Blondie the Brood Hen

This is Blondie.  I purchased her when I bought a flock of (16) chickens on 5/24/2014.  She is an one of the original (Golden) Buff Orpingtons.  I'm not sure how many eggs she still lays per week, but she is an excellent brood hen.  She has raised chicks in the past. 

She was so comfortable in the original coop that I just added a water bowl and some feed and let her have the whole place to herself.  She was definitely in the broody chicken trance mode.  I only disturbed her to count the eggs she had and to give her just one more.  I wanted her to have one of the really dark eggs.  We shall see what happens in the next week (or hopefully 3 weeks) to come.  It takes 21 days to hatch an egg.  I will peek in on her and change her water.  That's all the intervention I will hope to give.  

Fingers crossed she just sits on the eggs...  Who knows... I could go up there tomorrow and she'll be walking around.  Hopefully not.  Although I have PLENTY of eggs -- enough for neighbors and friends and of course our family-- It's always fun to raise baby chicks.  I'm not one to hatch eggs in an incubator and then tend to the chicks with heat lamps and such (although I have done that in the past.)  I don't candle the eggs. The most fun hatches are from brood hens.  They take care of the chicks and make sure they are warm and teach them how to eat and scratch for food.  They incorporate them to the rest of the flock.  

This is the most freedom I have ever given a brood hen.  It's my newest experiment.  She is not confined in any way.  She has the whole coop to herself.  She can get outside and see the rest of the flock or lay in green grass and mint and weeds in the shade if she needs to cool herself.  Some of the other hens in the flock like to lay in this coop because one of the ducks in the other coop is broody as well.  Maisy the duck is guarding her nest.  The other hens have plenty of other nest boxes in which to lay eggs.  Maisy will not be hatching eggs.  I gather them each day.  I lost my drake (male duck) a year or so ago.  The eggs are not fertilized and will not hatch without a male duck.

I looked at my old post from 5.24.14  It's so cool so see how much my chicken yard and garden has progressed!  Wow!  

We had a groundhog near the pool.  It jumped off this ledge and casually walked away...

I looked at my old post from 5.24.14  It's so cool so see how much my chicken yard and garden has progressed!  Wow!