broody - not broody?

[nuchickontheblock]

One of my hens seems to be semi-broody. Is there such a thing? I can take her out of the nest box and she will free range around, eat, drink, poop for a while (hour or two), then back to the nest box all spread out sitting on nothing, until I take her out again and then she'll do the free range eat, drink etc again for a while. I don't have a roo, so even when she has sat on someone else's eggs nothing is going to happen. We are starting into winter, so I'm not anxious to get any fertilized eggs or baby chicks for her to tend to at this point. This has been going on for a couple of weeks now.

This morning we are supposed to have a few days in the 40's, so I have isolated her on our covered porch in an old wire rabbit cage. She seems very bewildered about the whole thing, but very docile. Just kind of standing in one place and hasn't moved. Should I just leave her in the cage with food and water for a few days? How would I know if she is ready to come out? Could I break her broodiness if I let her out at some point today with the other girls to free-range and then when she goes into the coop to sit in the nest box, pull her out and recage her? Could I do this for a few days or would it be too confusing for her? and me! LOL

what do you think?

 

[Judy]

I know EXACTLY what you mean by semi-broody. It's like some get shorted on the broody hormone but it still kicks in. I just take mine off the nest and run them toward the group every time I catch them on one. For me they have been the easiest to break this way. One of them, I think, is also my setting-eggs killer, and I think she killed a few chicks as they hatched. She may end up in the soup pot, she'd dress out nice and big. I really should get some leg bands and band her. They pull zip ties off.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Yup. Know exactly what you mean. I have 2 Black stars like that. They puff up and get angry at me when I go to collect eggs, if I shoo them of gently they plunk right back down but if I put them in the broody run they pace the fence until I put them back.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

My broody hen behaved the same way about midway through the process.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

OK . . . so she's in the cage and looked so forlorn all day that my DH and I kept going to check her, give her treats and pat her. The others can't see her, but I think she can see them as they run around so she keeps making pitiful clucking sounds. I don't know if I can keep this up too long. Plus one of my other hens seems to doing the semi-broody thing also. As I think of it, the past few days they were both squashed in the nest box side by side for a good part of the time. Now I'll need to alternate putting them in the cage?
I was in heaven for a couple of great weeks when all three girls were laying every day . . . the refrigerator was filling up with eggs and I had visions of all kinds of egg-related delights as part of my thanksgiving dinner. Now 2 of them are kaput in the egg-laying department

Silly chickens!

 

[nuchickontheblock]

chicken lytle,
love your blog!