SURPRISE!!!!Hen isn't missing!!Guess what she brought home!!!

[chickfillhay]

OMG! Yesterday while hubby was building me a larger run for the buffs. My stepson noticed a hen in the distance. Low and behold she has 9 little chicks following her. I was elated!! I thought a hawk took her because she was missing. NOW I KNOW!!

So I ran over and coralled her and the kiddies. Got her into the coop with fresh chick food and water. I hope they make it. These are EE's (I think) And they will go to market as soon as they're healthy enough. Along with many of the hens and roosters I have. I want to bring the flock down to Buff Orps!

...Oh, and a couple of turkey that started hatching.
Edited for spelling.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

 

[robinaggie]

Nice story, happy ending. Thanks for posting.

 

[dacjohns]

Congratulations and hooray.

My missing hen showed up today without chicks but acting like a momma hen. Doing the here is food cluck and the stay away noise and fluffing up. She ate and drank a lot and took one heck of a dust bath. Don't know if it is hormonal (like a false pregnancy) or if there are some chicks somewhere or if she lost them all. May not ever know.

 

[chickfillhay]

Did you try looking for the eggs or chicks. Mine was hiding under a bush at the end of the rather large doggy play yard. Maybe they are hidden. I know I had no clue that she was even alive much less laying on eggs!

 

[yellowdragon]

My mom's hen has been acting like this for a week( she has been missing for a couple of weeks). Well she shows up acting like that, so I follow her and she has a big clutch of eggs. We are going to candle them today. She hid them in the garage behide a chair.

 

[chickfillhay]

HOORAY!!It's a chicken boom!!!

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
Tried but not too hard. I have many acres of thick underbrush that is full of ticks, chiggers, and poison ivy. We were kind of keeping an eye on her today but lost track of her.

 

[chickfillhay]

I don't know what chiggers are, but it doesn't sound like fun. Much of my property behind the chicken coop and on the other side of the fence where my hen stayed is littered with sharp pointy rasberry bushes! OUCH!!So in the 90 degree heat, I had to put on thick jeans and sneaks with the socks over the jeans! WOOF! That's hot! If you do go out. Good luck!

 

[carwinew]

Glad your hen returned with a bonus. Actually bonuses.
My chickens free range all day and I count heads when I put them up for the night. I use a big flashlight to find missing ones who are normally settling to roost some place high. When my egg count drops more than 2-3 in a day I go looking for new spots where they might be laying. Normally once I've cleaned out their new spot a couple of times they abandon it and go back to using the old locations at least for awhile.