I am getting absolutely nowhere with trying to break this behaviour.
Flame with her baby
It would be adorably cute if Vanilla was a baby but as she isn’t it is very irritating. I have been putting Vanilla in the shed for an hour and blocking Flame out. Flame just sits on the patio outside the pop hole.
As soon as I let Vanilla out again they do this. At one point Flame did go and have a dust bath with the rest of the girls so I took Vanilla out and put her with them in the hope that she would dust bath too. All she did was sit on Flame’s back causing Flame to cut short her dust bath and return to sitting by the pop hole with Vanilla underneath her.
I really don’t know what to do to break this behaviour and I am fed up with it.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Very strange, may be just let it take its course.
The problem with that is that it could be a long time. Broody hens will sit for up to three weeks because that is as long as hatching takes but a mother hen with a chick could look after it for a couple of months. It would also be a long time for any egg laying to start again. If I left them to it they would both sit in the shed all day which isn’t good for them either. It’s a tricky one.
The only thing I can think of is putting one of them in a broody box but I know you’re reluctant to try thatxx
I have always been reluctant before to use a broody box because I have always found that closing a nest box has worked for me. This is different though as they really need to be separated and out of sight of each other completely. I am putting Flame in the dog crate in the garden shed with a dish of mash and water and keeping the chicken shed closed from Vanilla. I will let Flame into the run for exercise once a day while Vanilla is in a nest box and Flame will see the shed is empty.
Good idea! Just in case you’re not aware – you also need to pop the dog crate on bricks so there is a circulation of air (also ensures most of the poop falls through!) xx
I have read this but I hate the idea of their feet on just wire. I have put paper in the tray for now. I think the most important thing is that they are separated. I will post later. xx