Ali James' Garden Chickens

[LozzyR]

Oh, and because it's Friday....
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Beautiful fluffy butt!

 

[BY Bob]

View attachment 1937971 View attachment 1937973 View attachment 1937971 View attachment 1937973In other news, I am certain that Charlie has gone broody on me. For the last three/four days she is refusing to leave the nest box, and she is not laying herself. She is sitting on the other girls eggs and chucking the plastic dummy eggs out of the nest boxes.

She is the most skittish of them all and will not accept any strokes or contact at all (apart from when she is sleepy at night time, and even then she makes a bit of a fuss. However, whilst she is in the nest box, it is as if she is in some kind of trance, where we can stroke her all over and she will not budge. I am concerned she is not eating or drinking, so I have been removing her from the nest box and putting her on the ground, whereupon the trance is broken and she runs off at top speed to poop, eat and drink. Within five minutes though, she is straight back into the nest box.

Should I be doing anything? Shut them out of the coop after they have all laid their eggs in the morning? Let her get on with it?

I had to break Maleficent by putting her in an elevated dog crate. Here she is in the crate in the run. She spent 2 days and 1 night in the crate. By putting her in an elevated dog crate I was able to keep her from warming anything. The cooling of her body temperature along with removal of the eggs broke her need to hatch. If you are not going to give get eggs to hatch I don't believe it's likely that she will stop on her own. There is more on my thread as a lot of us seem to be dealing with this now.

 

[LozzyR]

I had to break Maleficent by putting her in an elevated dog crate. Here she is in the crate in the run. She spent 2 days and 1 night in the crate. By putting her in an elevated dog crate I was able to keep her from warming anything. The cooking of her body temperature along with removal of the eggs broke her need to hatch. If you are not going to give get eggs to hatch I don't believe it's likely that she will stop on her own. There is more on my thread as a lot of us seem to be dealing with this now.
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How did she go sleeping in there? I was going to put Charlie back in the house for the night.

 

[BY Bob]

How did she go sleeping in there? I was going to put Charlie back in the house for the night.

I added a roost of sorts, a log for for her to perch on and placed the crate into the coop so she would be safe. Here she is in the coop.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

There was a very funny moment the other day when Echo got a bit too keen and I pointed my finger at her with a firm "no" and she tried to eat my finger! Not just a peck, but actually trying to get my first finger joint down her throat! I guess I did sort of offer it to her...

 

[LozzyR]

Hey @Ali James , how did you go with your broody?

 

[Ali James]

Oh my goodness, life got so busy for me and all of a sudden it has been five months since I posted.

Anyone out there?!

My little flock are all very happy and settled. The pecking order is solidly established, all the girls are healthy and regular layers.

I now have to go catch up on @BY Bob 's thread... About 600 posts worth!

 

[Ribh]

Nice to hear from you.

 

[LozzyR]

Hi Ali!

I was a bit worried then you disappeared; I thought something must have happened to your flock! I am glad to hear they are well.

Yes, you have quite a bit of catching up to do on Bob’s thread! A lot has happened in the last five months.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Oh my goodness, life got so busy for me and all of a sudden it has been five months since I posted.

Anyone out there?!

My little flock are all very happy and settled. The pecking order is solidly established, all the girls are healthy and regular layers.

I now have to go catch up on @BY Bob 's thread... About 600 posts worth!

Hello Ali! Welcome back

I was thinking about you too. Glad to hear that all is well with you and your flock