Sugar has now been broody for five weeks and shows no sign of coming out of it. Yesterday Smoke went broody again. Smoke has laid ten eggs in fourteen days before going broody again.
Smoke and Sugar went broody together five weeks ago. In the time that Sugar has been broody Smoke has been broody, come out of it and taken a weeks break, laid again and gone broody again. This is driving me crazy!
Sugar is so determined. I take her out of the nest box every time I go in to the run and yet she is showing no signs of loosening at all. I took a photo of the two broodies in the nest box and then lifted them out to the patio. I only had time to take one quick snap before Sugar headed straight back in again.
It’s bad enough that Smoke is a serial broody and only ever lays for two weeks at a time but Sugar staying broody for so long is even worse, especially as she is so young and only ever laid fourteen eggs since she started laying. Shadow has laid forty five eggs so far.
With all the other girls laying there is nothing I can do about this but wait it out. It is so frustrating.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
It is a long time to be broody; with Smoke, you know the pattern – let’s hope that Sugar is not establishing this as a pattern! I’ve just closed the nest boxes off, as Lena is broody for the second time since she started to lay in February – and my word is she vicious!
You are right, I know the pattern with Smoke but with Sugar I don’t know how this will go and as you say I hope it won’t turn out to be her pattern. I can’t close the nest boxes as I have too many girls laying at the moment.At least Sugar is completely docile which I am very grateful for.
Salmon has just laid her fourth egg with no problem so I am really happy with that. Richard says that Sugar may as well be a battery hen but I say the difference is she isn’t laying and it is self inflicted. If only we could tell her that she doesn’t need to do this and could have a better time being out in the run.
Gosh Sugar is determined isn’t she!!
She is. She has now become the most determined broody I have had yet!
I guess it is the time of the year to go broody.
It is the time of year but Sugar is taking it to an extreme. It takes three weeks to hatch eggs and she has been broody for five weeks. She would certainly be good at hatching eggs but not much good at laying eggs.
She should enjoy longevity, as she’s not wreck herself with egg production!
Every cloud has a silver lining! I always seem to have a non egg layer in my flock or a freeloader as Richard calls them.