I have two cheeky chickens who insist on getting out of their giant haven. They fly up on the roof of the coop and go down where I have shade cloth. They get back up that way too. One - Lucy - will stay close and just go back up and then stay in. The other - Queenie - one of the chicks hatched this last year just wanders around taking in the scenery and going on a looky-lu walk-about! I kept telling her she was going to get eaten one day if I didn't see her getting out!! Could care less. About 3 weeks or so ago she went missing. I looked all over and didn't find her anywhere. So I figured she got eaten - there are coyotes, raptors, owls. All would like a light-weight white leghorn for a meal!! Then about 2 weeks ago I go out late morning/early afternoon and there she is in the tree by the fence. I went to get her down from the tree and she about had a fit. I then watched her run - right under the porch. Remember the porch has lattice all around with just about a 8" gap at the top of the lattice. Originally put there so they wouldn't get under the porch. We weren't sure that is where she went but I'm not really in a place to get down there and look - about a week went by and I finally had to get under there - yes it hurt like the dickens but had to be done! All just to see if she was indeed under there with a clutch of eggs. Dang if she wasn't BUT was nesting in a piece of fiberglass that had fallen down. So out she comes along with 15 eggs! She was mad, mad, mad BUT settled right down in the nest of straw, clucked and did a little housekeeping and was happy as a lark. This was Thursday evening. I didn't expect chicks - just figured she was broody so was trying to decide how long to wait until I got her a couple of chicks and took the eggs away. This morning I checked water, etc and there was a little chick head sticking up from her wing. She now has two this evening. So we'll get it a few more days - dang cute these little buggers. She has barely moved on those eggs all day!! We put the rooster in freezer camp probably two/three days before she went missing - so apparently there was some fertile eggs left in her!! That's one broody - now her mommy who originally hatched her (Remember Trader Joe's eggs) is again going broody. I'm waiting on the new momma - have put the other brooder cage in the brooder pen and will move broody mommy who will get two new chicks when she moves. She has been sitting on golf balls! Now if all 15 of Queenie's eggs hatch I am in trouble!! I already have 25 full grown hens. This has been a crazy couple of weeks. Sorry ended up being a book but its hard to put crazy chicken stories in a few sentences!!
Great story!! Loved it!
