Yesterday four girls were dust bathing in the sun in a row. I managed to take one photo and then before I could get closer the battery died. I do wish my camera gave me some warning when the battery is low.
Salmon is looking great. It is two weeks since she last laid and I am rather apprehensive of what will happen when she starts laying again. It is also two weeks since Flame last laid and she has been looking in the nest boxes over the last couple of days so I know that she is getting ready to lay again.
Sugar is still broody after three and a half weeks. She was a month later laying than Shadow and then she only laid for two weeks. Eleven eggs then broody which is the quickest of any of our girls.
It takes three weeks to hatch an egg so usually even if you leave a girl to be broody they start to come out of it after three weeks.
I lift her out every time I go in the chicken run. I put her in the run and she just sits like this. I give her a little shove or several and she will run off and have a dust bath at speed then straight back in the nest box or sometimes she will just turn round and go back in.
For one and a half weeks we were getting one egg a day and I was closing the nest boxes and just letting in the laying girl each day. That was when Sugar spent her whole time jumping on me.
Gradually the non laying girls started up again and for the past week we have had two, three or four eggs a day so I can no longer close the nest boxes. This means Sugar has been staying in the nest box all the time except when I lift her for a break.
Sugar is showing no sign of coming out of this and we are wondering how long she is going to keep this up.
Apart from Flame who is looking like starting to lay again any day now there are only Sugar and Salmon not laying. It’s a pity Salmon can’t just stop laying for the rest of the summer but I know that she will start again soon.
I am just keeping everything crossed that Salmon will be able to lay okay and I am hoping that Sugar will give up being broody soon.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Salmon does indeed look a picture of health; will be keen to know, in due course, that she has laid a shelled egg – fingers crossed!. Pleased you’re getting eggs again. Sugar is really persistent; my record was 7 weeks with Cotton, over the winter when I could not put her into the crate!
Oh my goodness that is a long time. I hope Sugar doesn’t go on that long. When I was putting Flame in the dog crate it struck me that I could try Sugar in the crate so one time when I had put Flame back in the run for exercise and dust bath I tried Sugar in the crate. Sugar wanted to get out and was flapping around and I took her straight out again as I was worried she would hurt herself. I thought I could put her in the cat box instead but then wondered if that would be to similar to being in a nest box anyway.
Salmon, is looking great, I hope she will have a normal egg when she next lay.
The girls all look happy, dust bathing.
Salmon does look so good and I hope that she can stay like that. I know it all depends on the next egg and have my fingers crossed. The girls do love a dust bath in the sun.
Salmon looks really good – let’s hope it stays that way. Sugar looks REALLY in the zone!!! xx
I agree with both those sentences. Sugar is definitely well and truly in the zone. xx
wHEN i DO PUT A BROODY INTO THE CRATE, AS WELL AS FOOD AND WATER, i ALWAYS PUT A PERCH THROUGH THE SIDE BARS (AN OLD BROOM SHANK CUT DOWN TO SIZE): IT’S AMAZING HOW QUICKLY THEY DECIDE TO PERCH AGAIN, WHICH THEN COOLS THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE AND BRINGS THEM OUT OF IT.
I’ve never thought of putting a perch in the crate. Mind you Sugar doesn’t want to perch. At the end of the day I close the nest boxes so that she goes in the shed but she sits in the corner. After dusk I go in and lift her to the perch. She still sits again in the morning. I think that I just have to wait it out with her.
Apologies for caps lock!
No problem. I have done that before too.