Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Sounds like a couple broodies to me.

Agree. Thank goodness it didn’t last.

 

[BY Bob]

My assumption is that in the wild nest destruction is a relatively common experience for a hen. Lots of predators will take their eggs and if the hen gets away with her life she's had a result. Here, after many broody hens they all seem to know to leave their nests. When I first started some needed some encouragement to the point of shutting them out of their nest sites for half an hour or more and bum shoving them around to get them moving and fully awake. This is what I was told to do by a couple of the keepers here where I live who have had considerable experience in dealing with 'institutionalized' hens. My belief is for most, the instincts are not bred out of them, just suppressed. Given the right circumstances they have here at least returned to what would seem to be their ancestors and more natural behavior.
A hen that just sits on her nest and doesn't get off to eat etc is going to die.
I am lucky in that I was exposed to free range chicken keeping in my youth. I also saw the other side with the thousands of battery hens that were kept on the farm I spent my youth on.While keeping circumstances dictate what is and isn't practicable the error I find repeated on this forum and others is that somehow the 'natural' responses of chickens change through breeding and keeping arrangements. I don't believe this is the case. All chickens bar breeds like Cornish X and possibly some long bred Leghorns and other battery favorites have 'natural' responses, much like any other creature. It is not until the circumstances allow it that these innate behaviors are demonstrated.
I believe for example that for most who prevent broodiness by using the wire cage method would get the same result by removing the eggs and destroying the nest. But, with contained chickens this often isn't practicable.

I was fortunate enough to watch Maleficent leave the nest on a regular basis while she was broody. I know it was at least twice a day and maybe 3 times. She would come boiling out of the coop. Relive herself, eat, drink, and groom. 15 minutes tops and then she would head back in.

I did not teach her this. No one did. Somehow she knew. Here she is.

 

[WhoDatChick]

I have never put a broody in a cage. Surly Girl went broody 5 or 6 times over the last year and I had to break her because we had no rooster. Now with the addition of Pippi, when she went broody I was able to allow her to sit on the eggs.

What I have done in the past with her is to take her off the nest every day, set her out in the run, and gather the eggs. This would take 3 days, give or take, and she'd be okay for a month or so until she went broody again. I was so happy when I got a couple cockerels and couldn't wait for them to grow up.

I wish that would work on mine!
I have four broodies right now and a possible fifth... I take them off of the nests twice a day... with no end in sight! It’s been almost three weeks for two of them.. two for Sunny and a week for Rosemary... and it looks like Lil Red is joining the broody club... I do not have enough jail space for all o dat!

 

[BY Bob]

I would much rather not send Charlie to broody jail, but I can’t really ‘destroy’ the nest as I have dedicated prefab coops. I hate caging her though.

I hated doing it but it did work. Sometimes you have no choice and it's for the best. I wish I had brought her in the house and let her hatch. But it was the right decision at the time.

 

[MaryJanet]

My youngest took Lacey, their Cornish Rex cat into the garden for outside time while the chooks were free ranging.

Alice had to have a closer look. They actually both reached out and "booped" noses.

View attachment 2129654

The other hens trooped down in a line to check her out too but weren't interested in any "booping"

Alice is looking gorgeous!

 

[ValerieJ]

I wish that would work on mine!
I have four broodies right now and a possible fifth... I take them off of the nests twice a day... with no end in sight! It’s been almost three weeks for two of them.. two for Sunny and a week for Rosemary... and it looks like Lil Red is joining the broody club... I do not have enough jail space for all o dat!

That's rough. I'm glad I haven't had to deal with that.

 

[RoyalChick]

Talking of broody (not a chicken)
The garage door has been left open a lot recently because it is a convenient place to store tools to build the Chicken Palace. As a result I acquired a broody visitor - and now I have babies!
I think this is Papa bird checking in on the nest and I see two babies and the mother in the nest at the back. She leaves the nest periodically during the day and both parents are back and forth a lot. He seems to sleep elsewhere and she sleeps in the nest.
I am not sure what they are - my current best bet is a Carolina wren. They are quite bold and are around me while I am working around the garage.

 

[micstrachan]

Why Would Lilly stay inside?

This is why! Bear in mind we usually swim in the pool on Mother's Day, which is tomorrow!

Brutal!

 

[micstrachan]

Talking of broody (not a chicken)
The garage door has been left open a lot recently because it is a convenient place to store tools to build the Chicken Palace. As a result I acquired a broody visitor - and now I have babies!
I think this is Papa bird checking in on the nest and I see two babies and the mother in the nest at the back. She leaves the nest periodically during the day and both parents are back and forth a lot. He seems to sleep elsewhere and she sleeps in the nest.
I am not sure what they are - my current best bet is a Carolina wren. They are quite bold and are around me while I am working around the garage.

WOW! Look at that nest!

 

[RoyalChick]

Brutal!

It sure was a miserable day with me too - it was a blizzard here for part of the afternoon. Hate it!