A chicken in every living room . . . . (UPDATED pics)

[Eggs-Actly]

We have a 7 month old (approximately) hen that went broody on us about 2 weeks ago. She laid great for about 9 weeks and then decided she wanted her own babies. Not having a "brooder breaker" cage we opted with the manual approach: ie: pick her up several times a day and remove her from the nesting box. It worked for several hours and then she would find the nesting box again and it would start all over again. After about 8 days of this my DW and I decided to go "all the way" and get some fertile eggs from a fellow BYCer and let her hatch them. We figured since we bought them all (except 2) as chicks we might as well go all the way and start them from the eggs the second time around.

So I came home last Friday from meeting my chicken dealer with 6 fertile eggs and a whole lot of questions and trepidation. But after being talked down from the ledge I relented and put the eggs under my little girl and went about my day. I soon discovered the other girls in the coop kept pestering her so we moved her to her own area - the living room! She's so quiet you don't even know she's there. The dogs and cats don't even bother her!


Here's some pics of our little girl in her little maternity ward area.

We hope you enjoyed the pics and we'll continue to keep ya'll updated on the status of the eggs. I hope to candle them this weekend and see who's good to go.

And to think this all started 'cause I wanted free manure for the vegetable gardens!

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

So what kind of eggs s she sitting on?

 

[kittyariel]

Awww she looks happy, and it looks like she has a few helpers too!

 

[Eggs-Actly]

Quote:
An EE egg and some mixes. We weren't all that concerned with what she hatched because we aren't going to keep them. (Yeah I bet that's what everyone says at first) We just wanted her to hatch something and in the end would not be broody anymore.

It's really an experiment in nature, that's what I tell myself anyway.

 

[Buugette]

How sweet she is.

 

[WriterofWords]

What a doll, she looks so much like our little Charlotte did! She was the best broody ever.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Awww so sweet! You'll not want to put her back out after she's finished cooking those eggs.

Just a suggestion (and I'm sure you're on top of it already) You might want to take her outside for a good broody poop at least every other day if not everyday. If she goes inside her little indoor hutch, the dogs will never forgive you!

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Good Luck! It looks like a fun project!

 

[mfsakc]

She looks so content. Good luck. I'm sure she'll do great!

 

[Uppity Peon]

The dogs are saying "When is she going to the vet for her operation?"