Sunday 23 June 2013

Gone Broody!

Our top hen Matilda has gone broody!  I can't believe it!  And we have no fertilised eggs for her either.
She has dropped lots of feathers from under her tummy and is sitting in one of the nest boxes ON NOTHING!
It is really a bit funny.
So now we have only been getting 3 eggs at the most.
I of course went googling around to find out how to deter her from sitting on nothing.  So far I have tried putting ice packs underneath her to cool her down but she just stays there and warms them up, no matter how often I renew them.  I have also shoved her off the nest a number of times throughout the day to make sure she toilets, drinks and eats, but she just rushes back into the nest within 20 minutes.
Has anyone got any other ideas that they've found successful?
I don't know what this will do to the pecking order, as she is the top hen, and is a really gentle leader.