Clucky chook

[Bonnieboo]

Hi all,
I've just gotten over my Araucana, Topsie's five days in a cage to break her broodiness. It's been about only one month since and she is at it again.
Maddeningly, the first day in the cage she laid an egg! However, she is clucky and runs back to the nest immediately if I let her out. I get tired of the fights in the nesting box as she tries to muscle her way in...
I'm in Perth, Western Australia and it is very hot at present. I have the cage inside in the laundry so she can be comfortable. Is this a bad idea? Will she go mad with nothing to look at apart from the washing machine and the cat litter box?

 

[rosemarythyme]

She won't go mad from being indoors but in the interest of ensuring the flock doesn't forget her (which would require reintegrating her) I would have her caged outside maybe during cooler parts of the day (like morning) if possible.

 

[Bonnieboo]

She won't go mad from being indoors but in the interest of ensuring the flock doesn't forget her (which would require reintegrating her) I would have her caged outside maybe during cooler parts of the day (like morning) if possible.

Thanks for you're advice

 

[Down Under]

Also I found out the hard way that you cannot break them if they are indoors, they need fresh air and daylight to break them. For hot days I just put the cage in the shade or under a popup gazebo and keep some ice in its water to keep it cool. I do bring it inside at night time of course.

 

[Bonnieboo]

Thanks for your kind advice

 

[ChookaPete]

How is she going?

If you can, get some fertilised eggs to put under her.

 

[Bonnieboo]

Fortunately she is back to normal! My husband is not keen to allow them to have fertile eggs because he worries we'll get roosters!

 

[ChookaPete]

Fortunately she is back to normal! My husband is not keen to allow them to have fertile eggs because he worries we'll get roosters!

I am glad to hear the news!


Getting male chicks from a clutch of fertilised eggs is the risk you take. When I got mine I set up a separate chook pen to house any cockerels, to raise separately until I could sell them to people or bring myself to give them the chop for the pot, since I cannot keep roosters in my district.

Unfortunately only one of the five fertilised eggs hatched - the rest had not developed, but I only learned the candling trick at the end.
Fortunately that one egg that hatched became the sweet female Chamomile. Interestingly she started laying eggs at only about four months old! (I think so, maybe five months?)