Idk that anyone can help.. but i've found out that Buff Orpingtons are not the nicest ladies in the world when they are broody. She's barely 8 months old. Yet there she sits, in all her fluff & growliness on a good sized clutch of eggs. (15 to 20 eggs) Which.. ideally doesn't bother me tooo much. BUT It is suppose to be like 9 degrees here tonight. NINE degrees. Will she stay on the nest or abandon it like my Silkie did for a warmer place to sleep? I tried 3 days ago to pull her off the nest, take the eggs.. anything & was rewarded with the lioness of hens attacking me like i was the evil egg snatcher. I can get her out.. with welding gloves & a heavy carhart jacket.. maybe a welding mask.. but she has burrowed herself far into the nesting area with no current intentions of coming out. I didn't foresee this problem with the Orps so i didn't create this nest to allow babies to be able to get to food & water. I thought I'd have till spring with them. i can probably line the outside of the nest with plastic & duck tape it up. maybe out some newspapers btwn the plastic & the wood side to insulate her some. We've got ice coming i know.. possible snow. I hate to pull the eggs.. that just feels wrong to me. They are a week into the 3 week time period. Any wonderful ideas?
Miss Mouth has went broody!
I say let nature takes it's course and see what happens.
I have a Buff Orpington that goes broody a lot; I'm betting on yours to stick it out.
I would make her as safe and comfy as you can and let nature takes its corse
grr... I have 7 Buff Orpingtions.. how catching is this broody act porkpal?
I'm going to wrap the corner she's in in plastic, stuff that plastic with newspaper, tack everything to the wall (on the outside of the coop) and them take plastic wrapped cardboard over that. Mostly trying to keep her spot at least around 20 degrees. She refuses to allow anyone in the nest with her & its pretty big nest box. They broke the brooder light last night. Need to buy a new one, light bulb & fix it in a better place so they don't roost on it again. we are up to a foot of snow coming & 2 inches of sleet & freezing rain.
I have been reading up on the buffs and being broody was the reason I wanted a few of them to set on eggs.I was going to order eggs and let my silkie hatch them but my luck they would all be roosters.
I don't really mind.. if they'd just choose better weather. Grant it she is also sitting on $3 worth of eggs i could have sold...
I can't give you any chicken advice, but I'd love to see you with the welding gloves, heavy jacket, and welding mask.....and don't forget your NWD....LOL!!
she's vicious! i tried to move her the first time i found her to get at the eggs.. I thought she was gonna kill me. and the welding mask idea was so she didn't peck my eyes out or scratch my face! she left me bloody just from trying to move her the first time. Not taking chances if I have to do it again. She's not stupid.. that's for sure. She promptly tossed out my fake eggs. Clear to the floor. Guess she wasn't sitting on anything she didn't have too.
I only have four Buff Orpingtons and only one of the goes broody, but she does so repeatedly. She makes a terrific fuss when taken off the nest, but it's all just vocal.
and posturing - thank goodness.
my word, mine's not that way... hopefully the others are tho. My silkie & little bantam are .. all fuss & noise.. no bite. I can just tell them to shush, pat their heads & move them.
Oh my.. I see your problem little grey kitty.. LOL.. poor bird.. you giant monster (look at yourself in the mirroe with your gear on) egg stealing vamp...lol
Them when chicken mother of the years wins her war with said vamp.. the vamp then comes along and wraps her in plastic.. like her dead limp cousin at the local IGA!
I am dyin laughing her grey.. you are a hoot...
Leave that poor chickie alone.. I'll send you the three bucks!
well i wrapped the box in plastic! She just glared at us.. but she also had a 4 yr old sticking his brave little nose in there saying " you old witchy chickie, get off them eggs!" We got it taped up & the wind blocked more but barely before we died laughing
u want funny.. i have a second broody.. Raven. One of Nutmegs babies.. only she's employed help. I have noticed she keeps fluttering around the cat cube & upseting the cats lately. Two of them sleep in this cube. Today I went out to give them a treat, couldn't find her. I looked & looked, Little girl (the cat) kept mouthing me. I finally went over to pet her & there i saw it. Raven. She was INSIDE the cat cube, fleece all bundled up like a nest & 7 eggs in there. Seems when she gets tired of sitting, she gets out & the cats get in. So I have had two cats setting on a nest of eggs for 3 days. I've got a pic of her in there but i can't post it tonight. We'll see about it tomorrow.
That is too funny! The chicks aren't going to know if they need to cheep or meow.
I'm just wondering how to convince Raven she isn't high class enough to have a fleece & flannel nesting box!
This is very entertaining. Do keep us posted on further developments.
lol i will. The 4 yr old telling Miss mouth off was adorable. She didn't even ruffle up at him. Guess she thought he was too little to be a threat. She nearly took the 13 yr olds hand off when he decided to see if I was right tho.
I've been keeping food & water for her bc she hasn't gotten off the nest for any reason. doesn't even really turn around much. about 4 more days till they should start hatching & right now we are looking at a lot of snow coming. This should be interesting.
