Yesterday Emerald had a broody day. The day before she had been in the nest box for quite a long time without laying an egg which had made me wonder if she was feeling broody. Yesterday Sparkle and Honey laid their eggs first and I collected them. Barley went into the left coop and later emerged shouting but by then Emerald had gone in the left coop.
I realised that Emerald had been in the coop a long time so went to investigate. She was all fluffed up. I reached under her and found Barley’s egg and Emerald’s egg. Emerald is such a sweet girl and totally different from Topaz. She allowed me to pick her up without any protest. I put her down outside the nest box and stroked her. I tempted her with a few sunflower hearts and she went off without making a sound.
Topaz would peck me and come out shouting but Emerald was so sweet about it. A little later I checked again and she had returned to the same coop. I lifted her out again and she rushed off to have a dust bath. I thought this was a good sign.
I checked a little while later and she was back in. I picked her up again and put her outside and she rushed off to a lump of plant roots I had put in the run a few days earlier and furiously pecked and scratched at it. My husband said it looked as if she was taking her feelings out on that instead of me.
A lump of plant roots for the girls to peck at
This is the lump of root that Emerald ran to and pecked at furiously.
My husband checked on her later and she was in the coop again but this time he said she rushed out at speed and went straight to the food dish. By now it was quite late in the day and I was pleased that this time she stayed out.
After their pre-bedtime corn I checked again and some of the girls had gone to the high perches ready for bed but Emerald had returned to the left coop. I have never known any of the girls to go to one of the coops at bedtime. I picked her up and popped her on the high perch. She was such a good girl and didn’t protest but set about preening.
At dusk she was still on the perch with the rest of the girls so I put them all in the coop for the night.
Today Emerald hasn’t been in the nest box at all so I am hopeful that this has been enough to break her of it. With eight girls and three nest boxes, I really don’t want two broody girls.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Having seen Emerald today she seemed normal doing chickeny things but I do understand the problem of bloodiness when you have so little nest boxes bring used. When I had my broody girl Shadow I was never sure how much of an upset it was too the others. It must make them very confused and annoyed.
Emerald seemed completely back to normal today which I am really pleased about. As it is, they often all want to lay at the same time and there is always some shouting from the girls that are waiting to get in the favourite nest box.
Topaz wants to squeeze in with any of the girls that are laying and I am amazed that they just seem to put up with her, but there again she is top hen so maybe it would be different with a hen lower down the pecking order.
May the broody problem keep away! Good that Emerald is so gentle. A couple of mine sound a slight protest when I remove them from the nest, but the vast majority don;t even murmur. I’ve had 8 go broody so far this year, 2 of them twice. My gold/black silkie has turned out to be a cockerel, but does not crow (as yet), despite being almost 7 months old.
It’s lucky with so many broodies that yours don’t make much fuss. Topaz is a really angry broody. Oh dear, a cockerel!