here we go again....

[acbear93]

Ok, I cant believe we are doing this again.....buuuuuttttttt.....I had this crazy chicken who went broody over the summer, we got her some fertile eggs to sit on, with the time it took to order eggs thru the mail, she was setting for too long and forgot what she was doing I think, and it didnt work out...I put her back in with the rest of the flock, she and the rest of the girls had to adjust to that situation again, that ALMOST didnt work out....well....we noticed that she was sneaking out of the coop again, we did everything we could to try and keep her in, but she found her way out again, and we discovered her new nest in some tall grass near our barn....15 eggs this time...since none of ours are fertile I went and bought some from a neighbor on Saturday...so here we go again...I am worried it is too late in the year, but I am hoping she knows what she is doing...her nest is incredible, so perfectly round in the ground, and its like she smushed the tall grass around it to cover the top and keep her warm...we took the top half of a dog crate to give her some shelter from any rain, as I just dont want to move her again, as last time that didnt work out...hoping we have success this time, as she seems to "need" to do this....anticipated hatch date Oct 10...

 

[ChooksChick]

Yay! I hope it works out! Is she safe from predators? That would be my biggest fear.

It's great fun to have a momma walking around with her little brood- I absolutely love it!

 

[acbear93]

I am hoping (really stressing me out) that she will be safe...she is within reach of where our dog is tied out, and he is good with our chickens, and barks at anything that comes within 1/2 mile of us, so I am hoping she chose that location knowing she has a protector within reach of her...we check on her quite often now that we know where she has been hiding...she is almost in the same spot she chose the last time, and I figure, she is so determined to do this, that we should just leave her be...the weather worries me more then anything, everything is covered with such a heavy dew in the mornings, and we are going into fall when the weather is a bit more unpredictable. I did see her drinking out of the dogs water dish, so I put a little dish with some food in it for her...the dog sniffed it, but I think he knows that it is not for him and usually he will eat anything...so that is available to her too...want her to be able to get what she needs as quick as she can so she can get back on those eggs so they dont get too chilled....oh the stress of it all!!!!

Oh, and we had another gal go broody this summer, and I just loved watching her and her babies together...they have been weined and are on their own now but I tell ya, they are not afraid of the bigger ones, they just get right in there with the rest of them its amazing!

 

[Madison Farms]

OOO the worry,,, I know exactly what your going thru. I have 5 hens that are broody right now, scattered across our yard.

One safe in the coop, 2 safe under the bush in the backyard where the dog sleeps ,which one of those started to hatch today.

BUT my biggest worry is the 2 under the bush on the front porch, where the next door barn cats love to come and spray at night. So, my wonderful husband built a box big enough to cover the girls and the bush to keep them safe from the cats. PVC pipe, zip ties and some sunscreen. I chose sunscreen because its breathable but keeps the dew off them pretty well.

Good luck, I'm sure it will be fine. I find the less you mess with them the better mamas they become. I just put some food/water close, and make sure they are bright eyed and bushy tailed. As long as I come up to the bush and talk to them, if they answer me with their cute little growl and fluffy feathers. I know they are ok.

 

[acbear93]

I had to laugh about the growl comment...I told my husband that "crazy" growled at me when we checked on her, and he asked me back, she growled at you?? I said yes, its a noise like no other! you almost have to hear it to believe it...she is just telling me to stay way....its so darn cute though, little protective mama...

 

[Madison Farms]

That's hilarious, My husband told me, Chickens dont growl ! I said, you go over there and tell me what that unique noise is. He come back, yep,,,, Its a growl.