[Jomtie]

My Coucou Marans won't come out of the nestbox this morning. She's puffing herself up and complaining  every time I check on her. I can get OH to build an anti brooy coop tonight if necessary (he doesn't know yet but it's a good job he's good at DIY! ) but I don't know how long I'm supposed to leave her in there? Can she go back in the coop with the others at night? 

[joyfull]

i put mine into a dog cage (covered over to protect them against the rain) and then let them go into the main coops at night 

[SMS6]

we have one hen that we think is going to be Broody regularly.  She's now on her second stint and we're resigned to the fact it might well happen every 21 eggs.   The first time it took 2 weeks to stop her trying to brood, this time we are also on day 12 and still she tries if given half the chance.

So we are still on a learning curve with a strategy to cut it as short as possible.   

We've now settled on isolation during the day and have bought a separate animal run for this, we keep it next to the main run - we give her shelter, food and water but no comfy place to settle.   We do let her back in with the others at night because I wouldn't think she was safe with no lockable house to sleep in.   BUT we have to make sure she can't settle comfy over night and try to force her to perch so we block off the nest box and check she hasn't pushed through to settle and we also put wire racks on the floor of the main house, anything to stop her being able to snuggle down.   Our Cuckoo maran is not impressed because it forces her to perch too and she hates it.   

We won't know for sure if our plan will work until she goes broody again next time and we can start these tactics from day one. 

[Jomtie]

Thanks for the advice. I've been up to the coop again, fully gloved, and lifted Margot out of the nestbox and shoved her out to free range with the others. She complained loudly but made no attempt to peck me. I've collected the eggs that she was sitting on. I can't close the pop hole though as Geraldine hasn't laid yet. Margot's made no attempt to go back into the coop so far. She's mooching about at the top of the garden with the other girls but she gives me 'evils' very time she sees me, so she's obviously not happy! 

[SMS6]

Thanks for the advice. I've been up to the coop again, fully gloved, and lifted Margot out of the nestbox and shoved her out to free range with the others. She complained loudly but made no attempt to peck me. I've collected the eggs that she was sitting on. I can't close the pop hole though as Geraldine hasn't laid yet. Margot's made no attempt to go back into the coop so far. She's mooching about at the top of the garden with the other girls but she gives me 'evils' very time she sees me, so she's obviously not happy! 

Oh yes I know that look well and the indignent muttering that goes on for a while when you throw them out of the nest box.   The first Time Roxy went broody we tried doing just that, lifting her whenever we could and making her leave the nest box but everytime she would eventually sneak back and settle back down, often on nothing and we could only shut her out completely if we knew the others had all layed.  Plus when we were at work and they weren't free ranging we just coudn't stop her at all.  Hence the sin bin to completely stop her.   She fooled us the first day though - having spent all day in there and perching all night she strutted out with the others leaving a Gingers egg cold in the nestbox so we thought - oh good  cured and left her in the main run.  Got home that evening to her sitting tight on the other 2's eggs.   So for the past 2 days it's been sin bin even though she's come out with them each morning leaving a cold egg in the nest box.

when we scoop her up and put her in she gives us such a telling off as if to say - 'What!!  I haven't done nuffing this time!  Stop Picking on me!!! '  - LOL

[themagicaltoad1]

When I chuck my bad tempered broody out she makes a bee line for my gosling and chases him round the garden taking out all her bad mood on him, poor thing. The problem is one of the other girls has now joined her in doing this and the two of them are really nasty to him. I'm hoping she will snap out of this behaviour in the next couple of weeks as we are going away and they will all have to share the same coop and run.

[jhub]

Placing mine in a dog cage within the run (with food and water) was the only thing that worked. It took five days. Good luck.
Jane

[Skywise]

One of my girls has gone broody as well - she's a Speckeldy so it was a bit of a shock because I thought the hybrids had pretty nearly had the mothering instinct bred out of them.

