My egg production is dropping. I have 2 seriously broody hens, and a third whose thinking about it. Funny, a week ago, these 3 were all becoming very irritated and pecking at each other, like 3 mean girls. The the EE went broody, next the Buff Orpington who is one seriously mean broody, and now the Light Sussex. I'm not sure if the LS is broody though, she may just like hanging out in a cozy nest box between her two arch-enemies just to irritate them. The LS has not gone cranky like the other two. The BO screeches and growls whenever a hen enters the coop, or the juveniles in the neighboring pen get too noisy. All her feathers are poofed up, but calms down a little when I rub her comb. The EE has been broody the longest, and I never see her leave the nest for food or water, so 2 days ago I put a bowl of feed in with her which she eats, and several times a day I hold a water bottle up for her which she eagerly drinks from. She has mellowed out a bit since her first day as a broody, she still growls a bit but no longer pecks at me or fluffs up in anger, and she eagerly takes any treats I give her. I'm going to put 6 bantam cochin eggs under her tonight, and closer the the hatch date I'll find a way of making a door of hardware cloth on the nest box so the chicks won't fall. When I get my toybox brooder back from the 3 OE's, I'd like to move the broody EE into it, but I don't know if she will continue to be broody if I mover her.
I don't like the broody BO. She was such a sweet hen, but boy is she a mean broody! Sounds more like a crow than a hen! Is there a way I can break her of this? Can I sneak a bunch of chicks under her one night? I'm assuming she won't be fooled into thinking the colored easter eggs she is sitting on hatched if it has only been 2 days, but I don't want to endure that temper any longer!
I went into the tween coop today and took a long look at my 10 barnevelders. I'm pretty sure that at least 5 and maybe 6 are boys. (One is a runt, and a bit difficult to tell. He has developed slower than the others, is much smaller, and his tail is small too, but he is growing irridescent green feathers on his shoulders like the other boys. I only want to keep 1 Barnie boy, how do I choose which one? Do I wait until they all mature and then pick out the most glorious looking roo? Do I pick the friendliest? Or do I pick the one who is already establishing himself as king of the roos? He is fluffing up his neck feathers and puffing out his boy b**bs and challenging the 2 black orpingtons which may also both be roos - I can no longer tell them apart. It could be they are girls, I am not sure.
If anybody wants a pet Barnie Roo, I have them. Otherwise I will be looking for someone who will have a freezer camp party. I'm willing to help, but I'm a bit of a wimp.
