She's broody

[hlhutchinson]

Ok so Barbecue has been in the nest box all day and has not layed an egg

 

[aart]

Ok so Barbecue has been in the nest box all day and has not layed an egg

Put her on the roost after dark and see what she does tomorrow.
Give her a little exam while moving her to roost,
take a look at her vent and feel her belly for any swelling.

 

[hlhutchinson]

Put her on the roost after dark and see what she does tomorrow.
Give her a little exam while moving her to roost,
take a look at her vent and feel her belly for any swelling.

Will do

 

[aart]

Is it possible that she using the nest as hiding place....being bullied?

 

[hlhutchinson]

Is it possible that she using the nest as hiding place....being bullied?

I have never seen her getting picked on, tell the truth I don't even know who the top chick is. They always change spots on the roost at night and they never fight or pick on each other

 

[hlhutchinson]

So no eggs from Barbecue for two days and and she's always in the nest box. Today I keep taking her out and at night kicked her out again of the nesting box and blocked it off for the night. We have pet snails and feed the baby's to the chickens well normally to Barbecue she loves them. She would not eat them tonight she just looks like she's pouting while sitting on the roost.

 

[aart]

Time to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? She may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[hlhutchinson]

Yay Barbecue is back to normal so blocking the nest box for the night did the trick thank goodness because we don't have room for more chickens (or set up for her to hatch them), and my coop is not big enough for a broody cadge it's 4x4.
I guess I could put a cadge in the run and let her in the coop at night but I think she would just nest at night and it would be a never ending cycle
I was thinking about trying the ice pack method I read about. You put an ice pack under them and change it out when it gets warm. Has anyone used that or what are your thoughts?
Using the soaking in water I just don't like that idea and it's to cold to be doing that unless I brought her in the house until she was dry (don't like that idea).
I'm just thinking about ideas for next time and if blocking the nest box does not work

 

[aart]

I guess I could put a cadge in the run and let her in the coop at night but I think she would just nest at night and it would be a never ending cycle

Not if you block the nest at night and put her on the roost. Ice packs and cold water dunks are cruel, IMO.

 

[hlhutchinson]

Not if you block the nest at night and put her on the roost. Ice packs and cold water dunks are cruel, IMO.

Thanks, ya I don't like the idea of cold dunk but was wavering about the ice pack. I think your right just to cold. I will go with the cool breeze method.
I think I will invest in a broody cadge to put in the run and then block the nest at night. This way next time it happens I'll be prepared