8 month Austra white broody?

[Pierre duck drake]

Are you gonna let her be broody? They are so cute with chicks following them!!! She looks broody to me!!!

 

[Nicky S]

No don't use those, use fresh never sat on eggs.

I think instead of moving her, I would create another nest box for the other layers. Sometimes if you move her, she will break being broody, or go back the the nest she likes best, leaving her clutch.

A dog crate outside of the coop, with the door way covered with a little towel, and a fake egg in there, and I am pretty sure they will lay in there easily. Or a cardboard box, it really does not have to be fancy. My chickens love a new hidden nest.

How big is an igloo coop? Because in the long run, you might need to cull some birds if it is small. Small coops really are limited on the number of birds that you can keep in them, and being raised together, or free ranging will not help.

Mrs K

Ok thank you. We definitely have to get a second coop - they say up to 6 full size chickens in the eglu but when the 5 girls go in it’s snug. Our Brahma boy doesn’t even attempt to go in . They have a good-sized run and free range most of the day, and only go in the coop to lay and sleep, no matter the weather!

 

[Nicky S]

Are you gonna let her be broody? They are so cute with chicks following them!!! She looks broody to me!!!

Yeah, we’re gonna give it a go - that image is too cute not to try

 

[Mrs. K]

The problem with a too small coop, is NOT the daytime... it is the night, and in the winter the night is 14-16 hours long. Ugly behavior is caused by overcrowding, very, very ugly behavior.

If you add chicks, you need to subtract birds. Selling them if they are laying is pretty easy, a lot of people don't want to mess with chicks. Many people come on here with the idea of forever friends with chickens, but you do better with having a flock mentality, the birds come and go in a flock.

I love to have chicks, as you can tell with my encouragement to let her brood, but make a real strong consideration of your numbers, what you can do with roosters, (you really cannot keep all of them, and they can be hard to get rid of) and the actual space of the coop. You can cheat a bit in the summer, but come August, you need enough space in the coop.

Mrs K

 

[Nicky S]

The problem with a too small coop, is NOT the daytime... it is the night, and in the winter the night is 14-16 hours long. Ugly behavior is caused by overcrowding, very, very ugly behavior.

If you add chicks, you need to subtract birds. Selling them if they are laying is pretty easy, a lot of people don't want to mess with chicks. Many people come on here with the idea of forever friends with chickens, but you do better with having a flock mentality, the birds come and go in a flock.

I love to have chicks, as you can tell with my encouragement to let her brood, but make a real strong consideration of your numbers, what you can do with roosters, (you really cannot keep all of them, and they can be hard to get rid of) and the actual space of the coop. You can cheat a bit in the summer, but come August, you need enough space in the coop.

Mrs K

Thank you - a lot to consider!

 

[Mrs. K]

Here are some pictures. Today, in a shed nearby, my dh had some mineral tubs, and the coons are in them. My coop is very close to this, and I know they would have gotten my chickens without this fencing.