Possible egg bound...

[Poppy7]

My Pekin Dolly has taken to the best persistently since last weekend. I have tried everything think that she is broody. I put her in our un-broody coop for over 24 hours, locked the nest box etc etc but she's not giving in.

Yesterday she appeared to be cured....but this morning she was in the nest box again and refusing to budge.

She appears well but I'm worried that maybe I'm missing something? That happened before when I thought I had a broody chicken (it later died).

I felt by her vent and it is soft so no sign of an egg...

Can anyone help?

 

[dinosaw]

Sounds like she is broody to me Poppy, try putting her in the broody coop for a longer period, it often takes longer than 24hrs for their body temperature to cool down sufficiently. If she was egg bound her tail would be high in the air and she would be waddling when she walked also her vent would be contracting rapidly and continuously.

 

[Marigold]

I agree, she sounds broody to me, Pekins are very inclined to broodiness. She will need more than 24 hours treatment if she has been showing signs of broodiness persistently as you say. I find it usually takes at least three days isolation to break my Buff Sussex, Marigold, and I catch her at the first symptom she shows. You could just pen her into a corner of the run with a mesh barrier, so she has nowhere to go inside to brood and can get the light and air and also walk around a bit. There's no need for close confinement in a cage unless your run isn't secure at night. I just leave Marigold outside for 2-3 days and nights and then let her out to test whether she goes back into the nestbox. If still out with the other hens after a couple of hours or so, she's cured - until the next time!

 

[Poppy7]

Thanks for the advice guys. She's definitely well in herself....just extremely stubborn!!

I have an eglu go Marigold and the girls are allowed to free range the garden during the day as I don't like leaving them penned in there. It isn't really large enough to section off a bit for her. Our un-broody coop is humane and is basically a run with no nest area and wire sides. I will leave her in there for 48+ hours and see if that does the trick.

Fingers crossed!!!!

 

[Marigold]

That sounds fine. Some people advise shutting a broody up in a dog cage, which I feel is too restricting myself. Having room to move about a bit, see the others and realise what she's missing, plus the slight stress of being isolated, and being out in the light always does the trick in the end - but you may need 3-4 days in the run all the same.