The babies are growing so fast but all that chirping from the garage brooder has sent Goldies hormones into a crazy rage. She is super broody and will not leave the nesting box for anything. She barely eats or drinks for almost two weeks now. Most hens are not very friendly when they are like this but Goldie is such a sweetie pie, she only puffs up and makes soft cooing noises when I take her out of the box, which I do every morning.
Problem is as soon as I leave she goes back into the coop and back in her box. Today though, after breakfast when I removed her I put her into her very own condo. A fenced off area I made in their play yard that has food, water and dirt. No comfy cozy nesting box, Nope. Nada. Zilch.
A couple hours later I went out to check on her and found she had escaped the condo! Where did she go you ask, back to her nesting box....
This is her oh crud you found me face, I think anyways. Sorry Goldie girl but you can't sit in this box forever... It's not good for you.
So I made some adjustments to the condo and am trying again, I sure hope it works this time poor girl. We don't have a rooster or fertilized eggs so there will be no chicks.
A couple hours later I went out to check on her and found she had escaped the condo! Where did she go you ask, back to her nesting box....
So I made some adjustments to the condo and am trying again, I sure hope it works this time poor girl. We don't have a rooster or fertilized eggs so there will be no chicks.
Awwww, poor girl! We had to break our girl Buttercup of her broodiness when she was young (Buttercup looked just like your Goldie girl!). The only thing that worked, and I hated doing this, was dunking her bottom in cold water. I've also heard keeping them in a cage raised off the ground for a while will do the trick because it allows air flow underneath them and they get cooler so they know they couldn't hatch out any eggs in that situation and they stop trying. Some girls are more stubborn than others and it sounds like Goldie is one of the more stubborn ones!
ReplyDeletepoor goldie! bless her!
ReplyDeleteand yay for another month!!!
Poor Goldie!
ReplyDeleteThere is something so magically sweet about a broody hen - she is a doll!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheila, she is such a sweet girl, so far so good in the condo. She eating and drinking woohooo
DeleteLooks like we're leading parallel lives again! Broody hens are everywhere :-) Be strong!
ReplyDeleteI know Joan but I can't seem to break her?? She spent 2 days in the condo and has had 3 cold water baths..... still runs straight back to the box... sigh
ReplyDelete