I was just wondering whether it would hurt her if I just left her to it - shoved a couple of artificial eggs under her and let her sit on them until she realised they're not going to hatch, just lifting her out of the nextbox a couple of times  a day for food, water and *ahem* a a comfort break.  Will it harm her in any way?

The only real concern I have is that one of the other girls is starting to pick on her when I take her out of the nextbox.  Nothing too awful yet - the odd peck at her if she gets too close - but I don't want it to escalate.  Is this the result of Mrs Speckledy going broody?  Phyllis just taking advantage of the situation to raise herself up the pecking order?  Or will it get progressively worse the longer she sits?

A lot of questions I know, but I'm new to this . . . . .

[ANHBUC]

I wouldn't leave her to brood Skywise, it really takes it out of them.  They loose weight are prone to infestation as they are a sitting target and can get pressure sores on their legs.

One of my broodys was really weak after her chicks hatched and was stumbling.  She had lost so much weight and then caught a respiratory infection.  The back of her legs were dry and scaly which I thought was scaley leg mite but on inspection it was pressure sores.  She is much better a week later after tlc and medication.   

Your other hens are more likely to stop laying and join her being broody as well.   

[Skywise]

Okey dokey - that's all I needed to know.  I only wanted to know what's best for her.  Thanks. 

*rushes out to start anti-broody measures*

[sarajane]

One of ours, Lily (an aurancana type) has gone broody several times and a spell in an old rabbit hutch for 48 hours normally does the trick.

Unfortunately she has been broody again and the hutch has rotted so this afternoon we penned her off within the run, with chicken wire.  She was not very happy (of course) and when I went to check on her later tonight, she had somehow jumped over the wire (about 4 foot high) and was back in the nesting box.

Nedless to say I hoiked her out, back into the segregated area and covered the top with an old  shower curtain that was lying about.  It was starting to go dark and it was all that was to hand.

I'm half expecting her to dig an escape tunnel back into the nesting box she is so determined the little madam

Personally, I would not let her back into the nesting area at night time until you are sure she has stopped brooding

[Jomtie]

This blasted broodiness is getting to be a real pain. Weirdly though she is still laying daily which I thought broody hens didn't do!!! :blink: We hadn't segregated her because of this, but she's being a real grump bag and doesn't want the others in the nestbox. We have another nestbox which they don't like using even though it appears to be exactly the same. I put a porcelein egg in that yesterday in the hope that the others would be encouraged to use it, but Margot fetched it out and took it into 'her' nestbox and sat on it. Flaming pest!!! Has anyone else had a laying hen that is broody??

[Jomtie]

Right....serious measures now. She's really upsetting the others so OH is building a broody coop as I type. Unfortunately he's just as grumpy as Margot about it! Lots of muttering of "?!*&@? hens!" and having better things to do!  Oops!

[ANHBUC]

I think that they lay enough for a clutch of eggs before they stop laying and sit permanently.  Try taking her out in the garden and do some digging.  She won't be able to resist helping you by taking all the bugs out of the soil!   

[Jomtie]

She was going absolutely mental earlier, trying to get into the nest box. I was trying to keep her out while one of the others was in there and she was making a dreadful commotion, scratching at the bars and trying to get in from above. I felt really mean! However, she's absolutely fine now. Once she had produced her egg and I'd moved her off the nest she hasn't seem bothered about going back in. They lay in order and she is usually one of the last to lay. Once she and Geraldine had layed she was quite happily sitting on both eggs, but since I moved her off the nest and closed the pop hole she's made no attempt to go back in and is foraging in the garden with the rest of them. She is a bit dopey though. I just threw them a few mealworms and normally she spots them like a shot and is one of the first to find one but I've had to give her a couple separately as she's not as 'with it' as usual!
The broody coop is coming along nicely. OH is making a smashing job of it.  I think she'll have to go in it every day and lay in there on the mesh if necessary. I'll feel like Cruella De Ville and she won't be happy.......but I don't want any of the others to follow her example!