Broody Phillis under the deck

[greginshasta]

Our buff Polish has parked herself deep under the patio deck, directly adjacent to the wall of our home, and is sitting on about a dozen eggs.

It took days of her disappearing and showing up again to eat before vanishing like a ghost before I was able to hang out long enough to observe where she'd slip off to.

The space where she has set up her nest is dark, 8' back from the edge of the deck, and only has about 8-10" of clearance from deck boards to ground. It just so happens that the board above her is loose from a prior construction project, so I can easily lift it off to reach her.

I really don't want to end up with he popping out her chicks in that area. there is no way to protect her while she sits there overnight, no way to protect the chicks. And courtesy of the county trapper, we have a "have a heart" trap in the adjoining field to capture foxes that recently decended upon our neighborhood.

My question before I move her to a box with bedding and food/water - what should my expectations be when I do this? I know it is very difficult if at all possible to break them of broodiness. She seems pretty determined. If I move her to a safer place, and place her eggs with her, is it likely she will get back to the business of sitting on her eggs?

 

[500592]

that is a good idea and when it comes time for them to hatch dont let any hens in the lay or anthing they will kill the baby chcks good luck

 

[greginshasta]

Wow, that certainly didn't go well. The last time a female yelled at me that much it was my ex-wife in the midst of the divorce. Didn't know a hen could swear in that level of profanity. She's really really upset with me.

Yesterday I discovered that the lid of the plastic box was light enough for her to bash of and escape. Found her back under the deck, sitting on the one egg I overlooked under there, simply fuming.

This morning when I checked in on her she had spread the eggs all over the box (4'x2'x2' plastic tub) and I couldn't quite tell if she was sitting on any of them. All I know is that I'm really glad I don't speak angry chicken because the tone of whatever it was she was screaming was probably very direct and defaming. My goodness.

Went out again and now she has gathered the eggs, at least most of them, under her again. Almost afraid to reach in to check her feed and water - she might take my arm off.

Are there any courses in chicken anger management? She needs it. Yikes!

 

[Mrs. K]

Leave her be. She is happy, and successful. If the foxes haven't found her, they just might not, that close to your house. If she can get out to water and feed, she will be fine. The reason she is yellling is you are not listening. Leave her be, and in a couple of weeks, she will probably come out with some chicks. And if not, she will give up on the project.

I have tried to move a broody, and really it was a fight, and she went back to where she wanted to be. This year I have two, that are tight as ticks, and I am letting them do it. If I get chicks, that is great, and if I don't, well we will still eat. One can always get chickens.

Sometime, we humans worry to much. My grandfather was a successful cattle rancher, and I can remember him saying, 'she knows more about being a cow, than you will ever know.' Same thing is true for chickens and all animals.

Course, sometimes they do die. But imho, that too is a fact of life. We all will.

mrsK

 

[greginshasta]

She's yelling at me because I locked her in the tub. Not sure I really want to move her back again. That what you are suggesting?

 

[sourland]

Make sure you have enough nesting material in the tub that she can keep all the eggs underneath her.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would put her back under the deck, but if she is all riled up, she may not stay there either. I am sure I am misunderstanding this, but if you have her locked in a tub, she might get way too hot.

However, if she has settled down on the nest in the tub, probably best to leave her there. I did it once, and three days later, I thought she was settled, and she went back to the original nest and I lost that clutch of eggs. However, she sat there on nothing and on 21 days, I gave her day old chicks at night, and she was as happy as....well a hen with chicks

mrsK

 

[500592]

ifr she is that upset u should just let her do her thing