Broody EE...

[dandelionheart]

Our poor Bronwen (EE) is broody and I think she may have been lured into it by Mae (a BO). We don't have any roosters and I'm not allowed to get/make/raise any chickies so is there a nice way to help them? Should I just leave them alone and be pecked every time I get eggs? Bronwen has stopped laying and Mae is still laying. Should I take out the golf balls? Hubby thinks we should leave them in there, but with 5-8 eggs a day I think that our one pullet who isn't laying yet would get the idea of where to lay just by seeing the other real eggs. I don't want to put them in a separate cage with a wire bottom or something, these are my pets and our coop dynamics are wonderful right now - I don't want to mess that up.

 

[Judy]

I have broken several simply by removing them from the nest every time I am in the coop, and chasing at them or whatever, to make them eat and go outside. It never worked for me just doing it once, but I think the most stubborn one took a week. Might not work, but worth a try, and anyway, it gets a little more food and water in them so the setting isn't quite as hard on them. I don't like the wire cage thing, either, though one time I did try it -- it didn't work anyway, but I was able to buy chicks and give them to her to raise.

 

[dandelionheart]

Okay, now two of her hatchmates are in there more than normal, what, for company? I knew EEs were super social, but... *sigh* I hope this doesn't get anybody else going broody. The wanna-be BO is now not. But the white EE is still at it, trying to hatch pine shavings and taking up the favorite nest (we have six nesting bays). They will growl when she growls for goodness sake.