Lizardlicks
Songster
Been a while since I posted and if any of you remember that, it was when a raccoon managed to wipe most of my backyard laying flock in the space of 48hrs. I had only blue and Zeb left, and then Zebanon passed away (not sure why on that one. He was in the same places as Blue and ate the same things, no external marks or injury or deformity, so must have been something else). So Blue has been the only chicken in our yard for a couple months now. She's become something of a spoiled house chicken; we leave the back door to the kitchen open (my husband and kids are home all day during the summer) and she wanders in and out. The kids pick her up and cuddle her and carry her to the couch for treats and pets whenever she comes inside. Can't say that she enjoys it, but she tolerates it with the patience of a saint, I think mainly because she's lonely without her flock.
I was thinking about getting a couple pullets to keep her company lately, but it's August: the stragglers the feed store has leftover from spring were anything but impressive. Some banties of idk what breed, and white leghorns that had their tail feathers pecked off. And lots of guinea keets. I guess it's guinea keet season. Nothing I really wanted to jump at taking home with me.
Well Blue seems to have decided to solve the problem herself. She didn't return to her hutch Tuesday evening like she usually does, so I went looking for her and found her in the hallow behind the stump where she likes to stash her eggs when I'm careless. We've been busy prepping for new baby at the end of the month, so she'd accumulated quite the stash, and now she was determined to set them, growling up and unhappy storm whenever anyone got close. Of course we didn't have Zeb anymore so they weren't fertile at all, but try telling a broody hen that!
I tried picking up mom, eggs and all, and moving the lot to the hutch, but first thing in the morning she was pacing the run, anxious to be let out and completely ignoring the eggs I put in there with her the night before. I thought maybe I screwed up and broke her broodiness by disturbing her from the nest too soon or when she was too awake, but nope. As soon as I opened the door, she made a bee line back for the stump. I took her off again and removed the rest of the eggs from there, but still that's where she wanted to be, eggs or no.
Well, the two options now were break her broodiness, or get some eggs she could set and hope for the best. A quick poke on Craig's list and I found a few people still selling hatching eggs, so ex-roomie and I went up to Deer Park and came back with a dozen mixed fertile eggs. The only problem left to solve was how to protect her since she was refusing to safety of a hutch with an enclosed run? I think I solved that with some repurposed playpen panels.
It's day three and she's still setting the eggs nicely. This is her first time going broody, so I don't know what she'll do in the long run, but maybe we'll get lucky and see some baby chicks around the same time we get a new human baby! Keep your fingers crossed.
I was thinking about getting a couple pullets to keep her company lately, but it's August: the stragglers the feed store has leftover from spring were anything but impressive. Some banties of idk what breed, and white leghorns that had their tail feathers pecked off. And lots of guinea keets. I guess it's guinea keet season. Nothing I really wanted to jump at taking home with me.
Well Blue seems to have decided to solve the problem herself. She didn't return to her hutch Tuesday evening like she usually does, so I went looking for her and found her in the hallow behind the stump where she likes to stash her eggs when I'm careless. We've been busy prepping for new baby at the end of the month, so she'd accumulated quite the stash, and now she was determined to set them, growling up and unhappy storm whenever anyone got close. Of course we didn't have Zeb anymore so they weren't fertile at all, but try telling a broody hen that!
I tried picking up mom, eggs and all, and moving the lot to the hutch, but first thing in the morning she was pacing the run, anxious to be let out and completely ignoring the eggs I put in there with her the night before. I thought maybe I screwed up and broke her broodiness by disturbing her from the nest too soon or when she was too awake, but nope. As soon as I opened the door, she made a bee line back for the stump. I took her off again and removed the rest of the eggs from there, but still that's where she wanted to be, eggs or no.
Well, the two options now were break her broodiness, or get some eggs she could set and hope for the best. A quick poke on Craig's list and I found a few people still selling hatching eggs, so ex-roomie and I went up to Deer Park and came back with a dozen mixed fertile eggs. The only problem left to solve was how to protect her since she was refusing to safety of a hutch with an enclosed run? I think I solved that with some repurposed playpen panels.
It's day three and she's still setting the eggs nicely. This is her first time going broody, so I don't know what she'll do in the long run, but maybe we'll get lucky and see some baby chicks around the same time we get a new human baby! Keep your fingers crossed.
