Well Snowball, my little white silkie, kicked the chicks out and told them to bug someone else about two weeks ago. She's been laying again for three weeks. Now the last few days she's got that look in her eye. I can hear her thinking "Hmm, I wonder what I can get out of these eggs?" And of course over the last few days when I've kicked her out of the nest box "Leave me alone you dratted woman! Can't you see I have eggs to hatch!"
So I kick her out of the boxes several times a day. I've dunked her butt. I've had her locked in a run away from the coop and nest boxes. That one just made her pace for a couple hours. I let her out and she turns into a road runner. Beep, beep, zoom back to the nest boxes. I dropped her off out in the field where everyone was ranging and she did the broody poof. My silkie cockerel came running over to her and pecked her for not staying with the group and rounded her up into the center. That lasted a few minutes, then she dodged him and zoomed back with him on her heels.
The 8 week old, half silkie, chicks she raised noticed her on a nest today and are taking advantage. They are almost as big as her and two of them were doing their best to get under her.
Boy is she frustrating. I don't really want to have to cage her. I would have thought with the cold weather and dark, that she'd wait longer than two weeks.
So I kick her out of the boxes several times a day. I've dunked her butt. I've had her locked in a run away from the coop and nest boxes. That one just made her pace for a couple hours. I let her out and she turns into a road runner. Beep, beep, zoom back to the nest boxes. I dropped her off out in the field where everyone was ranging and she did the broody poof. My silkie cockerel came running over to her and pecked her for not staying with the group and rounded her up into the center. That lasted a few minutes, then she dodged him and zoomed back with him on her heels.
The 8 week old, half silkie, chicks she raised noticed her on a nest today and are taking advantage. They are almost as big as her and two of them were doing their best to get under her.
Boy is she frustrating. I don't really want to have to cage her. I would have thought with the cold weather and dark, that she'd wait longer than two weeks.
