MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

Good evening everyone

I so enjoy your breakfast\tea pictures ❤

Thank you there will be another one in a couple of hours. My weekend breakfasts are special because I'm recalling memories of people who have died. Nana taught me how to brew tea and dad taught me how to scramble eggs.

 

[MaryJanet]

I don't think there's any truth in what this breeder told you.
As you know, I've had a lot of broody hens. I usually take them off their nest at dusk, but sometimes I do it in the day.
What happens here, day style or night style (off nest and onto roost bar and shut in for night),
is they do go back to the nest and will sit on an empty nest for a while. But, so far, all have given up as long as there are no eggs in the nest. A couple have sat after eviction and waited until they, or another hen lays an egg in the nest. In this case, they stay broody and sit.
To be sure of discouraging a broody hen from sitting, I've found removing the eggs and destroying the nest (strip out nest box) works for 95% and for the other 5% confinement in my house for two or three days.

I've been pondering the "reset the clock" advice too. I assumed it meant the clock reset back to hour 1, but bringing Ivy out of her trance twice a day for food and water hasn't had an observable effect. Maybe the breeder meant the clock resets back to day 1? Anyway, it was slightly baffling.

 

[MaryJanet]

Peggy's eggs and the orange teacup my friend gave me a few years ago.

 

[BY Bob]

It varies depending on how much I bug her. 5-10 minutes. If she weren't in a deep trance it would not happen. I can say there are no mites or lice on her.

Bonus parasite check. I like it

 

[BY Bob]

The 19th was Ivy's first day of trying to be a mummy. Today's the 26th, so we are one week in. She's taking a lot of pecking from her flock, all of whom are rather stressed out by the disruption to the tranquility.

I'm handling it just fine though. No problems at all.

I'm going to try an additional step. I've got an old laundry basket that used to be a nest box. I'm going to fill it with bedding and transfer Ivy to it once she's slipped back into her trance. Then I can relocate her to a safer environment until another snack time rolls around. That way the other hens can have full use of their nest and Ivy will be even safer from foxes at night.

Good luck. I hope it works.

 

[BY Bob]

Oops! I keep forgetting to take breakfast snaps.

Half-eaten pile of Ivy's eggs, with tea in the cup Aunty Cathy gave me.

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I love that teapot. Very pretty.

 

[BY Bob]

That's me told.

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I thought Janet hadn't been laying! Found 7 eggs in a nest in the long grasses. No wonder she's been so cranky.

Better start watching that one!

 

[BY Bob]

Peggy's eggs and the orange teacup my friend gave me a few years ago.

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That orange one is a favorite of mine.

 

[MaryJanet]

Bonus parasite check. I like it

Because they don't like being touched, I took advantage of the trance to do a full checkover.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks