The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: suziequeue on March 18, 2012, 06:01:17 pm
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:D
YAY - I think one of the speckledys has gone broody. DH didn't collect the eggs for a day or two and now she's sitting in the nesting box with her tail up the corner and her chest all puffed out making that chirruping noise.
The next move is to get her to sit on some fertilised eggs which I am going to purchase (hopefully) from someone nearby.
We plan to put her in her own broody pen - a large rabbit hutch with a run which will be in the same paddock as the other chickens so she will be able to see them etc.
I was thinking that I would put the eggs in there and then wait until it's dark, picking her up out of the nesting box in the coop and putting her on the eggs in the broody pen.
My question is: if we move her to the broody pen - will she desert the nest?
Does anybody have any suggestions as to this approach?
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how about moving her with the present eggs. If she does give up then you havnt wasted the eggs. Some hens will be very broody and will put up with quite a bit of disturbance, if there not sure about being broody they can give up very easily.
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Ooh - that's a good idea. I'll go and prepare the hutch now before it gets dark and then move her
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Hi Suzie, I agree with Mel
though I would give her a day or so, just to see if she is definitely serious, mark the eggs she's on now, so you can take away any freshly added.
Then if she is still sitting tightly after a couple of days, move her, and the eggs she is on now, at night in the dark, to the new place.
Then keep her locked in for most of the next day (no peeping ;) )
If she is still sitting tight 24 hours later, then get the hatching eggs under her (again at night) and you will have the best chance! :)
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I'm jealous. My Light Sussex Ladies keep on pretending they're broody, then buggering off after three or four days. Most annoying.
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O how fab I have been waiting for one of my two usual broodies to start, but nothing yet!
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:D
though I would give her a day or so, just to see if she is definitely serious, mark the eggs she's on now, so you can take away any freshly added.
Oops - just been out and moved her ;D ;D
She didn't seem too impressed!!
But maybe she'll settle down.
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well you never know, some are unbudge-able! :D (is that even a word?)
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Fingers crossed.
I'll report back in the morning
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I'm waiting for a broody too so that I can order some of Dark Brown Eggs's eggs. You can't rush them though. If, when you pick a hen off her nest she shrieks and flaps she's probably no good. The best ones are the ones that "purr" and feel a dead weight in your hands. Almost as if they were in a trance :chook:
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great, im glad it worked!!
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Well - I think I was too hasty.
Just checked and she's sitting next to the nesting box and not on it. ::) :-\
Oh well - next time I'll know better.
It's probably for best as DH is not around this week and our house sitter isn't familiar with chooks - she's happy to put their feed and water out but nothing more complicated.
Oh well - better luck next time
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she might just be cooling them off a bit?
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Nope :( he was out in the run this morning and when I opened the end all her pals came in for a good gossip and she joined the rest of them in the main t=run for breakfast.
Learning points:
- Useful method to stop a hen being broody
- Take a little more time over things next time.
- Maybe let eggs accumulate in the broody box and see if anybody gets curious
I'll be better prepared next time :D :D
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ohh poo! :(
never mind......patience is a virtue ;) ;D
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We'll - today she's back in the main coop nesting box all puffed up and chirruping but not sitting on anything as the others have gone and laid in the broody box (which I left open in case somebody wanted to go and sit there........not mentioning any names.......) and they don't seem to want to lay in the box next door.
SO - maybe I've got a second chance.
I'll see how she goes for the rest of the week and if she's really determined then I might try again.
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from a complete novice....i think we have a broody! Petal is staying in the same nesting box ALL the time but there are no eggs under her. Gloves are needed to lift her or she pecks us, when i do lift her up she just flops all fluffy to the ground, i thought she was ill but put up a fight when i got her outside, squawked abust at me and ran back to her book......Broody??? whats my options? (no cockeral)
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You're in the same boat as me.....
We have no cockerel. A cockerel is not required for a hen to go broody. Some breeds get broody more than others (Silkies are famously broody, Rhode Island Reds not so).
If you want chicks then you could purchase fertilised eggs online or from someone nearby and put them under her which is what I am planning to do this time.
Last time this hen (I suspect it's the same one) went broody we got some fertilised eggs for her to sit on but I think it was too late in the year (November), we were pretty clueless - and nothing came of them. She sat and sat and eventually got bored and was delighted to be let out of the broody coop....... Now - we can't get her to settle back in there again :-( and she's sitting tight in one of the main coop nesting boxes which is about 18 inches from the floor....... not a good height for a chick I suspect!...... but our one attempt to move her to the broody coop (a large rabbit hutch) didn't go down well (bad memories from last time???) and so I'm waiting until perhaps she's a bit more "set" before trying again........
If you don't want chicks then there are various suggestions on the forum from time, nature, dipping bottom in cold water etc etc.......