Broody bantam

[elizajay]

One of my 3 pekin bantams has gone broody again, so I gave her 9 fertile maran bantam eggs last night and she has just completed day 1. She is looking very pleased with herself.

She and another broody hen shared 9 eggs in 2007 hatched all 9 successfully and brought them up beautifully, until the fox tore a strip of wood off the side of the house one night and ate one mother and 2 babies. The other 7 survived with one mother, but they were used to being kept warm at night under wings, so the ones that didn't fit under sat on her back at night. It was sooo sweet. I was amazingly lucky because I had 1 cockeral and 8 hens and I hatched the majority for a friend who was happy to have whatever hatched. I kept 2 of the babies. My friend wants more and I want a few bantams that actually lay eggs beyond February as I hate seeing them broody all year if they are not actually sitting on anything. For one thing they get very anaemic because they don't eat properly. I offered my broody a grape today on the nest, she turned up her beak at it as she has far more important things to do with her time and can't succumb to her favourite food. She does eat and drink when I throw her off the nest.

Elizajay

[JILLY JACKSON]

Bantams are lovely little things,but as you say they are very prone to broodiness.My three are laying at the moment but it wont be long until once again they go broody.I too want to hatch some bantams less prone,i had welsummers before and they were pretty good layers.Do you know of other bantam breeds that are good layers?

[elizajay]

I was told that Japanese bantams are good layers. They are beautiful birds, but tiny with even littler eggs than other bantams.

[MaureenHall]

That is so sweet She's a good Mum taking over all the babies but so sad to hear about the other Mum and babies to the fox

[Eyren]

elizajay, it is possible to cut short their broody spells if you want more eggs - after all, they get a rest from laying in winter anyway. I have two pekins, and as you say, once spring is over they do tend to spend most of the summer being broody.

One method is to dunk the hen in cold water (though that's not a good idea in cold weather!) - the idea is that it brings her body temperature down, which sort of signals to her system that she's not in a fit state to incubate eggs.

The other is to put her in a "broody cage". You just need some kind of enclosure large enough for the hen to live in for two or three days - I use a medium dog cage, bought secondhand, but anything of a similar size would do. You pop the broody in there with food, water, a bit of log or similar to perch on and some shelter from the elements, but very importantly no nestbox and little or no bedding material.

Place the "isolation ward" where she can see the other hens so she doesn't get lonely and so the others don't forget she's part of the group. If you are using a cage, it's a good idea to put a brick under each corner so that you get a flow of cool air under her tummy. I find that it really only takes about 48 hours to get a hen "off the boil" like this!

[Birdie Wife]

My wyandotte bantams are great layers and the egg size is quite useful. I have one broody at the moment and it never fails to amaze me how Honey can turn from being a sweet, shy little creature into a Monster Straight From Hades when protecting eggs and chicks. She came out to do a monster-sized poo this morning too, it was amazing, the poo was almost as big as she was!! Well, maybe not quite

[frias]

My wyandotte bantams are great layers and the egg size is quite useful. I have one broody at the moment and it never fails to amaze me how Honey can turn from being a sweet, shy little creature into a Monster Straight From Hades when protecting eggs and chicks. She came out to do a monster-sized poo this morning too, it was amazing, the poo was almost as big as she was!! Well, maybe not quite

Don't stand down wind either!

[Birdie Wife]

Pheeeeew! No way!!

[elizajay]

Thanks Eyren, I had bought a crate with that in mind, but felt too mean to do it to her. I had also heard of giving a broody hen an ice cube or 2 to sit on. I'll see what she does after she has hopefully hatched and brought up the chicks. That should keep her busy for a while.

[Eyren]

Thanks Eyren, I had bought a crate with that in mind, but felt too mean to do it to her.

I know it seems mean, but without the excuse of eggs to incubate, leaving them to sit on a nest for hours on end, not eating or drinking, doesn't do them any good either!

[frias]

One of my ex-batts was broody last year. I tried putting her in a cage in the draught for days but it didn't work. I think she's about to go broody again. Has been making different clucky noises for a few days and the others keep pecking her which they did when she was broody last year as well. This morning she was sat on 3 eggs and fluffed herself out to stop me taking them. When I did, she went off to join the others in the garden but I'm keeping an eye on her and will sit her on ice cubes if she persists. Could really do with some of the snow we had last week to sit her on. I felt really upset for her last year as she hardly ate a thing for three and a half weeks. She's the smallest of my girls too.

[MaureenHall]

Couldn't you get her some fertile eggs?

Just a thought


ok, I'll get me coat

[frias]

No 'cos although I would love some little ikle babies, I know I could not deal with the cockerels. I'm not convinced about what you're going to do with yours either Maureen. I've a feeling you might be a bit soft too.

[MaureenHall]

Soft as pudding I think this one that's coming now is another boy but I hope I'm wrong

[frias]

Have you really thought this through? Fingers crossed you have mostly girls.