LET ME OUT!
Oh, Aretha Franklin. Worst chicken mom in the world. Why are you broody again?
Beautiful Aretha went broody on me a few days ago. A broody, or setting hen wants to sit on eggs and produce chicks. Two problems with that around here. Liberty went to greener pastures (we hope) so we don’t have any fertilized eggs for Aretha to sit on AND she failed the mom test the last time she went broody.
Last August Aretha went broody and the estimated hatch date (if she had fertilized eggs, which she didn’t) coincided perfectly with the delivery date of some chicks I already had on order. After some research, my plan of action was to let her set on golf balls until the chicks arrived, then replace the golf balls with the chicks in the middle of the night. This is supposed to work. Go figure.
Will you be my mommy?
Well, it didn’t work.
Aack! What are those things in my nesting box??
She outright rejected four of the chicks and barely tolerated the fifth. She allowed that fifth chick, Cinderella, to wander far from her side in the barnyard. Well, she actually let Cinderella wander through the fence and OUT of the barnyard. Straight towards Keela. Oh my. That did not end well.
RIP, Cinderella. You were quite a looker.
So Aretha Franklin is not getting another chance to be a mom. You can’t let a broody hen sit in a nesting box for days on end – it’s not a good emotional or physical state of being for a hen. I removed Ms. Franklin from the barnyard and put her in the “sorority house” I just built for the chicks. (More on that later this week!) No nesting box to sit in, no place to lay a new egg. Just a little solitary confinement to sooth the soul.
Oh my. She was one mad hen. She clucked and paced. Then she clucked and paced some more. All day. She perfected giving me the stink eye every time I checked on her. But I’ve had teenagers – I’m immune to stink eye.
Now she’s back in the barnyard, scratching and pecking away with the others. Crisis averted. Chicken drama over. For now, at least!
Back to normal, hopefully!
(Shared at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways and HomeAcre Hop, Little House Friday DIY Linky, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, and From the Farm Blog Hop!)
I noticed the ruffled feathers are down now. Poor Cinderella!
Oh man I have a broody hen for 2 weeks now, I thought about trying to add the chicks but they were already a week old and growing fast. I may need to build a “sorority” house too. Happy to hear with worked! How long did you get her in there?
A View From A Brown Dog recently posted…Around our hood…
It only took a day, but then she’s weird and her heart probably wasn’t totally in the game. 🙂 Most people say it takes at least three days.
Oh my gosh, what drama! There’s always something going on in the chicken house! Too bad she didn’t accept the chicks.
Tammy/Our Neck of the Woods recently posted…How To Make A Toad House
Yeah, but now I’m on to Aretha – she’s definitely more of a girl about town than a mama!
LOL…”Immune to stinkeye” I love it!
Good luck with Aretha……..hopefully you’ll break her soon.
~L
lisa murano recently posted…Sundays: Things I learned from having chickens: #2
She’s now back in the barnyard with not a care in the world!
I love this article (all except for Cinderella’s fate of course). My first broody hen experience was very different so I will count myself blessed! Loved your sense of humor shining through your writing. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Courtney! Glad your broody was better than crazy Aretha 🙂
Oh my! I’ve had a broody Austrolorp that just won’t quit! Cute post.
Becky Neville recently posted…Don’t Leave Home Without…
If she was a better mother it wouldn’t be so bad…:-)
Hi there! I saw your link on the blog hop and loved your post. I’m dealing with 2 broody gals right now that are locked out of the coop for now. Never again will I get bantams. Oh, for some big heavy layers….
Toni recently posted…Free Trees – We Love Free Trees, Y’all
I don’t have any bantams, but I’ve heard they’re crazy broody. They’re got going on my “must have” list! Thanks for stopping by!
Amazing what a little time out to reflect can do for a woman…or broody hen. Seriously having a solitary confinement cook without nest boxes is a great idea.
I discovered your blog through the From the Farm blog hop…so glad I did!
Yeah, a little alone time does wonders! Nice to meet you 🙂
Immune to the stinkeye! Love that! Yes teenagers can make you immune to the stinkeye! Dealing with a broody girl here too. We should have chicks any day now, or not? We will see what happens.
melanie recently posted…Porch Sink
Good luck! Watching a good mama with her babies is such a joy.
Joan Hobbs recently posted…Oh No, Not Again!
…until the next installment of “As the Coop Turns.” LOL!
Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Joan!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick recently posted…10 Tips for Healthy Chickens
I really enjoy reading your chicken posts and the pics of your girls (and Keela, bless her heart). We got our first batch of chicks this week! We’re so excited. They’re happily peeping away in the brooder this morning. Thank you for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop. Hope to see you back again this morning.