Here in rural Wales it is getting cold, dark and very wet. We have done the usual nonsense of putting clocks back an hour, so it's dark at 5:00 p.m.
I have an 'interesting' flock.....one hen, Mrs Grey,huge Dark Brahma, sleeps with the dog in the outhouse and I have two cardboard boxes at the end of his bed where a number of the hens lay (They free range, but only a few choose to go back to the nest boxes to lay).
So..... Mrs Grey waddles off to her (the dog's) bed as she does at least an hour before darkness falls. She is a very vocal hen at the best of times and today I hear even more "OOOOOhs, AAAhs, clucks, clicks and general discussions with her huge self than usual as she saunters into the outhouse. "What's wrong Mrs Grey?" "OOOh, AAAh, click, click" So I went to look. ...........Makeshift nest box no. 1 is occupied by Jezebel. "What's wrong, Jezebel?"......"AAAAAAAAAAAAARgh"....Oh NO... surely not broody. "Jezebel, do you want to come out of there?"........"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh" .....BROODY.
Jezebel is not yet 8 months old and it's getting really cold some nights. November is in tomorrow.....and Jezebel is broody.
I really am overrun with chickens, but I'm a soft touch.
I'm going to talk to her again today....try to persuade her that right here, right now in not the time to be broody.
November broodies....Oh man.
I have an 'interesting' flock.....one hen, Mrs Grey,huge Dark Brahma, sleeps with the dog in the outhouse and I have two cardboard boxes at the end of his bed where a number of the hens lay (They free range, but only a few choose to go back to the nest boxes to lay).
So..... Mrs Grey waddles off to her (the dog's) bed as she does at least an hour before darkness falls. She is a very vocal hen at the best of times and today I hear even more "OOOOOhs, AAAhs, clucks, clicks and general discussions with her huge self than usual as she saunters into the outhouse. "What's wrong Mrs Grey?" "OOOh, AAAh, click, click" So I went to look. ...........Makeshift nest box no. 1 is occupied by Jezebel. "What's wrong, Jezebel?"......"AAAAAAAAAAAAARgh"....Oh NO... surely not broody. "Jezebel, do you want to come out of there?"........"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh" .....BROODY.
Jezebel is not yet 8 months old and it's getting really cold some nights. November is in tomorrow.....and Jezebel is broody.
I really am overrun with chickens, but I'm a soft touch.
I'm going to talk to her again today....try to persuade her that right here, right now in not the time to be broody.
November broodies....Oh man.
