This is no fun at all

bmpsands · Post by **bmpsands** » 02 Jul 2013, 13:41

I've got my first broody. I'm happy for her to get on with it, but I tip her out 3 times a day and she eat and drinks a bit.

The problem is the other hens. She's gone broody in the place that most of them prefer to lay (in the corner of the tin tabernacle). There are 2 coops with nest boxes in the Walk-in-Run, plus another couple of places in a plastic storage thingy and a further couple of places where she is (which she is defending) - but none of these, apparently, is good enough.

On my last visit I've blocked off everywhere except the plastic storage thingy, and she seems to have settled in there. I hope that she stays in there and the other girls have a less stressful time of it. I'm working on the assumption that less stress means less noise.

This would happen now after I added 4 new girls to the flock on Saturday. The newbies were already confused and disoriented. I've no idea what they make of the current shenanigans.

This chicken keeping is one surprise/challenge after another.

little brown hen · Post by **little brown hen** » 02 Jul 2013, 14:16

My hen Bourbon has gone broody, and takes up most of the nest box, so Ive put her in the run in a big dog cage. She has food water and the others for company, and I let her out each evening and she dashes to the nest box to sleep. Last night the two newbies were picked on in the coop by a beastie hen, Belle, and they slept on top of her to get away from the others!

bmpsands · Post by **bmpsands** » 03 Jul 2013, 11:36

It was hard to tell where Tanner ended and the other girls took over in the coop last night. As you say, my broody shot into a nest box but it happened to be in the coop being used by the 4 that I got on Saturday. So we had Tanner, her clutchmate Twobob (both white) and 4 new brown girls all in a great big heap up at one end of the larger coop.

Tanner came out for a drink and some food this morning, but seems to have gone into the old printer box in the shed for the rest of the day. I'll tip her out again at lunchtime and for the last hour tonight. She seems in pretty good shape so I'm leaving her to it now.

Post by **wendy** » 03 Jul 2013, 13:10

Welcome to the wonderful world of chicken keeping

Hannah my Orpington, has been broody for what seems an age.
That is the lovely thing about the battered ones, very rarely do you get a broody one. I never have in 8 years of keeping them.

bmpsands · Post by **bmpsands** » 04 Jul 2013, 14:58

Tanner seems pretty relaxed about being broody. I bring her out three times a day; she eats a bit, drinks a bit and is having a bit of a dustbath today. She may already be snapping out of it. On reflection, it came on gradually through last week and she may well be getting over it already.

The other 10 girls are working round her. All seems peaceful. With one sad death, the integration of 2 girls 3 weeks ago and a further 4 last weekend I think they're all getting used to change and unusual occurrences. Thank goodness they all seem to realise that they have dropped on their feet with us and, if they play their cards right, they have a really good billet.

sarabee · Post by **sarabee** » 04 Jul 2013, 15:54

Oh bless, Dottie has been broody for about 5 days but yesterday seemed to realise she was going to be evicted again and poddled out and stayed out so quite short-lived really.
We've always had a porcelain egg in the box but this has gone now.
Hubby was all set for the vet on Monday when Dots wouldn't come out for mealworms or strawberries!