What to do with a broody canary hen???????

[ranchnanny]

I have a canary hen that is a great nest builder and mother to her chicks but she is sooo broody.
She is in a flight with other hens and she is constantly plucking herself and others if she gets a chance and pulling at the artificial plants and trying t make a nest in a food dish. She lays eggs all the time and I
keep taking them away. I don't want to let her breed again with her mate since she already had a clutch this year. What can I do to break the cycle...?????

[Lithium]

You could take the food dishes out and replace them with something else she can't lay eggs in. I use a small plate for my finches.

[30 Seconds to Bob]

Once we get past the summer solstice in a couple of weeks, the breeding behavior should tone down drastically as the birds get ready to go into a moult. It happens like clockwork for me every year come mid July. Just don't artificially prolong the season by keeping lights on longer than they should be and don't overdo it with the protein. Bob

[ranchnanny]

Thanks Bob their lights are on timers so they go out just after sunset this way it gets dark more naturaly. I will cut back on the egg food as well.....

LOL I just noticed my status BROODING

[Diana]

Give her plastic eggs and let her sit until she gets bored. That should stop the laying and the plucking.

[finchmix22]

One clutch is not too much, unless you just don't want more babies. I'd let her nest and that may stop the plucking as she won't be bored. If there's a male in the cage, the other hens may fight over mating. If it's all hens, they may be fine, but I'd watch them. They love nests.

[ranchnanny]

I thought about the plastic eggs but I am afraid she won't eat or drink because when she is sitting on real eggs she sits tight her male feeds her and she seldom leaves the nest. Right now she is in a cage with hens only.

[ranchnanny]

UPDATE: My canary hen Punkin is getting worse about trying to nest. She continues to pull feathers from her breast and now her upper belly and all the yellowish feathers are gone and only light grey feathers are showing. She has laid at least 5 eggs in different places. She is obsessed!! I would put her in with her mate to have another clutch but it is so hard to sell or even give away canaries around here.

See looks terrible!

[Mexicancanary]

I feel for you Sherry! I have 2 hens in particular that refuse to stop nesting and laying eggs. I have one in the "convent cage" but she still picks everyone's feathers and every 4 or 5 days I will find an egg at the bottom of the cage. She spends all day frantically pretending she is being mated and looking for nesting material. I refuse to give in to her as she is now supposed to be in rest mode. The artificial eggs did not work.

The other hen is not quite as bad but she too lays eggs occasionally and I just get rid of them. She too is busy all day looking for nesting material.

Hopefully in a few more weeks this behavior will stop and they will go into full moult. Moulting has already started with many of my canaries but it hasn't changed the yearning of wanting to mate with the males or some of the hens.

Try putting her in a different room far away from the male so she can not hear him. Perhaps if you kept one of her chicks you can put them together to take her mind off of nesting.

I don't really think there is an answer to your question....just wait it out and hope for the best.

Good luck!

[ranchnanny]

Thank you Mexicancanary well she did a complete turn around today....
Yesterday I put a nest with plastic eggs in it in the cage and she has not paid any attention to it. Today she is acting normal go figure!!!!
She still chirps for her mate flying back and forth but no feather pulling so far.
Keeping my fingers crossed things remain as today.