Well, "Momma," my broody-prone buff orpington, has done it again.
She's broody.
Right on schedule.
She goes broody about 10 weeks after she goes "off" brood from the last hatching.
Momma first went broody when she was only about 23 to 24 weeks old. She was hardly even laying those miniature pullet "practice" eggs when she went broody for the first time.
She successfully hatched three little fuzzy butts 3 weeks later. We rehomed the lone cockerel, and the two pullets from Momma's first clutch are now laying eggs themselves.
Then almost 10 weeks after those three were hatched, Momma went broody again.
There was a delay in her getting and then hatching eggs (we caused that delay by holding off giving her eggs she could sit on), but she finally got her eggs and 3 weeks after getting them, she successfully hatched two more little ones.
Now, 10 and 1/2 weeks after hatching that second batch of babies, Momma has once again announced to the world that she intends on going broody. She made the official announcement just today.
I know that females of the human persuasion go through a predictable "female hormone cycle" every 28 or so days. My wife does, anyway. She can use a calendar to predict exactly where she is in any given cycle.
Best I can tell, this little broody hen is the same way, except that her hormone cycles seem to be about 13 to 14 weeks in total.
Anybody else notice that their broodies go in predictable cycles?
She's broody.
Right on schedule.
She goes broody about 10 weeks after she goes "off" brood from the last hatching.
Momma first went broody when she was only about 23 to 24 weeks old. She was hardly even laying those miniature pullet "practice" eggs when she went broody for the first time.
She successfully hatched three little fuzzy butts 3 weeks later. We rehomed the lone cockerel, and the two pullets from Momma's first clutch are now laying eggs themselves.
Then almost 10 weeks after those three were hatched, Momma went broody again.
There was a delay in her getting and then hatching eggs (we caused that delay by holding off giving her eggs she could sit on), but she finally got her eggs and 3 weeks after getting them, she successfully hatched two more little ones.
Now, 10 and 1/2 weeks after hatching that second batch of babies, Momma has once again announced to the world that she intends on going broody. She made the official announcement just today.
I know that females of the human persuasion go through a predictable "female hormone cycle" every 28 or so days. My wife does, anyway. She can use a calendar to predict exactly where she is in any given cycle.
Best I can tell, this little broody hen is the same way, except that her hormone cycles seem to be about 13 to 14 weeks in total.
Anybody else notice that their broodies go in predictable cycles?
