Most of the visits to this blog recently seem to be generated from desperate people doing a Google search on broody chickens. So I had better 'fessup that the tried and tested method of getting the main culprit chez nous out of her broodiness hasn't worked with Black. We are going to have to find a Plan D!
The first two batches of chickens we had were what I would describe as ISA Browns - the beige jobs that are bred for the battery houses and similar and which you can pick up very cheaply in the local markets. They do a brilliant job at laying an egg a day for a year and after than the problems start as they are sadly not bred for longevity. In a previous post I outlined why we don't buy them any more, but one good side to them is that in my experience of our six and feckless Joel's two, they don't do broody.
Last year we had dreadful problems with White - our mongrel Light Sussex, who went broody about every four to six weeks. But while she is the largestof our girls, she is really rather sweet, and would fluff up when being lifted out of the coop and gurgle a bit, but was otherwise pretty resigned to it all. Black, our youngest and a possible mongrel Maran, has decided that a stint of brooding is what she wants to do, and she is taking it very seriously. I haven't been pecked yet but it is only a matter of time, and I daren't try Plan E (send in the cats) as I think the vet bills would be too high! Having been locked out of the coop for a little too long (her opinion, not mine), she has found her way under the coop and hasn't been seen for 2 days now. Tomorrow we will have to move the coop and scoop her out.
From that description, you can see why there is no photo of Black being broody, just one of her before the mood came on her. For the quibblers out there - you know who you are Roger - yes, I do realise she is much more gold than Black, but only from the front and side. If we find a way to break this one, I may have to patent it!
Comments