Thursday, March 24, 2011

Confused Chicken

Yesterday afternoon I found Mama Buff on some eggs in the nesting box. She must have gotten up for a drink and become confused...again. Keeping her focused is going to be tough, especially on days when we're not home to constantly pick eggs out of the nesting box. Sit on YOUR nest, lady!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mama Buff

It's not even April yet! The groundhog was definitely right this year. Spring has sprung early. It's been several weeks since one of the Buff Orpington hens first went broody. At last today I brought down the travel kennel to make her a proper nesting box. After fixing it up with some fresh straw, I placed her inside, thinking she would get comfy. No such luck. She just sat there, looking dazed. I took the eggs she'd been sitting on and tried to place them underneath her. Mama Buff used her beak to shove them under her body and settled down. It wasn't long, however, before she decided to get up and go back to the empty nesting boxes where she'd been keeping vigil for weeks. Watching her try to walk was funny. Because she hasn't been getting much exercise or food, she's very weak and stiff. She hopped up into her empty nest and began to doze. Nonsense! I rearranged the straw in the brooding nest, put the eggs in the dead center, and placed her on top of them. Then I shut the kennel door behind her so she couldn't leave her post. When I needed to return inside, I opened the door up again. Is she still there? I shall return in a moment with a report...

We have a brooding hen! Mama Buff is on the nest with five eggs. I am counting this as Day 2 because I didn't collect eggs yesterday. She'd VERY likely been sitting on them for at least 24 hours. We should have little peepers in about 20 days!