A few days ago Popcorn went broody. She had laid fifteen eggs in twenty six days since her last, also first, broody spell. We now have only Maple laying eggs. I have kept all the nest boxes closed and as soon as Maple has laid her egg in the chicken shed I close that too.
While broody, Popcorn sits in the corner of the chicken shed and when I open up for bedtime she returns to the corner. Once the pop hole closes I lift Popcorn to the perch where she then stays.
She prowls around the shed trying to find a way in before giving up. I hope she will soon come through her broody spell. Red has now come out of being broody. It remains to be seen if she starts moulting or starts laying again. Last time Popcorn took a two week break before starting to lay again so hopefully it won’t be too long before she is laying again.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I wonder what goes through her mind while waiting all day to go in the nest box.
I often think that too but it’s all hormones and instinct. There is no thought process or logic or they would realise that their, non existent eggs, wouldn’t be viable after being left all day and then again all night while she is perched. It is quite funny though seeing her trying to find a way in to the eggs that aren’t even there!
I have had 8 wyandottes over the years (none at the moment) and every single one went broody, some of them on a constantly-repetitive basis. I remember my grandfather saying that his white wyandottes were the worst layers he’d ever had – I wonder now if it was because they were so often broody. I bought two lots of leghorns in an attempt to stem serial broodiness – but even with them, several have fallen broody. Happy days!
It is difficult to find non broody breeds. Sebrights are known to be non broody and that has proved so with Maple so far but one out of eight doesn’t make much of a difference! Bantam breeds seem to be more broody than standard breeds but I think that’s because it’s bred out of standard breeds for commercial requirements. I guess we just have to go with it. Another reason I would like to add two more girls in spring.