Arenas Chickens
Songster
We have had our flock now for almost 5 months; the 31st shall be their 5th month. Everyday since putting them outside we’ve been tinkering with their coop and runs to better their space and safe guard them and everyday we are putting escapies back, It’s been an ongoing project that still seems endless as we continue to put hens back in their runs. They now have the equivalent of a horse paddock lmao. Four separate out door spaces and yet they still come out to say hi!
The passed couple days one of these hens was found in the same spot at least three times each day and it made me wonder, “if a hen who isn’t typically in this space lays an egg, makes a nest, will she remember?”
well today said escapee was especially bent on being free! Same hen I’ve caught out in the same place, a place she screams to with much intent. So my curiosity got me and instead of snagging her up and putting her with her friends, I followed her. I followed her to a place I recued her from a week ago, or so I thought so I picked her up thinking “silly bird that rake isn’t your friend lol” and as I did so I looked down to see a pile of dead leaves and what seems like a speck of an egg, I called my hubby over with great excitement and put the hen down.
with much fever and determination she bypassed the obstacle placed in her way, to safe guard her before lol, and showed me how determined she was to be a mom - there was a tiny nest with two tiny eggs in it. She tenderly rotated them, cleaned the leaves off, and sat down and looked at me sweetly cluckling away burying herself with the leaves around her
My hubby was less enthused lol. We sat there with her tending to her nest and hashed out what we could do for or with her. She would just keep getting out and possibly hurt herself in the process of us closing up the gaps we find. We wanted to let her run with her instincts but we just weren’t ready. Our breeder birds were not yet sitting their own nests so we hadn’t set up for any one else.
after a few thoughts we got it! Would the term kill two birds with one stone be inappropriate here?
as I posted in another thread I have one hen who’s got a blonde front, I have Rhode Island Reds... she’s not red lol who has 11 eggs she has yet to sit on so, let’s take them and give them to the determined momma!! We can put the momma in the tractor and keep the couples in their own thus negating the need to move three birds around! While we were setting up the hen’s new space, we heard the tell tale song of a chicken laying, she had three eggs when all was said and done, now she haSo there you have it, nature showing us “there is always a way” (thanks Ian lol)
we hope this works. Tho we will now have the equivalent of four breeding pairs when we only wanted two or three lol.... kinda like us humans huh?
The passed couple days one of these hens was found in the same spot at least three times each day and it made me wonder, “if a hen who isn’t typically in this space lays an egg, makes a nest, will she remember?”
well today said escapee was especially bent on being free! Same hen I’ve caught out in the same place, a place she screams to with much intent. So my curiosity got me and instead of snagging her up and putting her with her friends, I followed her. I followed her to a place I recued her from a week ago, or so I thought so I picked her up thinking “silly bird that rake isn’t your friend lol” and as I did so I looked down to see a pile of dead leaves and what seems like a speck of an egg, I called my hubby over with great excitement and put the hen down.
with much fever and determination she bypassed the obstacle placed in her way, to safe guard her before lol, and showed me how determined she was to be a mom - there was a tiny nest with two tiny eggs in it. She tenderly rotated them, cleaned the leaves off, and sat down and looked at me sweetly cluckling away burying herself with the leaves around her
My hubby was less enthused lol. We sat there with her tending to her nest and hashed out what we could do for or with her. She would just keep getting out and possibly hurt herself in the process of us closing up the gaps we find. We wanted to let her run with her instincts but we just weren’t ready. Our breeder birds were not yet sitting their own nests so we hadn’t set up for any one else.
after a few thoughts we got it! Would the term kill two birds with one stone be inappropriate here?
as I posted in another thread I have one hen who’s got a blonde front, I have Rhode Island Reds... she’s not red lol who has 11 eggs she has yet to sit on so, let’s take them and give them to the determined momma!! We can put the momma in the tractor and keep the couples in their own thus negating the need to move three birds around! While we were setting up the hen’s new space, we heard the tell tale song of a chicken laying, she had three eggs when all was said and done, now she haSo there you have it, nature showing us “there is always a way” (thanks Ian lol)
we hope this works. Tho we will now have the equivalent of four breeding pairs when we only wanted two or three lol.... kinda like us humans huh?
I am unsure what to do.....
