sadieatthebridge Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Hello everyone, I am relatively new to the chicken business so this is my first experience of broodiness. Just to set the scene, we have 3 hybrids in an open top run who free range once a day in the garden. Our speckledy has always been the troublemaker of the gang of 3 She has struggled with sleeping in the house in the 3.5 months we have had her. Despite our best containment efforts (involving lots of wire and netting) she often sleeps in the tree in their run. We usually remove her, but have lately just left her to it and hoped for the best. On Saturday she slept in the house for the first time in ages, on Sunday afternoon she laid at around 4pm. On both Sunday and Monday she slept in the hen house. On Monday when I took the girls their Sunday lunch, she didn't come out of the nest box to get it, which was unusual. Yesterday (Tuesday) I noticed she was in the nest box at 7:30am. When she still wasn't out at 9am, I lifted her out and gave her some porridge. She fluffed up her feathers and growled a bit. She took herself back into the nest box, though I'm not sure whether she was there all day. When I lifted her out of the box in the afternoon, she was sitting on her own egg plus the egg of her flockmate. Much huffing and puffing ensued, and I put her in the garden to free range. She returned to the box after a relatively short time. Then today, she has had to be removed from the nest box for porridge again. What should I do? I have read emmalou's threads, but we don't have a cage (though we could buy one). Should I remove the straw from the box, and block it off. There are 2 boxes. Will she just go into the other one? Any advice appreciated, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 remove eggs as soon as you can and keep turfing her out as much as you can blocking nest boxes will just encourage laying elsewhere it's a slow process but it works it's just a pain when you have 3 or 4 wannabe broodies don't dunk her in cold water that's cruel and unnecessary broodiness is hormonal not temperature triggered personally I don't use a broody cage as I don't like the idea of them been a hybrid she might snap out of the idea of broodiness quite quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 I just had my first broodies as well. Tried the cage thing, but couldn't fit the cage in the run, so when she was let out for brief bits (still being broody) she was bullied by the others quite a bit. Then a second hen went broody and I gave up. Just turfed them out as much as possible and closed the coop when I was pretty certain the others didn't need to lay. At night I put a big upturned pot in the nest box thingy. Didn't matter to Leentje as she decided she rather brood on the roosting bars. (Silly cow would dangle her little legs over the roosting bar and pretent the roosting bar was an egg I guess... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 19, 2016 Author Share Posted October 19, 2016 Thanks for your replies. Right, I have taken out the large brick that I put in the nest box earlier As expected, Adelaide just moved to the other nest box. The other 2 have had a chance to lay today, Margot must've just wedged herself in with broody Adelaide, as Adelaide was sitting on Margot's egg when I just lifted her. She was not happy about it, but I've locked them all out of the run for some free-ranging time in the garden. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 a hen that wants to lay will just push her way in if she's a high ranking hen or the broody has been broody and in the way for a while timid hens or youngsters will just lay anywhere else most of the times a couple of my wannabes have had the tips of combs nip off before now regardless of rank and I've got one bottom of the pile hen that you couldn't blast out of the nest so ends up getting sat on but she's a loopy mere any way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 This morning I have turfed her out and closed the hen house. Otherwise she would be in there all day and I'm worried about her not eating and drinking. The other 2 laid yesterday afternoon, so I was thinking I could just leave the door shut until lunchtime. The only issue is: if Adelaide (broody) wants to lay, will she just lay elsewhere? She is grumpy, but I've given her some porridge to sweeten the deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 if she's truly broody she won't lay she could just be a nest hogger I've got a couple of them they'll sit on the nest all day hissing and screaming at any one who comes close then lay their egg just before supper time or just after normally by the time my broodies are showing signs of been broody I haven't had an egg from they for 7-10 days and if I've still got any of their eggs they don't hatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Oh right, that's interesting. She laid on Sunday and Wednesday, which is normal for her. The nest box hogging is completely out of the ordinary for her - usually she is difficult to keep in the run, never mind in the house! Do you think I should be keeping the hen house door closed? I don't want to ruffle any feathers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Oh right, that's interesting. She