Moving a broody

[jessmorris]

Nicos - I've done it! Arrggh! the three pooters are free-ranging with the rest of the flock! Though to be honest they stay very near their coop, but seem to enjoy eating bramble leaves and stretching out. The modern games and old english game have put the young cockerels in their place, I'll keep an eye on them all......................just in case - its very early days yet!
Thanks for advice.............
Jess

[Hilary B]

On the relatively few occasions I deliberately set a broody to hatch, I always got her sitting where I wanted her before she got given proper hatching eggs.
That way I could be more determined and stubborn than she was (and believe me I can be stubborn!) and she tended to give in sooner or later.
I never tried to move one with the hatching eggs.

[jessmorris]

Thankyou for your post on introducing youngsters to an established flock Richmond Hens. The game birds seem to be the most territorial with them so far. I'll keep an eye on them all over the weekend to check there's no bllod shed.
Cheers,
Jess

[julesapple]

Daisy Doesn't do Downsizing

We bought a broody coop to put Daisy in, with her eggs. It's the same as Morag's and she loves hers. But no, Daisy isn't doing downsizing.

Her last house was a mansion compared to the new bijou cottage. It had three rooms on open plan, a walled garden, back & front doors and a sun roof, luxurious 3-piece perching, deep carpeting (of hemcore) throughout and a cleaner. And why would anyone want to bring up 9 kids in such a pokey cottage?

Daisy's protest was to stand next to her eggs for 36 hours and not touch them. As a result she's back in her mansion house, now sat very tight trying to re-warm 9 eggs, with a look on her face which says that we 'have clearly let her down and look at all the catching up she has to do....it's nothing short of egg abuse'

We might try moving her again when the eggs pip......so any advice on that one would be great.

Jules


PS Jess, our three Pekin/Frizzle/Silkie/thingies have run with the flock since Mum first brought them outside at about three days old (we watched like hawks, hearts in mouths) and they were fine. It'll be interesting when Morag hatches hers (all 8 fertile) and then Daisy's come along.....

[SuzyB]

Sounds just like my Peri Jules, she didnt want to downsize either, nor did she want to miss out on the gossip by being away from the other girls.

She's made a pact with her best mate though, each morning she leaves the eggs to have a quick bath, bite to eat, little drinky while her mate covers the eggs, lays hers and then leaves. Then back she goes. She wont do it for the others though, they have to go in the other nesting box. Its quite sweet in an annoying 'having to fumble underneath her to remove that egg' sort of way.

Will also be looking out for advice on moving her when the eggs pip too!

[julesapple]

Sounds just like my Peri Jules, she didnt want to downsize either, nor did she want to miss out on the gossip by being away from the other girls.

She's made a pact with her best mate though, each morning she leaves the eggs to have a quick bath, bite to eat, little drinky while her mate covers the eggs, lays hers and then leaves. Then back she goes. She wont do it for the others though, they have to go in the other nesting box. Its quite sweet in an annoying 'having to fumble underneath her to remove that egg' sort of way.

Will also be looking out for advice on moving her when the eggs pip too!

Sometimes, hens are just amazing. This 'bird-brain' bit is nonsense. When are your eggs due to start pipping? I think today is Day 1 for all of ours now.


Jules

[SuzyB]

She's only been on them a week and a day so bit more waiting for us. Wondering whether to try and candle them or just leave her to it and see what happens.

[julesapple]

She's only been on them a week and a day so bit more waiting for us. Wondering whether to try and candle them or just leave her to it and see what happens.

We candled Morag's eggs on Day 8 and all 8 eggs have embryos in them. So far, quiet, placid Morag is a model mum. No problems moving her to a bijou cottage!

Looking forward to next weekend when we can candle Daisy's 9 eggs and the 24 in the bator.

Jules

[SuzyB]

Really worried about my broody now. I seem to be fighting a losing battle with red mite and despite using copious quantities of poultry shield and puffing diatom everywhere likes its going out of fashion, my broody's comb is very pale in comparison to the others.

I could have cried last night, went round with the torch to do my squeezing and puffing and although the house didnt look bad, I could clearly see them round her comb and round her eyes. Gave her a good puffing but I serious need to move my girls and burn that blasted house and start afresh.

