Every day when I let my younger birds out one of my silkies Jethro heads off for distant pastures, with her three 9 week old chicks - a turken and two polish - tagging along. She goes to this pasture about an acre, an acre and a half, away. If it weren't for the two polish and their white poofs I wouldn't even be able to spot them. I hate that she takes the chicks so far away, but short of penning them all up (which I refuse to do in this awful heat) I can't really stop her. There's a fence line right there, covered in heavy brambles and that's where they stay. Unfortunately there's a 4 strand barb wire fence between here and that area. I resort to calling Jethro back with an offer of treats rather than try and go to them, climbing through the fence. Jethro has been doing this for about two weeks and today my curiosity got the better of me. I put my heavy leather gloves on to deal with the fence and followed Jethro and the chicks. I find the chicks, hanging around just outside the fence line, but I don't see Jethro. I use my walking stick to start poking through the brambles. Sure enough, there's Jethro sitting on a nest of eggs, while her chicks wait patiently for her to finish laying today's egg. Bad, BAD thing to be teaching her chicks . Jethro is sooooo going to be an asian dish one of these days.
Be glad she is taking them with her...............a couple of my broodies (yes Minge I am talking about you)..............grrrr Minge starts to lay when her chicks are not yet 3 weeks old, about 2 weeks and 3 days. She leaves her chicks, and *bats eyelashes* does not hear them screaming for her --- but I can hear it in the house. And then it starts........her chicks are lucky to spend any part of the day with her, and she will only sleep with them for another 5 days or so. Then those chicks are mine - cause no one else wants chicks that are 3 weeks old - so I have to care for them. Right now there are three, and I call them Minge's Minons (they actually come to me when I call them ). Ruby also does not hear her chicks crying when she leaves them to lay. She lays at 3 weeks also, but does not leave-leave her chicks until they are about 5/6 weeks old. Course Jethro could take lessons from them, they lay in the hay shed. Nice and close - plus it is where they live. broodies (where is the sarcasm smiley?)