laid on Sunday and Wednesday, which is normal for her. The nest box hogging is completely out of the ordinary for her - usually she is difficult to keep in the run, never mind in the house! Do you think I should be keeping the hen house door closed? I don't want to ruffle any feathers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Okay. I have just been outside due to an awful lot of clucking. Hetty, the Gingernut Ranger was creating a fuss and there were several of her feathers lying around. As she is top of the tree I assume that she plucked these out herself? Was she nesting because I had blocked off access to the boxes? I have reopened the hen house, and Adelaide took herself straight off to her box. (I assumed that the feathers belonged to Hetty - they were orange at the tops, and white lower down. They weren't Adelaide's (speckledy) and our other chook is a Columbine.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I leave mine to it. They never starve or dehydrate, they will always come out to do a broody poo and eat and drink. I always check under them foe eggs that they pinch from the others and check for mites. It normally lasts for about 3 weeks then a further 3 weeks of not laying, although I have had some go longer (they did get turfed out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks Chickabee. I have been turfing her out a couple of times a day and have seen her eating and drinking. Then she is locked out of the run for about an hour every day to free range so she should be alright. She is getting pecked by the top hen when she does come out though. Just a couple of pecks at her head. Is that normal? She hasn't laid since Wednesday though, so I'd better buy some eggs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 If it's just a couple of pecks thats very normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Hello again! Does anyone remember this thread? Well, BroodySpeckledy is STILL broody. I'm still getting her out several times a day. She has a stretch and a grumpy cluck and eats and drinks. She even free-ranges for 15 minutes at a time if I force her, but she soon heads back to the nest box. She looks healthy enough (to my untrained eye) although she is bare on her chest underneath her big feathers. Her comb is small and pinky red. She has always had a very small comb though so I can't really tell whether it has shrank much. Her eyes are bright and she seems alert when she comes out. She has actually on occasion come out of the box of her own accord (for porridge ) but I have to remove her myself a couple of times a day usually. TBH, I though she would just naturally come out of it herself, but obviously that is not happening. I have an empty chest of drawers so I could, in theory, cover it with chicken wire and fashion a broody cage. Is there an alternative? That seems a bit harsh. Would removing the straw from the nest boxes make any difference? (Bearing in mind we are in Northern England and we've had a few hard frosts recently and the hens often sleep in the nest boxes) I'm getting a bit concerned for BroodyHen now. This level of inactivity can't be doing her any favours. Any suggestions? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 That is a long time, especially considering the weather. I had 2 like that not so long ago. I got fed up in the end and chucked them out of the run and nest box all day. It worked and one of them is back laying now. You could try some kind of broody cage. Remember 3 days and 3 nights on a mesh floor raised off the ground so the air can circulate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Thanks Chickabee. BroodyHen can actually get back into the run when the gate is shut - she can fly quite well (uncovered 6ft high WIR). We clipped her wings back in July. How regularly do they need doing? Maybe the broody cage is the way to go. It would end up with a solid back and sides and a mesh floor and front. How would I keep her warm overnight? I can put it in the run where it is sheltered but would she get too cold? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 (edited) I don't know where you are, but our weather forecast is for it to get milder next Wednesday. We're South East. I've only ever clipped wings once. My girls have always forgotten they could ever fly oh and you should only clip one wing this makes them unbalanced Edited December 1, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Is she bottom hen. I have Silkie who I would have said was always broody. Now, on reflection I do think she hid in coop away from others.I separated her with the other Silkie and two bantams and she is so happy. Has put on a lot of weight,spends all day pottering about and looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 We did only clip one wing, but we seem to have delinquent hens! Will try locking them out of the run tomorrow. There are a couple of garden chairs next to the run, so I'll move them in case they are providing a convenient leg up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadieatthebridge Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Oh, and I'd say Broody is definitely bottom hen now, but was probably deputy before the broodiness struck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
