Meet Fifi, the temperature challenged hen. It's been dropping down to the teens at night, with highs in the low 40s in the daytime hours. We had a heat wave today and I think it hit 50 degrees. Guess who has decided to go broody? Just guess. Yup. Fifi the crazy. Not only is she broody, she's a determined broody. I spent all day yesterday mving her from the nest and shooing her out with her buddies. I then covered her nest with a cold piece of linoleum. Did it work? Nope. She plopped her little tushie down and tried to hatch out the linoleum. To add insult to injury here, she hadn't even laid an egg. She was trying to hatch a plastic, gravel filled Easter egg I tucked in the nest box to teach the girls where to lay. Silly chicken. After placing her up on the roost for the umpteenth time last night it took. She stayed huddled up with the others all night. Of course she was right back at it this morning, determinedly warming up the plastic egg. If I can't break her of the broody I may tuck a couple of eggs under her and let her have at it. She is nothing if not dedicated to the sitting. At least now I have no reason to be tempted to buy an incubator.
Silly little chickens...
6 comments:
I faithfully read every single one of your posts, City Girl! I love your writing style.
My money is on Fifi. Let the games begin. *hahahahahahaha*
Fifi is a brat! Despite my best intentions she is determinedly broody. And she still hasn't laid her own eggs to sit on! I gave up and tucked some eggs under her. We'll see what she does. Thankfully it is a little warmer today. Maybe she won't be a little frozen popsicle broody!
Glad you like the blog!
I've never heard of anyone sucessfully breaking a Silkie of broodiness. That's why my money was on Fifi. Didn't take her long to make you cave!!!!! How many did you give her? What kind? Some of your own eggs or did you get hatching eggs from somewhere?
Mine quit laying too once they started sitting. The way she figures it, she done laid her eggs to sit on, you're the one who kept taking them. Now you owe her. heeheehee
I put 4 standard eggs and 2 banty eggs under her. I think the standards are a mix of pure buff orp, SLWxBO mix, GLWxBO mix. The banties, I think, are a silkie d'uccle mix and a pure d'uccle. Dunno for sure as the banty eggs all look the same and the standard hens like to change nest boxes on a regular basis just to keep me on my toes. Plus, about the time I figure out what each hen's looks like they change it up. I give up.
Sooooo... something will hatch out. Who knows what! A Christmas surprise for us all.
It will be fun to see what pops out. I'm really going to enjoy following this adventure on here!
I have 3 RIR/EE, 2 BR/EE and 3 EE chicks hatch from my mutt eggs. I had 2 different EE roos and one was frizzled, so one of the BR/EE babies has her feathers growing in frizzled. They all have really interesting patterns to their feathers and I can't wait to see what they look like as they grow.
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