Quote:
Hens don't go broody in the winter?
Will you PLEASE explain that to the THREE Ameraucana hens that I have brooding as I write this? Or the broody that delivered chicks a few weeks ago.... I only have 13 Ameraucana hens -- and 4 of the 13 are broody (or have recently hatched chicks) here as we go into winter...
I've got a regular broody EPIDEMIC going here!
The first broody delivered three little chicks about a month ago.
The second went broody while the first one was still brooding. The second broody should have delivered babies four weeks ago, but none of her babies made it. So I gave her four eggs from the henhouse with the active roo -- exactly three weeks ago today. (This is the same roo that provided the fertile eggs for the broody that delivered the three chicks a month ago).
Well, in about 10 hours, it will be exactly 21 days (3 weeks) from the moment I gave broody #2 her four eggs. Right now, there is no sign of any baby chicks, even though I know for a fact that broody #2 has been dutiful sitting on her nest. The "maternity ward" consists of two large wire dog pens in my bedroom. So I KNOW she's been sitting dutifully.
But thus far, I haven 't even heard a peep or a pip out of the nesting area where she sleeps.
Meantime, with the maternity unit full, I have yet another broody brooding in the nests over in the Ameraucana henhouse. That makes FOUR broody hens out of the 13 Ameraucanas I got as babies last April....
And despite the calendar, the 25 degree nights around here say it is already winter.
So I WISH my birds would declare winter off limits for brooding....