Good luck
Good luck from me to
If we don't collect the eggs as soon as they lay, my cat will jump up and sit on them. Then we have to lift her off, and grab the eggs. I once had a female doberman and a female cat that both delivered within a day of each other. I put them both in the box I had made for the dog. Within an hour, the puppies had gone over to the cat, and the kittens had gone over to the dog, and started nursing. Moms are moms.
Oh and please do send us a picture of yourself with the welding gloves, and the mask, dealing with your feisty girl. I'll print it out and frame it.
no need anymore. she's so thin & frail she isn't a threat. I thought she was eating & drinking but i suspect the other chickens were stealing it from her. As soon as chicks start hatching I'm pulling them all into the house no matter what. She needs some major spoiling. I thought she'd just get thin like that but one of our drivers to me to watch very carefully bc his brothers Orps would go broody then sit on the nest & refuse to eat or drink even tho it was right there. he's had 2 die shortly after the chicks were hatched. I did put on welding gloves & sunglasses (so she couldn't peck at my eyes) crawled partway into the nest area to pull her out a few days back. That's how i figured out how thin & sad looking she was. no more growling even. She attempts to peck at me a bit but just kinda givens in now so I can get to her with just gloves on. I'd move her now but I'm afraid of what will happen to the babies this close to hatching time. Hopefully they start hatching today!
Poor thing! I hope she does ok once the chicks hatch.
well i went down to let them out this morning & stumbled upon a conversation btwn Miss Mouth & Emmett. I hid at the edge of the coop door & listened. :)
" Darling you must get this silly notion out of your head!"
" I know Emmett dear but I just can't let these babies die!"
"but my darling Miss your wasting away, You hardly eat, you refuse to take our usual evening walk before bedtime. I miss you!"
"I know Emmett but I told you it takes so many days of sitting on these sweet eggs to get our babies hatched. I'll be fine my dear, I promise."
"NO! I REFUSE TO WATCH YOU DIE! You are getting up, your leaving these eggs! They will be fine, the evil egg snacher is on her way to feed us. She can take them & sit on them! You are getting up & eating breakfast, I mean it! You will get off this silly nest & give up this stupid idea of us having babies. I do not want babies if it means you are going to be this sick!"
{{At this point i hear much fussing, flapping of wings & chickens bouncing off coop walls. I run in to save Miss Mouth from her gentleman. Only to find him chasing her out of the nest, flinging eggs all over. He chased her clear around teh garage to teh feeding area! She say the food & this is what I heard next.}}
"o my, O MY! corn! we've got greens & corn & bread for breakfast!"
(Emmett) "See my darling I told you. You need to eat. Isn't this wonderful! Now how about that walk this evening just before dark, we'll wander up by the birdfeeders for a lovely evening snack? what do you say dear"
" *munch, munch* mmm.. yes.. mmm.. *munch, munch* go away Emmett dear I'm eating."
{{ I started snatching eggs quickly & stuffing them in my jacket to keep them warm, made a run for the house with 8 warm little eggs stuffed against my tummy. Passed them off to mom, who wrapped them in fleece & held them infront of the fireplace, I took off back to the coop, snatched up Miss Silkie & ran back. Grapped a box, threw in a few shavings, put teh eggs back in very quickly (5 mins tops) & dropped her in on top. Covered everything with fleece blankets & left her
Miss Silkie took too them just fine. Hopefully they are alright. I've waited this long i want chicks!
I swear I hear piping... but i'm trying not to hope too much. after how the eggs got so quickly transported, I'm afraid they may have gotten too cold. Idk anything about hatching so I have no clue how far the temp can drop & they still hatch at this late of a date.
Glad to hear Miss Mouth's 'man' finally stepped in to take care of her.
Sending good luck hatching vibes to you!
He'd been sitting on the edge of the nest for several hours of the day "talking" to her for a good week to week & half. I was honestly relieved to see him chase her off the nest. She needed the food. She ate for a good hour without stopping.
Good luck to mom and chicks.
Did any of the eggs hatch yet?
Yes I was wondering that to
absolutely nothing.... :( They were due from yesterday thru Friday so I'm trying to not get frustrated yet.
Do tell! We anxiously await the news.
This message was edited Feb 10, 2010 2:53 PM
Miss Silkie... she has started kicking random eggs to the side. considering they are within 2 days of either hatching or not.. I'm guess those are bad. She makes this clucking sound every few hours.. just a few clucks.. then is quiet again.
Miss Mouth.. gathered my fake eggs & is sitting on them! sigh.. i can't win.
I'm starting to think nothing is gonna hatch! Miss Silkie has put the eggs she kicked out back under her & kicked out 2 different ones now.
Wait and see, I'm rooting for the chicks!
How is Miss Mouth doing? Still insistent on becoming a mom?
yes.. she's still sitting on those 4 fake eggs. I figure I'll leave her till i know if these hatch.. if they do, I'll just tuck them back under her & give her babies back to her. Otherwise Miss Silkie might think all chicks hatch in 5 days.... I was going to leave them with miss Silkie but she's so tiny I think being outside they will be safer from the bigger hens & roos with miss mouth to protect them.
IF we ever get any to hatch....