My Blue Wyandotte, Blueberry, has been excessively broody all spring and summer. She's only a year old, hatched in May 2018 and was a very late bloomer-- didn’t start laying until March of this year. Shortly after, I noticed she was staying in the nest box at night so I always lifted her to the roost. Then I started blocking all nest boxes every evening to keep her out but she was still sitting in the nest all day long. I'd take her out several times a day and she'd always run back after a dust bath and forego free ranging with the flock. So I resorted to putting her in a crate with a wire bottom propped up off the ground with bricks for a few days, which did the trick. However, this entire scenario has happened 4 times so far! She's normal for about a month then it's back to the broody cycle.
I know she's broody, she's not sick and no parasites are present. She growls and fluffs up when I take her out of the nest and she's plucked all the feathers from her belly. I'm not allowed to have a rooster here in town and even though I'd love to give her some hatching eggs or even some day old chicks to raise, I cannot have more chickens in my small suburban yard. It's become apparent that poor Blueberry just isn't cut out for single life... she want's to be a mom and I can't change her mind.
I found a new home for her out in the country. They have 2 coops and free range their birds and have only one Silkie rooster. I don't want Blueberry to go by herself and be all alone in unfamiliar territory so I'm sending her best friend Muffin, along to help with integrating in their new flock. Muffin is a Buff Orpington and actually pretty mean to my other birds.
Now I'm having terrible regret and wonder if the silkie will be a good mate for her. I'll miss these birds so much since I raised them from chicks, but I know I just can't keep dealing with all this broody behavior and it doesn't seem fair to keep putting Blueberry in a cage every month. I really think they'll both have a better life on a farm but I still just can't stop crying and being sad.
How do I deal with this awful guilt?
How will this affect my remaining 4 birds?
I know she's broody, she's not sick and no parasites are present. She growls and fluffs up when I take her out of the nest and she's plucked all the feathers from her belly. I'm not allowed to have a rooster here in town and even though I'd love to give her some hatching eggs or even some day old chicks to raise, I cannot have more chickens in my small suburban yard. It's become apparent that poor Blueberry just isn't cut out for single life... she want's to be a mom and I can't change her mind.
I found a new home for her out in the country. They have 2 coops and free range their birds and have only one Silkie rooster. I don't want Blueberry to go by herself and be all alone in unfamiliar territory so I'm sending her best friend Muffin, along to help with integrating in their new flock. Muffin is a Buff Orpington and actually pretty mean to my other birds.
Now I'm having terrible regret and wonder if the silkie will be a good mate for her. I'll miss these birds so much since I raised them from chicks, but I know I just can't keep dealing with all this broody behavior and it doesn't seem fair to keep putting Blueberry in a cage every month. I really think they'll both have a better life on a farm but I still just can't stop crying and being sad.
How do I deal with this awful guilt?
How will this affect my remaining 4 birds?
I'm sure there are people on here that can point you towards breeds that don't go broody!
