Marmite is broody

The day before yesterday we had our first, five egg, day of the year. Jasmine actually went to the nest box to lay her egg this time. It is her fourth egg and is a week after her last one. Spangle, Ebony, Marmite and Smoke also laid. That is all our current laying girls on one day.

The next day Marmite started to behave like a broody. She was raising her tail and was settled in the nest box at bedtime. I had to lift her to the bedtime perch. She didn’t lay that day. It’s typical that we have just got Smoke laying again in time for the next girl to go broody. I suspect we won’t have another, five egg, day for a while.

Today Marmite went to the nest box after the morning sunflower seeds. I lifted her out a couple of times. At one point she was sitting on Smoke’s egg.

A bit later she actually laid her own egg. Smoke was the same and laid a few more eggs after starting the broody behaviour.

Broody Marmite

A fully fanned tail

Out of the nest box

I am now so familiar with broody seramas that I recognise the fanned tail as a signal of a broody. When Freckles first went broody I thought there was something wrong with her!

Both Smoke and now Marmite have plucked out some breast feathers. I found a little heap of her feathers in the nest box. They sometimes do this by instinct to get their warm skin against an egg. It is a shame to see her feathers in the nest box and this is the first time I have come across this myself although I had read about it.

At bedtime tonight Marmite was in the nest box again and once more I moved her to the perch in the chicken shed. The good thing is that she doesn’t peck me and is easy to handle.

I am now resigned to the fact that if I have seramas I have to just get used to having broodies. It is all part of serama keeping and keeps me on my toes. At least now with a bigger flock there will always be enough eggs even with some broody girls.