Thing is, by the time a new house comes, is creocoted, dried and put together, it will be almost hatching time. I need to move her now but she's just not open to the idea as Ive found out 3 times now. I want to move them all to my shed for the time being. I was thinking of maybe getting one of those plastic nesting boxes, putting it in the existing box so she doesnt mind going in it, and then being able to pick the whole thing up, with her in it on her eggs and moving it. Thought perhaps she might not be too bothered if she's moved whilst on her eggs.

Does anyone know if there is anything I can feed her that will help her keep her strength up? I'll give her some of her favourite rice later with some poultry spice in but is there anything the girls can have that would make them taste horrible to mites? Got some Smite coming tomorrow to add to the assault.

Any advice or suggestions very much appreciated.

[julesapple]

Suzy, sounds horrendous for your girls and for you too.

Can't really advise on diet, except maybe spinach or something with lots of iron to counteract the anaemia. You could put vaseline on their combs. The mites will get stuck in the vaseline and shouldn't be able to bite. Also, smear vaseline liberally on the ends of perches. The mites don't fly, they crawl. I did this last year and it was very effective. Every morning I checked the vaseline and crushed any mites that were stuck in it.

This is the same as Smite and much cheaper. I've ordered my sack.

Diatomaceous Earth Diatomite Red Mite Pest Powder 25Kg on eBay (end time 13-Jul-10 01:39:46 BST)

Try making a nest out of a plastic washing up bowl, then maybe you could pick up hen & eggs and move her. Much cheaper too.

Good luck,

Jules

[roitelet]

This may not be the classic treatment for red mite but..................

Had a bad attack of them last year and in desperation I sprayed the house with Raid for crawling insects. We can't get anything here for treating against red mite. I shut the girls out of the house until the smell had gone. I haven't treated it since then and have checked it regularly and guess what NO RED MITE.

[RichmondHens]

Just be careful of spraying anything "chemical" near the eggs, as it may kill them.

Sorry to hear you are battling with the dreaded mite SuzyB. How many days do you have left before hatching?

I would take the eggs away and put in an incubator (if you can) while you dust the hen thoroughly and move her to a fresh house. Leave her to settle again (perhaps on a false egg) and then return the eggs. She may kick up a fuss but shut her in the dark and leave her for as long as it takes - a day or two if necessary. As long as they are kept warm enough and you handle them gently they shouldn't come to any harm. Moving eggs is pretty easy in these temperatures. You need to put your hen's welfare first and get on top of the mite situation.

Ultimately, what is more important to you, the hen or some eggs not yet hatched?

You can try adding garlic powder to her feed or freshly crushed garlic in a little water soaked into bread. This may help as an insect repellent.

[SuzyB]

I'm looking at getting an incubator now, see what I can find. Will move her and not give in when she starts complaining, hopefully she will settle like you say. Fingers crosssed.

If I cant find an incubator, I'll let the eggs go, Im sure one of the others will have a turn sooner or later.

Thanks so much for the advice.

[RichmondHens]

As you say, one of the others will have a turn sooner or later. I know it's frustrating when things like this happen. I was so angry with my Welsummer who destroyed 3 out of seven chicks in eggs, but I always have so many broody bantams about it's easy for me to just swap eggs around to someone more suitable if necessary. I've had eggs started off under hens and ending up in the machine, eggs started off in the machine and ending up under the hen, eggs starting under a hen, being late to hatch and going into the machine, hatching in the machine and then returned to the hen ......... all sorts of combinations. I move them around if necessary to suit the situation. The eggs hatch and the chicks grow up healthy regardless - they're robust little things really.

If you can get a machine and you can transfer the hen to a broody coop, don't return the eggs until she is well and truly settled in. If in any doubt, leave the eggs to hatch in the machine. If she is still broody when they pip, you could try introducing a couple of eggs to her then and see how she reacts. Sometimes just the sound of the chicks cheeping will switch on all their maternal hormones and they will happily take over from then on.

[SuzyB]

Ive taken the plunge and have ordered an incubator! Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. I'll sort out her broody coop next to the big run so she wont miss out on any gossip and try the transfer in a washing up bowl.

If she doesnt like that I'll put the eggs in the inccy and just leave her til she settles (if she settles of course!).

This young lady has a lot to answer for! Still, she doesnt growl at me in the mornings now and seems to quite like me stroking her head while she sits there. Shame the other girls pick on her now when she goes for a break, she used to be quite high up the pecking order, its almost like they've forgotten who she is now and think she's a newbie!