Difficult Broody

[luvmypets]

Hi everyone lately I've been dying to have some new chicks and as if on cue won of our hens Soci went broody. Now normally I'd be more excited, but she has been broody three times and yet she still isnt a mother.

My main issue is other hens kicking her out of the nestbox/going into the wrong nest. Its very frustrating because we sell our eggs, and missing one developed egg can have devastating consequences for Buisiness. I have tried moving her and her eggs but she is quite stubborn! However today I sucessfully moved her into a cage that I made a mock-nestbox in! Wish her luck as she has a long wait ahead.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think you're on the right track with this broody. My broody successfully hatched 6 chicks 3 weeks ago. She was not high in the pecking order, and kept getting chased off the nest. So, before I gave her any eggs, I moved her into a sectioned off area that was 3 x 4, and put her nest box in there. I waited until she had settled on her golf balls before giving her any eggs. Unfortunately, she's still not aggressive enough to fend all members of the flock away from her babies, but most of the hens who want to pick on the family, choose to pick on her. I have her and babies in a tractor, and let them out to range with the flock when I can guard them against our predators. We're being targeted by hawks, and there was a fox hanging around yesterday.

 

[luvmypets]

Wow that sounds awesome and congrats on the chicks . Our hen soci is extremely aggresive, but when she gets up to eat and do her buisiness another layer decides to lay an egg and she goes to the wrong nest. Heres to hoping she can pull through these next 3 weeks.

 

[luvmypets]

Here is her setup.

Soci seems very content in her mock nest box. Only 19 days left