We're expecting!

Over the past few days our pretty girl Emmy Lou has been very reluctant to leave the nesting box after laying her spotty little eggs.  Yesterday after returning from a charity shop hunt in town (and a very successful hunt it was) I found only 5 of the 6 chickens in the backyard.  Sure enough, there was Emmy Lou, sitting on her little egg and the imitations I leave in the nesting box - to make sure they all know where I expect their eggs.

I lifted her up to put her out in the yard, like I have been for the last few days, where she has carried on her day as normal, foraging and preening.  But yesterday was very different, underneath her I found a pile of fluffy feathers - where did those come from? - I turned Emmy Lou over, her belly was pink and bare -  and she was obviously very eager to get back to her nest, so I obliged.

If we are going to have a broody hen we may as well gain something from it - we're going to be short an egg a day for up to 8 weeks.  Luckily my sister-in-law lives just around the corner, and she has a roster.  So with a dozen fertilized eggs in-tow she came on around to have a look at my broody hen.  When we opened the nesting box she was as flat as a pancake and greeted us with a warning growl and raised hackles.  Keeping my fingers clear of her nippy beak I carefully lifted her and a bundle of eggs was deposited into the nesting box.  Emmy Lou emerged late in the afternoon to feed and explore the garden, but soon disappeared again to cover her eggs.

My husband and I are going to make a little cat/rat proof run for her so she has privacy and safety as she sits and hopefully raises her 'adopted' young  - and when the run is complete we'll move her and her clutch of eggs by the cover of darkness to the adjoining disused dog kennel, which will be kitted out with an old beer crate stuffed with clean straw.

Silver Laced Wyandotte - Emmy Lou