What influences a hen to become broody again?

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

The story so far...

Quote:

The Pretty One will return to live with Boss Chookie and Mr. Rooster.

I am hoping to keep one of The Lavender Gang, (Little Wheezy if it is a pullet) for company for Lady Frances.

No, if I open the door now Lady Frances runs and hides in the nesting box and won't come out until the door is shut. She gets very frightened when she hears dogs bark at close range and hides in the nesting box.

PS
The Pretty One flew out of the nursery and left the babies again, Boss Chookie being Alpha Chook of the flock, just about scalped The Pretty One whom she has always been jealous of and we had to rescue The Pretty One and put her safely back with her babies. The babies were overjoyed to see their mummy back.

As a result, Boss Chookie and Mr. Rooster are having a tiff and sleeping in separate nesting boxes for the night.

Well this morning Boss Chookie was still sitting in the corner of her laying nesting box...

She hopped off her plastic egg for a feed and a drink and hopped back on again and remained there all day..

Tonight she was still there...And Mr. Rooster is very irritable...

What influences a hen to become broody again? Is it because her chicks were taken away from her? She has been laying and burying her eggs under the nesting box. Is it jealousy? Is it rivalry? Was this brought on by The Pretty One flying the coop and Mr. Rooster well...And her vicious attack on her rival who still has her brood? Is the the need for respite from her mate? She is the Alpha Chook and rules the roost and hen pecks Mr. Rooster when enough is enough!

It's only been five weeks since her babies left at 7 weeks to their new home, is it too soon for her to become broody again? Do I need to put her in the rabbit hutch with food and water which has a raised mesh floor to cool her down? We don't have any fertile blue eggs for her to sit on. Araucanas are very intelligent, they can tell the difference in the colour of eggs. Will she know the difference if a different colour/breed of egg is under her...

So many things to ponder...

All advice appreciated.

Thank you, kindly

wickedwings · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:02 pm

I can't help you with the going broody again, I've been trying to cure a couple of silkies that have gone broody again. Yelling at them hasn't seemed to help. I'm not convinced about your intelligent chook theory either, mocking them is working either.

I am curious however about the Araucanas picking the difference in egg colour, how do they evince that?

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

wickedwings wrote:

I am curious however about the Araucanas picking the difference in egg colour, how do they evince that?

Just read this topic I posted on Roosting In The Nesting Box, it has photos of non Araucana egg eviction.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12703

When Boss Chookie went broody the first time her clutch was a combination of hers and The Pretty One's eggs. Boss Chookie's eggs are have an olivish tinge whereas The Pretty One's are blue. Boss Chookie had rolled out her eggs and only sat on the The Pretty One's blue eggs which as you remember where squashed by The Pretty One in a takeover bid.

So I don't know if Boss Chookie would sit on another breed's eggs, I think that she is very discerning.

kwinagi · **Joined:** Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:58 pm **Posts:** 236

broodiness is a hormonal thing influenced by day length and temperature, but mainly by day length. therefore, as days lengthen and shorten, there will be two corresponding periods which will be on the nail for that particular hen in terms of broodiness.

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

kwinagi wrote:

broodiness is a hormonal thing influenced by day length and temperature, but mainly by day length. therefore, as days lengthen and shorten, there will be two corresponding periods which will be on the nail for that particular hen in terms of broodiness.

Thank you, kindly,kwinagi,

for your information.

I guess hens also have biological clocks that tick, tick, tick,

johs · **Posted:** Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:54 pm

Petite Poulet wrote:

So I don't know if Boss Chookie would sit on another breed's eggs, I think that she is very discerning.

She must be PP. Mine will sit on anything or nothing. They aren't fussy at all. :oops:

Some don't like to be moved though, when in a broody state.

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