So, our Miss Jane has now officially been 'broody' for 56 days.
This is long enough to have hatched out TWO sets of chicks, if we had fertile eggs.
I have battled with her every one of those days.
I will not go into all the gory details of the things I tried to snap her out of it, but suffice it to say, day before yesterday when I found three eggs just outside the nest box where she holds iron sway, two of which were broken? I snapped. She was intimidating the other girls and making their egg laying experience less than pleasant. I'm sure a tussle ensued and valuable merchandise was ruined.
Besides, even if she had only laid an egg every other day during this stubborn broody spell, she has done me out of 28 eggs the little minx.
So as soon as I found out my brother had a large dog crate, I hastened down there and brought it home.
Jane was going to jail.
Well, within 30 minutes of her being in there with her food and water, she was sitting in a puddle of water and spoiled chicken feed and what comes out the other end after eating said feed. I realized this was not going to work. I'm miffed at her, but can't stand to see her in such conditions.
So I put my thinking cap on…. which I wish I would have done about four weeks ago…. and came up with a different solution.
This was a greenhouse that Mr. P. made a long time ago.
I stole those fence sections from Sunny's pen where they have been protecting some flowers that I planted in the corner. I really wanted those flowers to grow unmolested.
She is molting also. Poor dear.
Anyway, she is out of the coop and the nest boxes so the other girls can carry on with their work in peace.
But Sunny has already stepped on my little flowers, even though I parked the wheelbarrow in front of them.
It seems I'd rather have eggs than flowers.
I don't know what this says about me as a person.
But there you have it.
Bail is set at two dozen eggs. And she will be on probation for the duration of the summer.
Sounds a bit harsh to me.
Oh all right, I'll let her out in the evenings after I've closed the coop up and the other hens have laid their eggs.
Very well.
(I don't care if you keep her in their till Halloween. Just for the record.)
Ah (), always a model of compassion.
I think she needs some TOYS.
This was a greenhouse that Mr. P. made a long time ago.
I stole those fence sections from Sunny's pen where they have been protecting some flowers that I planted in the corner. I really wanted those flowers to grow unmolested.
She is molting also. Poor dear.
Anyway, she is out of the coop and the nest boxes so the other girls can carry on with their work in peace.
But Sunny has already stepped on my little flowers, even though I parked the wheelbarrow in front of them.
It seems I'd rather have eggs than flowers.
I don't know what this says about me as a person.
But there you have it.
Bail is set at two dozen eggs. And she will be on probation for the duration of the summer.
Sounds a bit harsh to me.
Oh all right, I'll let her out in the evenings after I've closed the coop up and the other hens have laid their eggs.
Very well.
(I don't care if you keep her in their till Halloween. Just for the record.)
Ah (), always a model of compassion.
I think she needs some TOYS.