The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: sokel on June 24, 2013, 10:57:19 am
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They are going broody crazy
Started off with a bantam who decided to go broody a week after I set eggs into the incubator so put some eggs under her
Then a Light sussex that hatches a clutch out every year decided it was her turn ::)
Now we have 5 sitting tight just put the last of lemon seabright eggs that we collected yesterday morning under the last clocker this morning
so :fc: for some good results !
we have black and brown leghorns
lemon Seabright
blue orpingtons
Pekins
Silver laced wyandottes
then a little gold partridge dutch egg that the hen layed on the way home yesterday
Strange thing is non of the silkies have gone broody this time
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I have one gone broody. Found her hiding in the straw sitting on about 15 eggs. she is now in a run in the barn with just 6 eggs as we do not need a lot of hens.
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We have 8 TNN hens. Last week we got 8 eggs a day and this week they are all broody. One of the nest boxes had three in it and they were squabbling over one egg!!! We have a gold laced Wyandotte now on her 5th week, despite blocking the nest biomes, fetching her out of the coop and generally dis-orientating her. She is 3 now and is steadfastly sticking to it -she'll make a great mother as her mother was.
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I've got two bantys sitting on some light sussex and hamburg eggs so :fc:
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well at this rate I will have no hens left in the main shed !
Just got back from the doctors and 2 of the brown Hybrid hens that where inthe nestbox this morning are still sat there.
with a lot of arguments I have put them out into the run and closed the hatch to stop them going back in ::)
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I have one that has sat for over 4 weeks and hatched one, much to my surprise, but is still sitting on the rest in hope - there are a couple that just might be viable as the chick came from later eggs that one hen laid in there day after day til I got her out of the habit.
Had a wee black bantie trying to sit up the barn, she got lifted back to the coop every night and after 3rd time she gave up tho she's stopped laying and her comb is light enough for me to believe she isn't just hiding eggs.
Another one seemed to be thinking about it and several have stopped laying and gone light in the comb since worming week, not sure if they're thinking maternal thoughts or just recovering as there are lots of loose feathers about and it's entirely the wrong time for moulting surely ???
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We are overrun with broodies as well. 4 indian game, 1 game x sussex, 1 white sussex and a maran hybrid type.
Cant seem to stop the wretched creatures this year. All but 2 have ducklings to look after that they hatched because we did not want more chucks.
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It is supposed to be catching. My cockerel did have a few days on his own while all the others were either broody or had hatched but were in their own run. I asked one the breeders I bought some of my Orps in from and he can have thirty to forty broody at any one time (they're all Orps). Must be a pain when you want to sell hatching eggs or hatch loads yourself. That was my main problem - just had a few people wanting chicken eggs regularly and then they all stopped laying!
H
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My girls are no longer broody, now I'm in a position to put some eggs under them :rant: .
So if you don't want your chickens broody take them for a 20 mile drive then put them in a new house. It works a treat :-J :thumbsup: .
If my girls do go broody again is there still time for her / them to raise a brood before the weather turns?
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We did have 6 broody but we managed to get them all off....or so I thought! 2 have sneaked back on and I am desperately trying to collect my speckled sussex eggs to put under her, but my SS hen isn't playing ball as I am sure she is sneaking away and laying!
Helen
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Good technique from Bert -disorientation we call it. I was told to take the problem hen to another garden for an hour then take her back, which works (sometimes). Just taking them into the house for a night works as well (sometimes). Just lifting them from the nest box a few times or blocking the nest boxes at night works (sometimes). Putting them in a cage off the ground inside the main run always works (but it may take a week).
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Hi,yes thats a new one on me,I will give it a try I have about 6 gone broody.
Graham
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My black rock's gone broody again too - must be the weather.
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Hi Everyone,
Apart from the twenty eight that hatched in the incubator (expected 3 to 4 - see other thread) I have one pekin bantam with eight chicks, one auracana that escaped notice and laid 20 eggs in the hedge discovered by my dog so we moved her and she hatched three this week, one was very weak so I have been playing mother with the incubator successfully and the chick is about to be returned to the hen. Another araucana hatched one and a hybrid still sitting!! Must be the late summer methinks. Its bedlam with all the cheeping!!! Just hope they are not all cockerels!!!
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it's the youngster duck girls that drive me bananas here. I managed to move one into the safe house but 3 others keep hiding their nests and I have to find them each night ::) . the hens don't seem to be interested this year. :&>
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Mine seem to have settled down a bit, apart from the 5 sitting eggs none of the others are clocking although the egg production has gone down from 20 a day to 9 overnight :-\