Butterscotch is just like clockwork. Three weeks of egg laying then two weeks broody. On day twenty one she laid her last egg and went broody again, she has been broody for the last three days now.
Toffee stopped laying three weeks ago and started to moult. Emerald had her slightly broody day one week ago and hasn’t laid an egg since then. Yesterday she too started to moult. I have been picking up her feathers from the coop and run yesterday and today.
The game girls are the best egg layers when they are laying but have such a short season. After having four and five egg days recently we are now down to three out of six girls laying and are only getting one or two eggs a day now.
Butterscotch is a docile broody and I am back to getting her out of the nest box three times a day.
I lift her out and set her down in the run.
I put Butterscotch down in the run where she remains flat
I ruffle her tail to encourage her to move from the spot.
From flat to fluffed up
This makes her fluff up and then she takes off at speed and has a quick scratch and some days a frantic dust bath.
She then eats some pellets
She feeds as fast as she can
She then drinks plenty of water
Then she makes her way back to the nest box
She sits in the nest box again
This is a routine that I am well practised with. I think Butterscotch will always be like this. Her hormones and her internal clock are as regular as a girl could get. This will be the routine for the next couple of weeks.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
She really do look broody,Bless her.
She is so predictable. Broody as regular as clockwork.