We know broody hens. How about a nanny hen?

[azygous]

It's not often that I remember that Su-su is going to be eleven years old come spring. She certainly has met her true calling late in life. As a youngster, she was relentlessly broody, but not the cranky sort as the other GLW I had. Irene was a vicious broody in every sense of the word, including biting. Su-su, hormonal or not, has always been sweet natured. With one exception. Pearl. Su-su brooks no foolishness from Pearl. But Pearl will never learn.

The netting is to protect May so she doesn't get pecked and have her self confidence erode as she recovers from her serious mysterious illness.

Guess who.

It's her attentiveness to May that really showcases Su-su's sweet nature. She's never sat a nest and hatched eggs, but she's raised two broods now. While most broodies cut their broods loose around ten weeks, Su-su sticks it out well past their maturity. Her previous brood were four months old when she weaned them. These Australorps are now seven months old and Su-su still tolerates them. They roost one on each side of Su-su while May sleeps in her cozy box with a heating pad for warmth. One day May will roost with the others, I'm confident of that now. And Su-su will be at May's side protecting her until she's walking and running again.

 

[azygous]

Su-su just had a major fight with her former best pal Lilith. Lil appeared under the weather and I let her in with Su-su and May to finish up a bowl of rice and egg. Su-su did not take kindly to this invasion of her territory by unauthorized members of the "other" flock, meaning that she hadn't yet put this particular member in her proper place according to Su-su's guidelines.

The result was a skirmish where neither was ready to back down, and both old ladies got their combs bloodied. I set Lil down on the outside of the plastic netting and they went at it again from opposite sides of the barrier.

Su-su may be sweet and gentle as her general temperament, but when the chips are down, she takes no prisoners.

 

[ValerieJ]

Wow! Do you think she might have been protecting May? Can you set up a separate light for Lilith somewhere?

 

[azygous]

The other old girls have a heat lamp in the main run on below freezing days. Su-su may have been protecting May, but there is no doubt she protects her territory. This is a complete 180 from before she adopted these latest pullets and she was part of the main flock. She was not in the least inclined to stand up for herself. Lilith used to throw her weight around with Su-su, and maybe Su-su remembers being mistreated by her.

One thing is becoming obvious - Su-su has a domain of her own now, and she's not about to surrender one inch of it.

 

[azygous]

Su-su encourages May besides protecting her. She gets a meal worm, then is patient while May has her turn. May needed the exercise and she had to move a bit each time it was her turn to get a worm. Su-su was good about not swooping in to grab it before May could reach it.

I sure wish I could see inside that head of hers. She's a remarkable hen. Su-su is about to turn eleven years old, by the way. Hard to believe such a vibrant, intelligent hen is that old.

 

[azygous]

This was taken this morning when it was way below freezing, and neither Su-su or May was even remotely interested in leaving their heated coop. The reason they're both facing the wall is because the coop was overrun at that moment by some rowdy young chickens, and both Su-su and May resort to facing a wall when they choose not to openly interact with chickens from the main run.

Notice how May is using her right leg more now. It's still gimpy, but she's recovering control of it slowly but surely. Su-su is always no more than a foot or two from May, and May will run to her for protection at the drop of a hat of she feels threatened by too many visiting chickens from the main flock. Mostly, Su-su permits May to hide under or behind her skirts. But if need be, Su-su will attack a chicken that threatens May with all the ferocious rage of a broody protecting a baby chick. And the other chickens know it and usually don't push their luck.

This story isn't finished. I don't even know yet if Su-su will ever wean May or if May will ever emancipate herself.

Stay tuned.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

No updates so far this month; that's ok i read thru february updates again. And smiled. This remains my all-time favorite thread, and Su-su is my all-time favorite feathered girl.

 

[azygous]

Here's your Su-su update.

Su-su was a loner when she was in the main flock. Before she took it upon herself to care for these newest pullets, she would spend all day on a feed sack cushion, pooping in place, and getting off of it only to eat twice a day. She was about as low in the pecking order as was possible, even with new pullets added to the flock over the past two years.

She is very much loving having her own little flock and her own run and her own coop. Yes, this has changed her. She's been more active and has seemed much, much more content. She hasn't been picked on since she has had these pullets. In fact, she does a very decent job of getting fired up over any injustice done to one of her pullets. It's definitely been good for her health and well being. She chose it all herself. I only went along with her decisions.

This pic shows what a zoo it can be when I open her run to the main flock. This is important so the flock remembers that Su-su and May are still members in good standing. But Su-su does enjoy it more when it's time for all of the riff-raff to leave.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Tu for that. And what u just said confirmed the true reason why i asked yesterday (on May's thread), if May is becoming more independent from Su-su. Cause u've let us all know much May needs Su-su, but my intuition was that Su-su needs May equally. If chickens are anything like people, sometimes being needed is what keeps us all going. Long live Su-su, & her now grown-up daughter May.

 

[azygous]

Su-su has expanded her nursing role. Now she has two patients. June became symptomatic yesterday, after being symptom-free since her earlier bout with this mysterious illness that took the life of one pullet and seriously sickened her sister May.

June is lame and wobbly and walks drunkenly. She's spending most of her time under the heat lamp with Su-su. It's a good thing May is recovering since June is not willing to share Su-su and the heat lamp with May, although I convinced the two to make their peace so June could share May's sleeping box with her. June tried to roost tonight and fell off.

I'm glad Su-su is willing to help out. This hen is worth her weight in gold.