My silly chicken

[Kleonaptra]

Howdy all,

Exactly a week ago I posted about my australorp - I thought she might be egg bound. It was a nervy day for me, as I kept feeling her up looking for an egg and giving her pelvis a bit of a massage, but I couldnt feel an egg. At the end of the day she improved, and I felt she had been constipated.

Since then, NO EGGS. Its been over a week now and she would usually lay one or two every other day. She sits on her favourite nest in the garden all day and refuses to go to bed, she has to be picked up and carried to the night time shed. All very new because before this she wouldnt let me touch her. I cant feel an egg around her vent, if I go get her out for a drink and some food she picks around for awhile, then suddenly flaps and bounces around and clucks like mad then runs back to her favourite nest to sit and sulk!

One idea I had was that there is a rooster next door and she seems to be talking to him - when she has her mad clucking moments he crows to her, could this be affecting her egg laying at all or making her broody?

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

She sounds broody to me. Either break her or get fertile eggs for her to sit on or in a week or two of setting on fake eggs you could put day old chicks under her at night.

 

[TweeTea]

She sounds broody to me. Either break her or get fertile eggs for her to sit on or in a week or two of setting on fake eggs you could put day old chicks under her at night.

Yep, that would be my two cents worth as well. I dont think a crowing rooster would upset her, more trigger her maternal instincts. Did she get a few eggs at a time as well? If she had a small clutch started and she decided to start their incubation she would stop laying.
My girl goes into a bit of a trance when broody resulting in the indignant flapping and clucking if she is moved and finally wales up sounding a lot like your girl.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Thanks for your replies guys!

I only have 2 chickens, both hens. The Australorp - Shiela - is about 5 months old and only started laying mid december. The other one - Isa brown - is only about 2 months old. I have no rooster because I want eggs not chicks! My ducks are broody, all been bred by the drake and fighting over the nest they all decided to put their eggs in, Shiela actually sat and laid in this nest too until the big pekin took it over, then she moved to the top garden.

So if she's broody, how do I get her to start laying again? I really didnt want a rooster, my drake is spoiled rotten and would probably get beaten up! Still, my dear girl is saying a rooster is what she wants.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Put her in a wire rabbit cage and set it on blocks so air flows underneath. No nesting materials, just the wire floor. Provide food and water and leave her in this for 3 days. That usually brings the hormones down and breaks the broodiness.

 

[TweeTea]

Yep dropping the temp is good, but personally I avoid the wire cage option if I can.

With my girls I just keep pulling them out of the nesting box, and take the eggs. That took about a week of moving one girl who would stay off if given food treats. Unfortunately this wont work for all breeds.

Another option is to try change the nesting area, if they dont have access to the regular nesting spot they may not feel as secure about brooding (or they will choose another spot).

If you are in a warmish climate/time of year you can also try dropping the temp of her nesting box by simply freezing a juice bottle and burying it in the straw of your nesting box. A cold bum will surely chill her thoughts about trying to sit on eggs

Let us know how you go and good luck.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Thanks again guys,

I get her off her nest a few times a day to make sure she has some food, water and exercise. I gave up today and bought some eggs to eat - very disappionting, as I hadnt had to do this for awhile. I had to clean out the ducks nest, as with all of them laying in the one nest they cant sit on them all anyway, and gave one to Shiela in her favourite spot. The ducks arent having much luck hatching theirs, they have been laying for a few months but the poor babies die in the shell before hatch time, I think the pekin is making them too hot. Im in Australia and its very hot here now. So I'll see if Shiela can hatch out a duck...Its a fine experiment for me and its made her very happy. At the moment there are 3 duck eggs so dark its hard to candle them at all, I cant see any blood vessels but they all have that nice red rosy glow so heres hoping they are about to hatch. I gave Shiela a nice fresh clear one, might not even be fertile but time will tell.

At my next trip to the markets Im going to have a look at roosters, I really wouldnt mind breeding chickens as well and my Shiela is gorgeous, it just means her eggs wont be guilt free anymore!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Chickens hatch ducklings just fine. I think it take 25 days to incubate(could be wrong on that, I don't have ducks). To the chicken an egg is an egg. They will even raise them, except that whole "let's go swimming" think ducks love to do.

 

[TweeTea]

He he he, it is very egg-citing to let a broody hen have her first clutch! Had a bit of a chuckle TurtlePowerTrav thinking about the whole teaching to swim thing

Where abouts in oz are you kleonaptra? Im in Yass, my girl hatched a chick 5 weeks ago and I have been amazed how well it is coping with this heat! We have been getting high 30s to mid 40s fairly consistently.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Im in outer sydney. Mine are coping ok but it doesnt stop me worrying about them. We have a little shelter over our back porch with a garden and they all gather there most of the day. I give water a few times a day so they can cool off and wet the dirt in the garden, the Isa brown (Sheena) likes to dig a hole and turn herself over in it with her feet in the air. The ducks all quak and head bob like "what are you doing? Are you dead?" and she just clucks and throws more dirt on herself!

Shiela wont be able to sit on the egg full time as she has made her nest in the top garden but I still put her to bed at night in the shed, no way Id let her sit out all night. Its not cold enough at night to kill the eggs anyway and its really just to make her happy.

Been watching the duck eggs today and I swear one is moving but I always think that near hatch time! I go completely nuts! Did it move? I think it moved. Is that tapping? I swear I hear tapping!

It would absolutely make my month to get a hatch! Ive been waiting so long, my drake is 5 and only just worked out how to breed this year.