One of the reasons hens, particularly pullets which is what Tack is, nest away from the coops is because they can't defend their nests from the senior hens. They get thrown off the nest when seniors want to lay, thrown off by seniors who do not think they should be sitting and very occasionally thrown off by the senior rooster. It seems in the world of chickens that the more senior the hen, the more right she has to sit and mate with the senior rooster. It all makes evolutionary sense. You get to be senior for a reason. It's not just luck.good afternoon all
overcast again here today, a bit sticky, but nothing by comparison with what a lot of you folk are enduring.
So you will be forcing Tack in, or is the site so tricky you'll leave her be?
My Eve has gone broody again, and she actually lays quite well early in the year before raising broods, so I'm letting her have one of her own, together with one each from Venka, Usk and Gigi. If they all hatch, all the layers will then have at least one offspring in the flock, which I think is nice.
If a pullet isn't confident about defending her nest then she isn't going to be able to defend her chicks. I've seen this a number of times now. It's not so much a question of the other hens harming the chicks; it's about competing for food, safety spots, rooster attention etc.
Then there is the question of egg fertility. Senior hens will interrupt mating if they can and while the pullet may have a pile of eggs, many may not be fertile.
When pullets have sat and hatched they have tended to isolate themselves from the tribe. This greatly increases the risk of predation to them and their chicks. Ideally one wants the quickest possible integration so mum and chicks get tribe protection.
So, no I won't be letting her sit and hatch. She is deep in a pile of brush. Some of the brush is heavy. Not knowing exactly where she is and not being able to investigate deeper into the pile without risking trapping her and possibly injuring her makes things more difficult. I'm hoping she'll come out again tomorrow. Then I can dismantle the pile without worrying about injuring her in the process.