Broody

[fowl farm]

On a completely different subject, how do I get my hens to stop laying on the floor? Any and all ideas welcome.

 

[Nomibear]

Only real recomendation I've heard is to put "eggs" in the nest. If they feel other chickens used it, it must be safe enough for their eggs too. Some people use boiled eggs, most use golf balls, some buy toy eggs...
I'll be adding some this week. My girls are 17 weeks, and I want them to get the idea before they start laying somewhere else. I've heard too many stories I guess

 

[flockman]

I use golf balls. That pretty much does the trick.

 

[LinkieLueville]

If you don't have a rooster, you can let her sit on fake eggs for 21 days and then pick up chicks from the feed store. I did that last week. Here's a photo of my broody BO and her 10 day old Blue Andalusian babies. The little blond one LOVES to hop up on mama's back and watch the world from up there.



Cutest photo I have ever seen!!!!!

 

[Nomibear]

Hi again. I need some help. I hink I have a broody;(
This girl has been laying for about 4 weeks. She started laying at 19 weeks, and is a hatchery California White Leghorn. Is is rotating between 2 boxes but has been on these two for the last 5 days.
I don't remember if this was the thread or not, but I remember reading that someone had replaced the chickens Eggs with Ice Cubes and that this broke their broodie mood... Hasn't seemed to work so far....
Please. Any help or ideas would be great!!

 

[HEChicken]

Hi again. I need some help. I hink I have a broody;(
This girl has been laying for about 4 weeks. She started laying at 19 weeks, and is a hatchery California White Leghorn. Is is rotating between 2 boxes but has been on these two for the last 5 days.
I don't remember if this was the thread or not, but I remember reading that someone had replaced the chickens Eggs with Ice Cubes and that this broke their broodie mood... Hasn't seemed to work so far....
Please. Any help or ideas would be great!!

A 23-week-old broody White Leghorn would be pretty unusual. Is she just rotating between different nest boxes to lay her egg or is she really sitting in the boxes all day and night? Does she fluff up and growl at anyone (you or another chicken) who comes close to her?

If she is truly broody, while there are some recommended methods for breaking a broody, unfortunately in most cases they only work short-term. A month or so later, the same hen is back, determined to brood again. The best method I have found for breaking a broody is to let them hatch some eggs. I currently have a broody hen and because I really don't need more chicks I gave her just a couple of eggs to sit on. That way I won't end up with tons of chicks but she has something to (hopefully) hatch to get the broody out of her system. If you don't have a rooster, you can place an ad on Craigslist to try to find some fertile eggs close to you.

 

[Nomibear]

Exactly! I knew this breed was breed for egg laying, and I wasn't expecting a broody out of any of them, let alone 1 month into laying. For the first couple of days I thought she was just taking a long time in the nest box to lay her egg, but she would puff up and fuss when any of the other chickens got close. Also any time I would go collect eggs. Although she never pecked at me. Then I realized she was in the nest box all the time. Day and night. She has been at it fir at least a week.
Yesterday afternoon I replaced the golf balls with 2 ice cubes. When those melted I found her on the nest box next door. I pulled her out of the coop, and placed her by the food dish.
This morning she was with the others when I feed them in the morning. I sure an hoping this will be a return to normal behavior for her...

 

[cary 1973]

Hi again. I need some help. I hink I have a broody;(
This girl has been laying for about 4 weeks. She started laying at 19 weeks, and is a hatchery California White Leghorn. Is is rotating between 2 boxes but has been on these two for the last 5 days.
I don't remember if this was the thread or not, but I remember reading that someone had replaced the chickens Eggs with Ice Cubes and that this broke their broodie mood... Hasn't seemed to work so far....
Please. Any help or ideas would be great!!

so happy to hear some one elses leghorn went broody

mine are 6 months old I have 2 of them that went broody one day apart and leghorns are not supose to be broody. All I did is i did let them set for a few hours seeing if they would brake them self they did not so then i carfully picked them up from back side to keep from getting pecked and just took them off nest to out side with the other chickens and then locked them out of there nesting area till night came they roosted on there roost tried one more time in the am did the same thing and they were brook that was 2 weeks ago but there still not giving me eggs yet

 

[Nomibear]

While I'm glad to hear that other leghorns go broody, but I do hope she returns to laying also...

 

[Nomibear]

Well, it looks like the experiment continues... My broody had not given up after a week and a half, so I got 5 fertile eggs from a neighbor. (it was all his girls had given him in 3 days!) She has been sitting on them since Sunday evening. I also have a mallard duck on a nest. She has at least 23 eggs under her!! Does anyone know if a duck can hatch out that many in a single hatch?