My beautiful dorking - Tulip - is broody. She is sitting all day - but does get off for a little while if I lift her off. Will she eventually give it up if I leave her to it? Or will I have to do something to stop her broodiness. She has stopped laying - although we did get an egg yesterday. It hasn't stopped our other chook laying though - Tulip just moves over on to the egg when Lily has laid it!
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HI there, you should discourage her from sitting if you don't want her to hatch anything. She will reduce her feed intake whilst she is broody and it is a bit hard on her during winter and she is likely to lose condition. Put her in a cage with out nesting material and keep her there for about 3 days - water only. Hopefully having a cold bottom and nothing to eat will change her mind and when you let her out she will feed and not go back to the nest. Some birds take more than 1 go in the 'cage of shame' before they change their ways - we had a wire bottomed cage outside in a sheltered place over summer but I think you would want to put it inside somewhere at this time of year. She may not come back into lay again until August as the short daylight is affecting her body's laying cycle. Hens in their 1st year of laying may lay right through but older ones generally stop for at least a couple of months. Good luck with her.
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