Australorps breed Thread

[chickisoup]

Has been working well for me for 2 years now. I stupidly bought every broody breed out there

Sometimes when I have more than one broody and they are both in too bad a mood to share the exclusion zone, Ive just put one in my backyard to wander so they couldn't get to the nest box. Still worked. First day and a half they can think of nothing but getting back to the nest but after that they settle to just wandering. Need the full 3 days at least though to forget

As long as you keep them off the nest box 24 hrs a day while doing it, how you keep them off doesnt seem to matter.

Oh and Im with you, my kids would put up an almighty protest if I put them in a cage with ice blocks to sit on!

Yea!!!!
I must admit I had my doubts but it worked like a charm!!! Fortunately there are two entrances to my coop, the "people" door which opens out into the larger fenced yard area and the pophole which opens out to the run. The two areas are connected by a gate. I just closed the pophole and put my broody in the run and opened the people door so the other girls could get to the nest boxes (but the broody couldn't) and then in the evening I put a board across the nest boxes forcing her to go up on the roost. Did this for 3 days (getting out early in the morning so the girls wouldn't be blocked from the boxes so they could lay their eggs) then I let her out into the main area with the rest of the girls and held my breath. SUCCESS!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing your method with me

After years of reading how complicated and trying and probably impossible it was to "break" a broody, and all the stressful and often torturous things you supposedly had to do to the poor bird to accomplish it, who would have dreamed it could be so simple?

 

[hellbender]

Yea!!!!
I must admit I had my doubts but it worked like a charm!!! Fortunately there are two entrances to my coop, the "people" door which opens out into the larger fenced yard area and the pophole which opens out to the run. The two areas are connected by a gate. I just closed the pophole and put my broody in the run and opened the people door so the other girls could get to the nest boxes (but the broody couldn't) and then in the evening I put a board across the nest boxes forcing her to go up on the roost. Did this for 3 days (getting out early in the morning so the girls wouldn't be blocked from the boxes so they could lay their eggs) then I let her out into the main area with the rest of the girls and held my breath. SUCCESS!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing your method with me

After years of reading how complicated and trying and probably impossible it was to "break" a broody, and all the stressful and often torturous things you supposedly had to do to the poor bird to accomplish it, who would have dreamed it could be so simple?

I couldn't be more happy for your success! But just keep in mind...not all broody hens are created equally. Some birds of every breed can be extremely difficult, regardless and some BREEDS in particular can be especially tenacious...like a few of our Dark Cornish and especially the Buckeye over Dark Cornish gals. They can be real bears.

 

[Naliez]

Do not worry about it now. They are still young--the face should be red but often is not because they are not up to standard.

Thank you for the reply! What about the black that looks like it starts on the beak and extends up through her comb? The other two ladies had combs that went from yellow to pink, and the one on the far right- yellow to black. I'm not worried about aesthetics as much as I just want her healthy and happy.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

My first aussie chicks hatched. Only 2 on this batch. in 2 weeks I'll have 30. And the week later they r 90. HAHAHA

 

[hellbender]

My first aussie chicks hatched. Only 2 on this batch. in 2 weeks I'll have 30. And the week later they r 90. HAHAHA

Mercy...that thing is UGLY!!! .................Just kidding...it's beautiful!!!

 

[ronott1]

Thank you for the reply! What about the black that looks like it starts on the beak and extends up through her comb? The other two ladies had combs that went from yellow to pink, and the one on the far right- yellow to black. I'm not worried about aesthetics as much as I just want her healthy and happy.

Unless she is part ayam cemani, the comb will turn red and get very large at Point of Lay. It will be one of the signs that she is going to lay an egg soon.

My first BAs from cackle had some black combs that turned red.

 

[DesertChic]

I couldn't be more happy for your success! But just keep in mind...not all broody hens are created equally. Some birds of every breed can be extremely difficult, regardless and some BREEDS in particular can be especially tenacious...like a few of our Dark Cornish and especially the Buckeye over Dark Cornish gals. They can be real bears.

Yeah...I've got one of those tenacious broodies I'm working with right now. She's a NN mix...with Cochin, I think....and even after walking around for hours all day after I've removed her from the nesting box and closed it off to her, at night she makes a bee-line for the box containing her favorite golf ball and resumes her diligent efforts to hatch the darn thing. I think in the next few days I may just make her up a broody nest in my air conditioned chicken cabin, add a couple fertilized eggs from her and her flock sisters and let her have her way.

 

[DesertChic]

My first aussie chicks hatched. Only 2 on this batch. in 2 weeks I'll have 30. And the week later they r 90. HAHAHA

There's just nothing cuter than a newly hatched, fluffy little chick.

 

[orumpoultry]

I need to get to hatching some Aussie chicks. I keep saying I will and I never do.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I need to get to hatching some Aussie chicks. I keep saying I will and I never do.

Our broody mama went broody again... We're hoping our pullets will start laying bigger eggs to put under her!

Can you hatch a little pullet egg (if it's fertile, of course)???

MrsB