Hormones have taken over all reason... and the coop

[superchemicalgirl]

I don't even know why I bought an incubator for myself for Christmas...

First it started in December (when it was below zero out) my silly GLW went broody and hatched out chicks in the frozen tundra of January in Maine.

Then I had a series of chickens go broody, and I broke them until my crazy little banty went broody for the second time (she was absolutely stark raving mad I couldn't NOT give her eggs... have I mentioned I have no backbone?):

About a week after she went broody my poor little always-picked-on Phoenix named Runty went broody. And the same day my GLW did, again, too. I tried a few days of taking them off the nest and putting them on the roost, or in a wire cage, but they continued to go back to the nest when able. I was done, they broke me instead. I gave 2 eggs to the GLW, 1 to the phoenix, and told them to have a a nice (21) day(s).

Have I mentioned my coop is past capacity already? Have I mentioned I only have 9 nesting boxes?

So then my banty hatched 3 chicks about 10 days ago:

And as of this morning both Runty and the GLW had each hatched a chick. So I'm starting to think, WHEW! I MADE IT! REASON AND SANITY WILL REIGN IN THE COOP ONCE AGAIN.

Then I came home from work today...

Only to find:

and

Of course the speckled sussex is my absolute favorite chicken, ever. I can't not let her be a mom.

Oh, and this vegetarian has to process the (now very badly behaved) roosters this weekend from the January hatch. I do hope I enjoy the taste of chicken.

 

[wren]

Chicken tastes just like tofu!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Jeez I hope so. I haven't eaten meat in 9 years.

Lets just hope knowing it was raised happy and allowed to run free makes it edible to me.

And lets also hope for NO MORE BROODIES! ... Or at least for me to develop some semblance of backbone.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

I'm a vegetarian too, unless I have chickens that need to go to freezer camp. I went without meat for 4 years, before I got chickens. Chicken really isn't my favorite food, but I like that I know how the chicken was raised and fed, I know that they were humanely dispatched, and that I will honor them by appreciating their sacrifice. It's just one more part of raising chickens - there will be more roosters than are needed.
And... can you send some broodies my way?

I'd like to hatch some chicks, but none of my hens are thinking the same thing.

 

[wren]

Great photos! Lucky mommies and chicks. i would just have somebody else gather the eggs. I used to hate gathering from broody hens. I'd wear a glove ect. Nowadays I just pick the hen up quickly with two hands, put her down and the eggs are gone before she knows what happened.

Of course, at the end of the season for my breeders I would let them hatch a bunch. One of my sister's dark cornish stretched her foot out as far as she could to keep her egg and it broke my heart. We did let her raise a bunch. She would dig in the litter for food and cover the chicks in a shower of shavings! They would wait for the storm to pass, shake themselves and see what she uncovered. She loved being a mom!

Thanks for sharing the pictures, great nest boxes!

 

[nanawendy]

Sweet girlies... We have to do the deed this weekend too. I'm giving mine freezer boys to a friend. Just can't eat them yet. Good luck

 

[Batty about Banties]

Quote:
Yes please send some broodies or at least some broody vibes!!! My hens are also not thinking clearly!!

 

[uncle rico]

what a bummer!! we currently have one broody (a BO). I put her in the broody cage for 2 days, let her out and a week later, shes broody again. Probably will get some fertile eggs for her to hatch (have never done this before though)