in the mood

[BUFFS]

we have a rhoderock hen that looks like she has gone broody,she has stayed in the nestbox since yestreday morning and wont come out,she hasnt laid but i had to lift her out today,i put her by the water/food and she had a small drink and a few pellets and went back up to the nestbox,i have just put her and the rest of the mob out to forage for a while.i read somewhere that this type of bird very rarely goes broody,as i have no experience of this ,any advice would be more than welcome

[Urban Chickens]

My RIR have nenver gone broody

[Flummery]

I have a hybrid that's in the mood too. She went like this a month or so back but I continually removed the eggs from under her and turfed her out of the nest box. She went off the idea after about 3 days. Yesterday and today she's at it again. Once the eggs have gone she loses interest but she swears at me in Chicken when I slip my hand under her for the eggs!

[frias]

One of my ex-batts didn't read the manual either. I've lost count of the times she's been broody in the last 2 years. (including now)

[BUFFS]

we have a rhoderock hen that looks like she has gone broody,she has stayed in the nestbox since yestreday morning and wont come out,she hasnt laid but i had to lift her out today,i put her by the water/food and she had a small drink and a few pellets and went back up to the nestbox,i have just put her and the rest of the mob out to forage for a while.i read somewhere that this type of bird very rarely goes broody,as i have no experience of this ,any advice would be more than welcome

...i should have said that this is the bird we think is laying the soft eggs,she is now sitting in the nestbox all fluffed up,head down and tail in the air,we have had her out and the other chooks seem to be picking on her,and she never layed today either,so she will be got out tomorrow(on her own,for a bit of peace while she eats and drinks)

[frias]

The others possibly pick on her because of her clucking and broodiness. This has happened to my ex-batt Spotty when she has been broody in the past. She is now top of the pecking order so no-one picks on her now. I don't want her to sit on fertile eggs so lift her several times a day to eat and drink. If your hen has laid what she considers to be enough eggs to brood she'll stop laying until she stops being broody. This might be a good thing if she's been laying softies.

[BigShot]

In the mood?
YouTube - In The Mood

[BUFFS]

we have now found that the broody hen,mandy, is not the one laying soft eggs,she is not laying at all,today,for the first time since tuesday,she actually spent some time out of the nestbox(she is lifted out to feed each day,and put around the back to forage),so now we have to figure which bird is laying soft eggs again,treats are reduced,cod liver oil dribbled on every third day,poultry spice added to the pellets,vermx in the water,we thought we had it sorted,but after a three week gap,the soft eggs are back again,im thinking the light sussex may be the one because of the position of the soft eggs,she doesnt lay her eggs in the nest box,never has,just on the floor of the coop,we have had a look at her and she seems fine,a few little nits,they all got checked and dusted,so no help there,we will just have to really watch them,maybe move out each one after they have laid,singing ten green bottles......

[BUFFS]

so,three weeks on now and the rhoderock is still doing her fluffed-out,bum in the air routine,she gets to go round the back for an hour each morning before the others get to join her,but she still gets picked on,all the time making her little chuck chuck chuck noises,we have found out which bird is laying soft eggs,it turns out to be lizzy,one of our original blackrocks,we have done the cod liver oil,poultry spice,only the occasional treat,shampooed,dusted against lice,coop totally cleaned and dusted and we still get a soft egg,but not every day,we even gave them some rice,dusted with the oyster shell,but it still seems to be only partially effective,as none of the birds seem to be in any distress or pain,we will just have to keep our eye on them...