YO GEORGIANS! :)

[DiamondSwan]

she sits in the empty nest and waits on the others to come lay for her. She did the same thing when she went broody back in Sept. I'd get all the eggs every day, she'd sit in the empty nest, even spend the night in it. The 'full clutch'' theory, at least here is seemingly just another old wives tale. Nothing against old wives mind you......  

I have an incubator, I don't WANT her broody, I want the blue eggs. there was another that tried to go broody at the same time back in sept too, I just kept chasing her out until she gave up. I bought these purebred ameraucanas for the eggs. I dealed for an incubator so I wouldn't need a broody. hopefully after a few weeks and they don't hatch she'll go back to laying again

That is a problem if she waits for the other hens to lay (cheeky chicken!) How many chickens and how many nest boxes do you have? Not enough nest boxes could be the problem. If not, maybe she needs to be kept separate from the other hens for a bit and just keep taking her eggs.

 

[PapaChaz]

That is a problem if she waits for the other hens to lay (cheeky chicken!) How many chickens and how many nest boxes do you have? Not enough nest boxes could be the problem. If not, maybe she needs to be kept separate from the other hens for a bit and just keep taking her eggs.

I have more than enough room and nest boxes. She's just listening to the voices in her head or the mother ship or what ever,

I was just reading a thread on breaking a broody, I'm about to head down there an put her back on the roost with the others, and tomorrow I'll cage her by herself with some food and water for a few days and see if that helps

 

[feathersaloft]

I have more than enough room and nest boxes. She's just listening to the voices in her head or the mother ship or what ever,

I was just reading a thread on breaking a broody, I'm about to head down there an put her back on the roost with the others, and tomorrow I'll cage her by herself with some food and water for a few days and see if that helps

After about 10 days of fighting with her, I just had to put one of my sexlinks into the rabbit hutch for 3 days. Wire floor and a food and water bowl, that's it. No bedding, and cold wire to sit on. 3 solid sides so protected from the weather.

She came out of solitary about 4 days ago, and has no urge to nest now.

 

[Coach C]

As far as I understand, they do. I was told by a local farmer not to use them for garden beds where edibles were to be planted. Unfortunately, the previous owner of this property we're on, used them as fence posts. Or, he planned to. There are cross ties sticking up out of the ground on the border of the front pasture. He never got the fencing material attached before they got foreclosed. He also used them as the corner posts for a 24'x24' dog pen, which is what we converted to the chicken yard, because it was already fenced and sat abandoned since 2010. From what I've observed, they don't bother with it. I see them pecking more at the weeds and other stuff. I personally, would not have used them in this manner at all because of the creosote and the risk of pecking, but we just went with what we already had. I think this is a really great question.

edited to add: I decided to search and found this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/194986/railroad-ties-safe
I may have to rethink the decision to place the coop where we did. We're sort of stuck with it now. :/  

and this one, too:https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/101307/railroad-ties

He bought them from a local hardware store that has them out front with other landscaping timbers. He is going to call them tomorrow and ask if they contain creosote or not. I will let y'all know. Thanks for those links!

 

[eqserman]

Back from vacation, now jury duty and ugh all this rain and getting a little soggy and tired of the wet. Need some dry days, have a lot to catch up on.

 

[katsdar]

That is a problem if she waits for the other hens to lay (cheeky chicken!) How many chickens and how many nest boxes do you have? Not enough nest boxes could be the problem. If not, maybe she needs to be kept separate from the other hens for a bit and just keep taking her eggs.

read below

I have more than enough room and nest boxes. She's just listening to the voices in her head or the mother ship or what ever,

I was just reading a thread on breaking a broody, I'm about to head down there an put her back on the roost with the others, and tomorrow I'll cage her by herself with some food and water for a few days and see if that helps

Hi,
this is what I have been told, broody is a hormonal thing and it has to do with the temp of the hen, want to break it put her in a cage that air can circulate around and under her and she should stop in a couple of days or have her sit on ice cubes

(I wouldn't try that in the winter) or she will stay broody for about 3 weeks but broody is hard on a hen since they only get off the next once or twice a day.

 

[carcar80]

Papa I've never had to break a broody. Mine have all eventually come out on their own. Some are more relentless than others.. But either way.

 

[PapaChaz]

read below

Hi,
this is what I have been told, broody is a hormonal thing and it has to do with the temp of the hen, want to break it put her in a cage that air can circulate around and under her and she should stop in a couple of days or have her sit on ice cubes

(I wouldn't try that in the winter) or she will stay broody for about 3 weeks but broody is hard on a hen since they only get off the next once or twice a day.

I've not heard it was temperature. I did put her in isolation, although when I went down to the coop first thing this morning, she was sitting on actual eggs from some of the other hens and one of the OTHER ameraucanas was sitting on the golf balls

I caged the first one, she is NOT happy. LOL about to go check to see if the second one is still sitting in the now empty nest since I removed the golf balls or if she just was trying to lay an egg

Papa I've never had to break a broody. Mine have all eventually come out on their own. Some are more relentless than others.. But either way.

I don't have the patience and neither do my other hens. 2 wanna be mommas taking up nests and the actual working girls having to lay their eggs in the floor. Not happenin here! the two wannabe's are going to find themselves very alone for the next few days

this ole man don't play

 

[Coach C]

This is the first time my girls have gotten vocal at all. I believe she is my alpha hen (we don't have a rooster) I was fixing water and giving some scratch as a treat. She had a big time "fussing" at me I assume. I went back out and she is sitting on the latter watching while the other three are on the roost inside. The other three were already roosted when I got home right close to 5:45-6:00. I wish I could post a video for y'all to see. Some of my friends say it sounded like the egg song. She never went back into the coop after dark, she camped out on the ladder. I finally went out and put her on the roost inside after dark. She didn't slide down with the other three. She is sleeping down by her self. I guess we will see tomorrow if it is the "egg song" I guess. She is obviously redder in the face than two of the others. I have two that look obviously bigger and older than the other two.

 

[PapaChaz]

ok to add to my last post. The second AM actually WAS just laying an egg. Why she was in the nest so long, being the one with the golf balls, who knows.

the other broody mama had gotten OUT of the nest with the golf balls and gotten in another nest that had eggs in it. She is now in solitary confinement, and she is NOT happy! HA. I put her in my brooder tank, no where close to the other chickens. It's actually under my carport, and this evening I cooked on the grill out there and every time I'd walk by she'd cluck moan and whimper.......I'm so MEAN!!!! I didn't even feel bad about it. LOL

anyway, I'll leave her there until maybe friday and put her back down in the coop and see if she still wants to take up a nest box without leaving an egg in it!