Another visit to the vet......

[Shirls]

Oh my goodness! I think I need to move my sleeping quarters to the veterinary surgery, I go there so often!

Bea is being a really naughty hen!!! She had been trying to lay for nearly two days and I did ask starlingqueen for some advice and she kindly obliged. I observed Bea (from a distance) for a while after checking her vent area, which was fine. She had a couple of blood spots nearby so she was washed and duly had sudocrem applied. Blood spots have healed, but no egg was laid. I even 'soaked' her rear end in a bowl of warm water, to relax her, but still no egg and I could feel it there.

Off to the vet we went. Fortunately my chicken vet was in that day and she gave Bea an injection to make her lay. It worked, 4 -5 hours later she laid the, very normal, egg.

However!!! She now continues to stay in the 'egg basket' as I call it. She hardly eats or drinks at all. I have now discovered I have a BROODY HEN!! So I have to break her of the habit of sitting and pretending to be on eggs!! Rectifying this can take as long as 6 weeks! I have taken the 'egg basket' away. So I have to keep monitoring her, and obviously she will want to lay eggs as normal, so where to lay them?

I have got to say tho, she is very pretty in this broody state, as she squats down and fluffs all her feathers up, and when I pick her up she grumbles, I put her down and she won't stand up, wherever I put her, she wants to sit and brood all the time!

See me now searching for eggs round the garden!!! As if I haven't got enough to do!!

[suesbird]

Oh Shirls, what a life you lead

[Marianne Marlow]

Oh dear. Our pets certainly know how to worry us and give us exercise
Glad that she is okay.

[OP]

I suppose that is the other side of hens, they lay eggs. Especially when and where they want to. At least with a caged budgie there won't be so many places. Free flying ones well you get ones like Mango. As long as she is OK and not egg bound or something like that.

[samwiseg]

Who would have thought these avians would be so much trouble!!!

[Shirls]

She was egg bound initially OP, that's why she had the injection. I just hope she doesn't get like it again.

[OP]

Oh! That shows how much I know. As you say let's hope it's not regular. Sorry to hear it.

[starlingqueen]

There are methods of breaking a broody hens broodiness. The most common is the keep them in a cage with a barred floor and have it off the floor so there is air flow all around it. In a few days let her out if she starts again it's back to the beginning. Not something I would want to do. Are you sure she is actually broody? Does she go to bed at night? Does she "growl" or peck you if you go near her or pick her up?

[jellybean]

Budgies, and chooks, who'd have them....................why, us of course   I hope she'll be ok Shirls, and you don't need another trip to the vet 

[Shirls]

Mar 22, 2015 11:18:17 GMT starlingqueen said:

There are methods of breaking a broody hens broodiness. The most common is the keep them in a cage with a barred floor and have it off the floor so there is air flow all around it. In a few days let her out if she starts again it's back to the beginning. Not something I would want to do. Are you sure she is actually broody? Does she go to bed at night? Does she "growl" or peck you if you go near her or pick her up?

Yes she does grumble, but she doesn't peck at me, and I have to put her in the coop to go to bed. I really don't know how I am going to break her habit. I have shut her out of the coop today and she has wandered around a bit with Georgie. At least she has eaten and drank some water, cos the past two days I had a job to get her to eat anything. She is obviously still very broody and settles down like she is brooding, in various places. I have a huge cage which MAY fit the run, either that or a tiny one that she fits into to take to the vet, this WILL fit in the run. Do you think I should put her in the small one if I can't get the big one in. And should I leave her in it all the time, even night time?