hen to a totally different environment, like taking it home, can break their broodiness if done soon enough. In fact anything that disrupts their routine making them feel they don't have a safe place to brood can work. We have one hen going broody now. She has laid the last two eggs and sat on them. Today we are going to take her from the enclosure and wash her bottom feathers (anyway, because they are dirty and fly strike is a risk) and that may break her. You could just try carrying her around for a bit.

 

You do however get the odd persistent broody and a cage is probably the only practical option.

[Mar1a]

Well we went round this morning and she was fine as anything! Maybe she was just having an off day

 

Thanks for the advice guys, it's definitely going in my notebook for future reference :

[mimi5]

Ok, you say you can't use an anti-broody cage....why?? The whole idea is that they are in it 3 days and nights straight.

 

I have pekins and they go broody at the drop of a hat

 

So my ant-broody cage is a wire cat carrier, which I raise on 2 bricks to allow air to circulate under the hen and it is inside my cube run. Inside the cage I have 2 "D" shaped clip on cups for food and water, checked and re-filled daily. as long as your run/enclosure is safe your hen should be fine.

 

Let's hope you don't need one

[Mar1a]

I can't use a broody cage cos their coop is too small to put it in and I don't want to give Mr Fox an invitation to dinner by leaving her in a cage in the run, especiallt given that I can't be there 24 hours a day

 

Something isn't right though. She did it again this evening

[Luvachicken]

What kind of run do you have ?

 

I think for now your girly is just trying out being broody but I'm pretty certain that she will go properly broody in the future.

Leaving a broody to it leaves them open to red mite as well as not eating and drinking properly.

[Mar1a]

I have a metal frame run 4x4 ish meters square. There are polycarbonate sheets on two sides.

 

The problem I have is that my girls live on an allotment, five minutes walk away from my house. If I had to put her in broody jail, I'd have to bring her back to my house to do it. My cat would pack her bags and leave home!

[Cat tails]

Can't you stick her in a shed over night? In the cage that is. And get her out in the morning?

Foxes also visit during the day, as some here only know too well. So having a fox proof run is important.

[mullethunter]

Mar1a unless I don't understand your set-up I can't see any reason you can't have a broody cage inside your run. It only takes up a small space (when I need one I have it inside my 3m by 1m Eglu Go run even if the other 3 are also shut I for a day), and I don't see why it would be any more likely to attract a fox than the girls in their run normally do. Has a fox ever got in?

[Mar1a]

Good point. I have polycarbonate on two sides, wire dug down 12 inches plus skirt, paving slabs on two sides and bricks on the other two sides,. It's a very brave fox that tries to get in there. I know full well the girls have had foxy company and the idea of leaving one in full view at night makes me feel a bit sick

 

But I could bring her home in broody jail as a last resort

[mimi5]

Mar1a, I have had my pekins in the anti-broody coop with a cover over them, either because it's a very cold night or the bright early mornings will make the hen noisy early I just use a light weight dark coloured cover, the air still circulates under the anti-broody coop. Obviously remove the cover as early as you can also putting on as late as you can (mine are only at the end of the garden )

 

The thing with leaving a broody is she will upset the laying hens and also run her condition down, laying her open to illness or mites. If you had the ability to boot her out and collect the eggs and then close off the nest box daily (once all who lay have ) you could do this but it may not be practical for your set up and it would still possibly take a few weeks.

 

I guess see how she goes?

[The Dogmother]

She would be safe in a proper broody cage as well as the run, I would crate her up, just make sure that she has shade.

[Mar1a]

I still have one very aggressive broody hen later today I will be setting up broody jail but for the meantime I'm gonna go and turf her out the nest then block the boxes off so she can't go back in. I put some golf balls in her nest this morning. Typically, she is the one who never lets either of us anywhere near her when she's not broody, so catching her for broody jail is gonna be a tough one

 

I do pretty much leave them to come and go from the roost as they please this time of year, so I'll have to make sure I'm there early enough tomorrow to unblock the nest boxes. Should I leave "hers" blocked off or is she likely to set up shop next door?

 

She's having an effect on my other girls too, yesterday I had a 75g monster double yoker from one of them and I'm averaging 2-3 eggs a day from 4. Last week I was getting 4-5 daily. My broody is my best layer too!

[Mar1a]

Well, nest box sealed off, fingers crossed please

 

Just a couple of questions -

 

If I put a temporary box in for the layers, how likely is my broody to commandeer it? That way I can keep the best boxes sealed off

 

If I unseal the nest box in the morning, would propping the lid open have any effect on her? My dog cage is huge so it looks like my broody jail might have to be my cat box which is more likely to fit where I want it to go

 

I want broody jail to be a last resort, as catching her will be impossible

[The Dogmother]

If your broody is in the broody cage, then there's no need to seal off any nest boxes as she won't have access to them. If you PM me your email address I will happily send you my broody cage instructions with photos. A wire pet carrier is cheap enough and fine for these occasions; it will easily fit in the classic run.

[Mar1a]

This is my set up

 

 

There is polycarbonate sheeting along the back and the right side as you look at it. Ideally, I'd like the broody cage to go at the bottom of the steps in the coop, somewhat less exposed than out in the main run. Otherwise, it will have to be in the very far corner with a poly sheet in front of it and on the left side at the back to protect her from prying eyes.

 

Typing that has just made me realise what I'll be spending tomorrow doing, unless by some miracle blocking the nest box off does the trick!

 

ETA that was a whole pic when I put it on photobucket! But it gives you the general idea. The roof is covered entirely by tarpaulin

[Mar1a]

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[The Dogmother]

Not easy to see, but that looks secure enough to me.... It's your decision, but I would pop the broody crate in the big run, up on bricks, with the plastic tray held on top by bricks. Make sure she has shelter from the sun though.

[Mar1a]

Thanks DM he went round this morning to open up the nest box but they wouldn't let him in the run so I'll go round shortly and do the job properly

 

He said that the broody one was doing her normal stuff and wasn't trying to get into the nest box so hopefully a miracle might have happened *crosses fingers*

[Beantree]

Just noted from your photo that the mesh appears secured along the bottom by tie wraps. I know you have a lot of them but they are not fox proof. Ideally you should use steel wire threaded through the mesh and around the tube. Lee Weedon lost his chickens because he had used tie wraps.

 

Good luck with your broody. She should be easy to catch when she is sitting but you may need gloves. We have several that turn nasty when disturbed and that are capable of tearing a good chunk of skin off.