The skies have finally cleared! Yay! In the picture above you can see the move which is still up this morning. It's been several says since I've seen that. I'm so looking forward to being able to be outside some today! As of last night, I'm off work until after Christmas, so the timing is great! I'm sure the chickens will be very happy to not have to be in the rain if they want to venture out of the coop. They'll have some sunshine to accompany their chicken activities!
Speaking of chickens, when I got home for work last night right before dark and went to close up the coop, one of the chickens was in the nesting box. I thought is was the hen who hasn't been feeling 100% and I have noticed that this rain has taken her down a notch or two after she was starting to show good signs of improvement. I figured she was too weak to get up on the roosting bars so I left her there knowing that inside a nesting box would be about the snuggliest place for her. This morning when I went out to open the coop up, I realized it wasn't the hen (Gertie) who has been a bit ill. It was another hen and I think she feels 100%. I reached under her and pulled out two eggs. So, I'm wondering if she had gone broody? On two eggs? A Rhode Island Red in December? Hmm... any thoughts from you chicken experts out there? Well since I'm not planning on chicks till Spring, I reached under her warm, fuzzy body and took the two eggs.
In the meantime, the dogs have decided they want to sleep in a bit more and wait till it gets brighter outside before they go enjoy a rain free day!
I'm no chicken expert or anything but she may very well be broody. Does she try to nestle your hand when you reach under her? Her underside should be unusually warm. How about if you remove her from the nest, does she cluck about with her feathers fluffed? Sometimes in winter months some of our setters will get broody, but they seem to only stay that way for a week or so. I'd watch her and see if she's going to stick with it. You know when they go broody they stop laying, so if you aren't interested in having her set eggs, I'd kick her out of the nest box as often as you could, as a deterent. Some people say to hang them in a cage or find a way to cool their underside and the broodiness will go away.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you both
Mike, Kelle and Cortney
It's still cloudy here, but the rain stopped. Even I was getting tired of it. No chicken expert, but being somewhat of a cute dog expert, I must say those pictures are prizeless.--Inger
ReplyDeleteI am in NC and our hens go broody all year long. We just had a hen hatch 6 chicks. Love your blog!
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