Any one have any ideas on how to break Clove from thinking she needs babies? She follows me around the coop in the morning growling at me as I pick up the eggs. She won't attack or anything but I feel so bad for her. She seems to be losing weight too.. granted we just went from 80 to 40 degree temps & maybe this is normal for them to appear slimmer. Especially after 4 weeks of Miss Lion Chicken when she was setting on eggs. I've tried everything I can think of.. Had several suggestions that haven't worked for her. I just don't want to have to fight her to gather eggs every morning for the rest of winter. The funny thing is its only her eggs she gets upset over. If I collect the other eggs she just watches with this curious look. Then when i get to her eggs she starts growling at me like a cat. Its creepy. So please.. someone help.
Suggestions on broody hen
Now I'm laughing, I had a barred rock like that, they growl almost like a dog. She stayed broody for a couple months. Every day when I would collect the eggs she'd start her growling and It got where I'd just pick her up by the tail and set her on the floor, after I got the eggs she'd be right back in the nest. It wouldn't be so bad except often broodies will let other chickens in the nest with them and then collect their eggs also. Comon Greykytty you gotta toughen up. P.S. not trying to be funny but if you have soft skin that is covered a lot and you take a beating from some birds, you could easily get abraisions and that would sting just like a road rash. I saw that with my wife and a bird that she tried to hold onto the wrong way. I do not believe a chicken can transfer poison ivy or any other such thing. Hay
The oil from poison ivy, oak or sumac can be transferred from a Cat or Dog to a person. I've had it happen lots. The oil rubs off when they rub up against you. I just figured since my chickens free range in every nasty weed that exisits that maybe they would too.
:p my skin is tough. Clove has been at this for 3 months now. its getting a bit old.
Have you tried fake eggs It may take a while, but when they don't hatch, the hen will usually give up for a while. You can alwys sell her as an incubator.
o my I could never sell my Clove! no.. she sat on eggs for 2 months.. that's as long as I'd risk. She wouldn't hardly eat.. she lost probably 1/3rd of her body weight.. & she wasn't big to begin with. She didn't seem to care that they didn't hatch. She's all black with black legs, black beak & blue ears.. so I'm guessing she has silkie in her. Her chick that Nutmeg hatched looks exactly like her & acts like her. Now i have a silkie named Silkie that thinks she needs babies.. and a lil bantam named Tiny who thinks she also needs babies. They are from the same batch.. just now 5 months old. Where did all my babies go? I wouldn't mind more babies. I just want it warm enough i can play with them. The neighbors just had two hens hatch out a total of 16 chicks. Day olds were out pecking in the frost the other morning.. guess mama knows best. I just don't like the idea of those lil ones in all our bad winter weather. The girls are ganging up on me when i go collect eggs tho.. they all sit in the same area, the last two boxes & I have to deal with all three to collect eggs now.
I had a silkie hatch out 5 chicks just before christmas....in Michigan! All did just fine.
Its not that I doubt they will be ok.... its that I wont' be able to handle them & get them use to me as well in the dead of winter. I had that problem after the funeral this spring & I can barely handle the chickens bc they weren't messed with other than to feed & water for weeks. I don't just want to look at my chickens from a distance. i want to be able to pick them up, spoil them, & such. They are pets as much as they are providing a food source. It'll be easier with the new coop bc its big enough I can get in it with them. The old coop was not designed for humans to be in it other than to lean in the door to clean it. I have decided that my chickens do not go into the coop bc they are afraid.. or cramped or anything. It finally dawned on me last night that if i catch each chicken from the front so they can see me, I don't get attacked (duh.. should have thought of that sooner) but also when i catch them where they can see me, the blasted chickens snuggle down against me & coo. They are staying outside on the fence bc they want snuggle time before bedtime! Its the same 5 or 6 night after night. They won't let me touch them by day unless I chase them down but at night they want held. They are very strange. One of them is my biggest Welsummer roo, Rojo, he must weight at least 6 lbs. He talks & talks till i pick him up then he snuggled right down against my neck last night & cooed till i put him in the coop. idk what to do with them.