Extended broodiness?

[Oliver_Douglas]

Howdy All: I have a 2-year old Australorp. Healthy, raised from a chick. She's been a good layer, but recently started going broody, and camps all day on her egg, and/or those of her flock mates. Small flock of 4, counting her (Bluebell).

Because it's hot (Texas), I'm concerned for her health and hydration. So I've moved her, and shut off access to the laying box, for a couple days at a time, but the odd thing is, she never gets out of broody mode. She walks around (after I remove her), stays puffed up, growling, sometimes around the other hens but always around me, and all day, for going on 10 days now.

And after shutting off the box, she'll go right back to the same behavior the moment I re-open it. Also, they all prefer one of the three laying boxes I have for them, so creates a traffic jam, and in fact, I think the other three are now laying elsewhere much if not most of the time.

Is there such a thing as extended broodiness? Is it because I've yet to break her if it, and its just extending? Once I move her, she does eat and drink, but are there other health concerns?

Thanks for any info!

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's not that she's "extended" her broodiness, you haven't broken her yet. Best way to break a broody is utilizing a breaker cage: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/ and keeping her in it around the clock until she stops showing signs of broody behavior.

 

[Oliver_Douglas]

It's not that she's "extended" her broodiness, you haven't broken her yet. Best way to break a broody is utilizing a breaker cage: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/ and keeping her in it around the clock until she stops showing signs of broody behavior.

OK, Thank you. I'd seen/read about those, but hoping it would resolve. I will give this a try.

 

[Oliver_Douglas]

OK, Thank you. I'd seen/read about those, but hoping it would resolve. I will give this a try.

Update: 1) got a small cage, 2) also got some ceramic eggs, to lure her into one of the other available boxes--worked IMMEDIATELY as one of my New Hampshire hopped on to lay, thus breaking the log jam where they all wanted to lay in the same box, and 3) will see how this set-up, with the ceramic eggs, works for a couple days, then proceed with the cage if necessary.

 

[SamLockwood]

Howdy All: I have a 2-year old Australorp. Healthy, raised from a chick. She's been a good layer, but recently started going broody, and camps all day on her egg, and/or those of her flock mates. Small flock of 4, counting her (Bluebell).

Because it's hot (Texas), I'm concerned for her health and hydration. So I've moved her, and shut off access to the laying box, for a couple days at a time, but the odd thing is, she never gets out of broody mode. She walks around (after I remove her), stays puffed up, growling, sometimes around the other hens but always around me, and all day, for going on 10 days now.

And after shutting off the box, she'll go right back to the same behavior the moment I re-open it. Also, they all prefer one of the three laying boxes I have for them, so creates a traffic jam, and in fact, I think the other three are now laying elsewhere much if not most of the time.

Is there such a thing as extended broodiness? Is it because I've yet to break her if it, and its just extending? Once I move her, she does eat and drink, but are there other health concerns?

Thanks for any info!

Some of them are like that: they'll stay broody much of the summer. I have some others that will phase in and out of broody for a couple weeks at a time.

I have noticed the ones that stay broody longer in the summer are the ones that tend to lay more frequently in the winter, but if you have a small flock you should try to break her. Sometimes just taking her out of the nesting box a couple times a day will do it, other times you need to put them in "broody jail" as others suggested.

 

[Oliver_Douglas]

Update: 1) got a small cage, 2) also got some ceramic eggs, to lure her into one of the other available boxes--worked IMMEDIATELY as one of my New Hampshire hopped on to lay, thus breaking the log jam where they all wanted to lay in the same box, and 3) will see how this set-up, with the ceramic eggs, works for a couple days, then proceed with the cage if necessary.

Update:

Some of them are like that: they'll stay broody much of the summer. I have some others that will phase in and out of broody for a couple weeks at a time.

I have noticed the ones that stay broody longer in the summer are the ones that tend to lay more frequently in the winter, but if you have a small flock you should try to break her. Sometimes just taking her out of the nesting box a couple times a day will do it, other times you need to put them in "broody jail" as others suggested.

Thanks for the info. And yes, I tried removing her for a couple days. No luck, so broody jail it is, poor thing.

 

[Oliver_Douglas]

Update 2: The ceramic eggs worked, getting others to lay in other boxes, but before I knew it, Broody Bluebell sat on one of them, and one of her own too. So, it's day 1 of broody jail. I used a rabbit/small animal cage. Set that on 2x4s underneath, directed a fan that way, not too strong, plus food & water. I also set a 2x4 inside, so she could/would stand, but now she's sitting on it, so I might need to go to a more narrow board, so it works more like a perch, not a platform. Live n learn.