[farmers wife]

Just wondering how you manage this and can you forecast and finally do you just sit it out for the 21 days? My eggs have really dropped and few more than usual soft shells - mess in boxes.  Have had to let a few customers down and its not very well managed. 


Let me know cheers

[DavidandCollette]

Same problem here. We are also battling with red mite which doesn't help. We have seperated the brooches off much to their disdain. Does this unsettled weather have any impact?

[Marches Farmer]

I've found in the past that broodies at this time of year, even if you break them of broodiness by putting them in a roofed dog cage in a breezy spot for a day or so, are slow to come back in lay and sometimes swing straight into the moult.  I put a notice in the farmgate egg sales crate explaining why this is and I don't think I've lost any customers so far, in fact they're happy to know our hens are allowed follow their instinct and raise a brood.  If you just leave them broody without fertile eggs to hatch they'll stay on the eggs for ..... as long as it takes for them to really lose a lot of condition and hen take even longer to come back into lay.  Most of my broodies start laying again when the chicks are around 6 weeks old.

[ellied]

I've gone from 13 eggs a day to 3 due to a. a fox and b. loads going broody.  I let 2 sit and put chicks under - only one accepted the chicks so she has all 7 and the other one had her egg removed as over 21 days.  I am planning to restock pol's shortly but it's only 2 weeks since the last fox victim was taken and the chicks are easier to protect - they're in a very large dog crate (thanks doganjo, it's in use again!) with a cat basket inside for a nest and pallets round to reduce access/stress levels in the broody as she does her maternal duty.

My customers have been understanding, tho they've obviously gone to buy eggs at the shop meantime unless they ask on the day I have a full box to sell.  Whether they'll return I don't know, I hope so!  At least the new chicks will be laying through the winter so those that do come back to buy will not get the winter layoff. 

[chrismm662]

Pick up the broody chicken and lower her into half a bucket of water for a minute then put her back in the run, she will look really peeved (or as peeved as a chicken can look !) but wont go back to her brood, this has always worked for me.

[Fleecewife]

Our hens always go off the lay at this time of year.  Gives them a break before they start laying again in the New Year.  We don't have any broodies - had one earlier in the year, but it can depend on the breed, some being more prone to broodiness.  If it's early in the year then we let our broodies raise some chicks, but otherwise with no eggs to sit on they soon get fed up.  We did lose a hen this summer when she laid a clutch in a hedgerow, unbeknownst to us, and was taken by a fox on the first night she started sitting 

[chrismahon]

Danger of the cold water method as previously described is a heart attack. We tried it a few times but it didn't work and the last hen threw a mad fit and we thought we had lost her.


We keep our chickens in small groups so it is easy to lock them out of the coop or block up the nest boxes with plant pots. Our TNN's go broody after just 6 eggs!

[lord flynn]

just don't let them sit. nearly all mine are in moult anyway after trying to sit so am down to 2/3 eggs a day from 10 hens-although most of mine are 2-5 years. Some will lay a  bit before winter, some will not. this is where I have to big up my Minorcas, never go broody, lay most of the time around the year, quick moult and a handsome pure bred. The Scots Greys and Marsh Daisies, while lovely, are not that productive in comparison.