Sunday, March 4, 2012

Broody?

It's chicken time again. Although it seems a little early I have a Orpinton/Astralorp hen who thinks she wants babies, in poultry circles they call this behavior "Broody".
Signs of broodiness are that the hen stops laying and remains sitting on her eggs, ruffles her feathers, spreads her wings and makes a distinctive clucking sound. I'm not sure I fully agree with this description as my hen seems at time to growl.... goodness forbid you put your hands anywhere near her, you'll get pecked for the effort. You may be at first alarmed if you have a broody hen as I was. My hen chose to nest not in one of the provided nesting boxes but in a corner of the coop behind a large pile of straw, I thought on seeing her there that we'd lost her and reached down to check on her. I was soundly pecked and growled at. You'll know it if one of your hens is broody..

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