Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Skyeknight]

I've seen some posts about very stubborn broodies - 5 weeks, etc. (without chicks, on or off fake eggs)

I do not find 5 weeks that long. Sometimes you see very big nests, which eggs may or may not be from the broody. Can't find a good source at the moment, but it seems Red Junglefowl lay about 5 to 15 eggs? If somehow the first eggs are infertile than after 5 weeks the last layed eggs are only just hatching at that point.

I also wonder if there is a difference between first time broodies and more experienced mothers in terms of when to give up.

 

[Perris]

If somehow the first eggs are infertile than after 5 weeks the last layed eggs are only just hatching at that point.

I don't grasp your point. Maybe the heat is getting to my brain too. But I was counting from when the sitting started, not from when the laying of the eggs to build the clutch started; the pullet in question sat day and night for 5 and a half weeks before giving up.

I believe she knew she was on unviable eggs. She certainly knew I removed any donations from other hens throughout the period.

 

[Skyeknight]

I don't grasp your point. Maybe the heat is getting to my brain too. But I was counting from when the sitting started, not from when the laying of the eggs to build the clutch started; the pullet in question sat day and night for 5 and a half weeks before giving up.

I believe she knew she was on unviable eggs. She certainly knew I removed any donations from other hens throughout the period.

Ah my apologies. I didn't account for just laying the whole clutch before going broody. I wrote that post with the thought laying and going broody started at the exact same time, meaning there would be an incredible staggered hatch. So that post doesn't make any sense, sorry.

 

[Perris]

I also wonder if there is a difference between first time broodies and more experienced mothers in terms of when to give up.

Of the other two repeating the experiment, one co-brooded last year, so is not a novice, while the other turned 1 about 3 weeks ago and is a novice. I'll let you know when they give up. They started 12th and 14th June respectively, so are at 4 weeks/+ now.

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't grasp your point. Maybe the heat is getting to my brain too. But I was counting from when the sitting started, not from when the laying of the eggs to build the clutch started; the pullet in question sat day and night for 5 and a half weeks before giving up.

I believe she knew she was on unviable eggs. She certainly knew I removed any donations from other hens throughout the period.

Yes. Tassels sat for 6 weeks on nothing. Her flock-mates stopped by every day and donated eggs, but I took them.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I do not find 5 weeks that long. Sometimes you see very big nests, which eggs may or may not be from the broody. Can't find a good source at the moment, but it seems Red Junglefowl lay about 5 to 15 eggs? If somehow the first eggs are infertile than after 5 weeks the last layed eggs are only just hatching at that point.

I also wonder if there is a difference between first time broodies and more experienced mothers in terms of when to give up.

I am thinking more of futile broodiness - no eggs at all (or non-viable), no chicks to nurture. Just sitting there, not eating enough or drinking enough or exercising enough. It seems a needless endangerment to health.

 

[Perris]

Yes. Tassels sat for 6 weeks in nothing. Her flock-mates stopped by every day and donated eggs, but I took them.

and what sort of condition was she in at the end of that six weeks? did you intervene because you were worried about her health?

 

[Perris]

Just sitting there, not eating enough or drinking enough or exercising enough.

but they are not doing much either, they don't need a normal day's calorie intake. I have long read posts here advising people to break broodies if they don't want chicks for the good of the broody, specifically, her health. But I started to have my suspicions 2 years ago, strengthened last year, and being put to the test this year. There is nothing obviously wrong with Xmoor's health - physical or mental.

 

[RoyalChick]

and what sort of condition was she in at the end of that six weeks? did you intervene because you were worried about her health?

She was actually in fine fettle. She did lose some weight but not a lot and she looked in great condition: shiny, bright-eyed, vocal, active.
Tassels never learned to get off the nest every day. If I took her off she did what was needed but she never once voluntarily left the nest.
The 6 weeks was arbitrary. I had decided that at the start (she went 5 weeks the time before and did lose a lot of weight).
One thing that I found interesting is that on her very first night roosting, after over 6 weeks away, she calmly claimed her favorite roost spot and nobody challenged her. I think in the chicken world (well also in my world) Tassels is a big personality.

 

[Perris]

I should add to the last, I have broken quite a lot of broodies. I don't like doing it.

And in view of RC's interesting contributions to this discussion, I should add that hitherto I have not forced broodies to get off the nest once a day, but then on those occasions they've always been incubating and I let them make their own decisions about these things. I decided to implement a regular routine with these sitting on fake eggs because it is not a lot of work in comparison to standard broody-breaking techniques (which is what's on test) and it just seems a whole lot kinder.