Iluveggers
Enabler
My Salmon Faverolles was acting a bit off yesterday. She was in the nest box for a few hours, but when I let my girls out in the garden in the afternoon, she jumped off the nest (which had the egg she just laid, I saw her lay it right before I let them out), and ran out to forage with her friends.
This morning, I left the house around 10. She was in the run. When I got home at 1:30, she was sitting in the nest box. I let the rest out around 2, but one OE stayed in with her to lay her egg, and ran out to join them after. She sat on the nest until 3:30. I kicked her off at 3:30 and shut the hen door so she couldn’t go in, and let them out in the garden until 4:30, which is when they usually start going to roost in the winter. She screeched this high pitched screech the whole time she was out. She tried to jump back in the nest box when I let them in. I blocked off the nests. She spent a good 20 minutes squawking and clucking, trying to figure out how to get around where I had blocked, then gave up & jumped on the roost with the others. One good thing is she did not try to peck me when I picked her up off the nest earlier.
What should I do? Should I leave it blocked all night, and get up early to unblock it? Sometimes I find an egg when I let them out at 7 (sunrise is 7:30). Or should I unblock them at 10:30 when I go to bed? Tomorrow I have to work, so I won’t have time to set up a broody breaker cage until I get home around 4.
I wouldn’t mind giving her some fertile eggs, but it is January in NY and I don’t think anyone will want to take them after they hatch in Feb.
She has only been laying for just under a month, and is only 7 weeks old.
Also, the broody breaker cage is at the farm (we needed it for a red sex link of all breeds). How should I go about disinfecting it? Even though I am at the farm frequently, I change clothes & shoes when I get home so I don’t bring any potential problems from that flock into my own.
Thank you for taking the time to read all this…man, I just mention hatching eggs yesterday and she has to go and hear me…lol.
This morning, I left the house around 10. She was in the run. When I got home at 1:30, she was sitting in the nest box. I let the rest out around 2, but one OE stayed in with her to lay her egg, and ran out to join them after. She sat on the nest until 3:30. I kicked her off at 3:30 and shut the hen door so she couldn’t go in, and let them out in the garden until 4:30, which is when they usually start going to roost in the winter. She screeched this high pitched screech the whole time she was out. She tried to jump back in the nest box when I let them in. I blocked off the nests. She spent a good 20 minutes squawking and clucking, trying to figure out how to get around where I had blocked, then gave up & jumped on the roost with the others. One good thing is she did not try to peck me when I picked her up off the nest earlier.
What should I do? Should I leave it blocked all night, and get up early to unblock it? Sometimes I find an egg when I let them out at 7 (sunrise is 7:30). Or should I unblock them at 10:30 when I go to bed? Tomorrow I have to work, so I won’t have time to set up a broody breaker cage until I get home around 4.
I wouldn’t mind giving her some fertile eggs, but it is January in NY and I don’t think anyone will want to take them after they hatch in Feb.
She has only been laying for just under a month, and is only 7 weeks old.
Also, the broody breaker cage is at the farm (we needed it for a red sex link of all breeds). How should I go about disinfecting it? Even though I am at the farm frequently, I change clothes & shoes when I get home so I don’t bring any potential problems from that flock into my own.
Thank you for taking the time to read all this…man, I just mention hatching eggs yesterday and she has to go and hear me…lol.
