my first broody.

[kinnip]

One of my Marans decided to go broody yesterday. I'm pretty sure I nipped it in the bud. We'll see. She sat on 7 eggs all day. When I went to lock up the coop, I moved her to get the eggs. Wow, was she ever p.o.ed. She growled and got her hackled up, but didn't try to take a bite out of me, which I appreciated. When I tried to pick her up out of the nest, she did what my cats do when they don't want to be picked up. She just went limp and slinky in my hands, like she was just going to drip back into the nest. I put her on a roost and she made angry noises, but nothing like the screech I got this morning. I'm scared to go out there now. I'm clearly on her list.

 

[spook]

Hee he he, I am so envious of you. I kept hoping that my birds would get thumped with the broody stick all last summer...so here it is winter and in the spring I'll be praying for another thumping! LOL!
Can't they give some awful sounds and commotions (and they say 'nothing like a woman's scorn' never had a broody hen!)

 

[kinnip]

They don't give up so easily either. I just braved the coop, and there she was on 8 eggs this time. I scooped them out and pushed her out of the box, but she's still sitting in front of it, stubbornly refusing to stand. I'm sure she's shuffling back into the nest box right about now. It's like there's a magnetic pull between her belly and the floor (nest box level). If I hadn't been expecting this kind of behaviour (thanks to BYC), I'd be worried that she had an illness.

 

[Biddieacres]

How old is she? I was wondering when this kind of behavior might begin. Mine are 7 months old so I was wondering if one might do this in the spring or if they would be too young.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Ayup... she's broody. If you want to break her of it, separate her and put her on newspaper. I keep a couple of empty kennels just for broodies, and it usually only takes a couple of days without a soft nest to make them cry Uncle and want to go back to the coop.

If you have fertile eggs and want babies, then separate her with her nest and let her have at it!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
You never know who is going to go broody, or when. I had a 5 month old silkie that lay a week's worth of eggs, then went broody. Other birds are almost 3 and have never gone there. What breed do you have?

 

[HenniePennie]

I have a total of ten hens. My silkie has gone broody off and on since she was 8 months and she is nearly 2yrs. I finally gave up and last summer I gave her a couple of 4 day old EE's to raise & she was in heaven. She has gone broody again the last two weeks! During this frigid cold we have just come out of I figure she probably kept the eggs from freezing so it was a good thing. I will sometimes be a stinker to her and pull the eggs out from under her then feed the girls & by the time I am done she will have pulled all the eggs back under herself!! She doesn't do anything when I take them from her as she is very docile & sweet. I don't have a roo so I know eggs are not fertile.

 

[Biddieacres]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
You never know who is going to go broody, or when. I had a 5 month old silkie that lay a week's worth of eggs, then went broody. Other birds are almost 3 and have never gone there. What breed do you have?

I have a Leghorn (the boss lady), RIReds , EE's and a barred rock.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Hmmm... I've had all of those, and none of them went broody. I hope someone else will share their experiences, though...