Chicken leaves for couple days then returns...sounds like a chirping bird?

[lazy gardener]

What a hoot! She's one sly bird!

 

[memphis]

I'm still laughing about a nine month pregnant woman stalking a chicken through her neighborhood!

 

[aggiemae]

I have had broody's move eggs from one nest box to the other but 200 fett seems pretty far. Our broody Buf Orp was nesting behind our pool heater. There were 14 eggs when we finally found her spot.

 

[Peplers chicks]

Just got this idea from a post I read few minutes ago, do you know somebody that maybe have broody hen's, well to have a ball of fun is to maybe ask that person if you maybe can adopt one orn two of his eggs, that is clos to hatching. and place those two eggs underneath your broody hen, You will enjoy another kind of fun and pride, once the two hatched, take the others out.

 

[MyFrancesca]

It seems the pool worked because she willingly went into the coop last night with the others. Their run is officially closed in but they could hop the fence if they wanted so I have to build it up higher this week. I will say...building a chicken run while 9 months pregnant isn't on my "to do" list everyday this week. I must be a site to the passerbys with my shovel and sledge hammer...beating stakes into the ground. I say...the things I do for these chickens. My husband thinks I've lost my mind.
We recently acquired 5 new babies which makes our count 12 currently and I think we're at the max limit for now. I am still blown away at the thought of 18 eggs hidden in this bush and had we had a rooster...her returning with even half as many chicks! But we can't expand by allowing her to hatch her own, plus the pool dip seemed to work after 2 tries.
While digging her nest out of the bush, we learned she is the "neighborhood chicken" as they called her. We're becoming well acquainted with the neighbors due to these ladies.
To give you an idea of this, I have a nice little picture for you...mind you, there are fences between all these yards she was hopping over and in between. Most of the time she was cutting through our yard and walking around the house on the corner. Our house can barely be seen, it's directly vertical from the coop...the coop is a good distance from our back door and there is another fence between our 2 yards.