We have three broody hens at the moment, yes I said THREE !!
These two, luckily for us as there are only three nesting boxes available for use, have decided to sit in one nest box together, although they are sitting on NOTHING, yep there are no eggs under them , they are just broody. I have a feeling Caldwell is firing blanks as Poppy's clutch of eggs came to nothing. We gave her well over the allotted 21 days that it takes for eggs to hatch, and then took the decision to take her off the nest and let her get back to normal with the flock. It doesn't do a hen any good to be apart from the flock for too long or to sit on a barren nest, they need to exercise and feed properly and they do this in a very perfunctory way when they are sitting on eggs.
These two, luckily for us as there are only three nesting boxes available for use, have decided to sit in one nest box together, although they are sitting on NOTHING, yep there are no eggs under them , they are just broody. I have a feeling Caldwell is firing blanks as Poppy's clutch of eggs came to nothing. We gave her well over the allotted 21 days that it takes for eggs to hatch, and then took the decision to take her off the nest and let her get back to normal with the flock. It doesn't do a hen any good to be apart from the flock for too long or to sit on a barren nest, they need to exercise and feed properly and they do this in a very perfunctory way when they are sitting on eggs.
To make up for Caldwell's lack of libido I have instead ordered some fertilised Lavender Pekin eggs from eBay, hopefully of the three hens still sitting one will still be feeling broody when they arrive and they can be popped under whoever it is. Mother Goose who is the other 'broody' is usually available to hatch out eggs, hence her 'Mother' name.
While some creatures are happy to share, some are in the frame of mind that it is his all his, Ginger has been given my cushion and he doesn't have to share.
The reason he has my cushion .... well I bought the dogs new liners for their plastic dog beds, nice and padded and comfortable ....
... and Ginger claimed the smallest bed for himself and refused to let the dogs in it.
So one cat bed and one cat, two available dog beds in the kitchen and three dogs ... the maths just didn't work did it.
He's very happy with the cushion .... and of course now that the littlest dog bed is available for use by the dogs again Suky and Mavis are curled up together in the large dog bed in the conservatory!!
Sue xx
I ordered some eggs yesterday as well to bring a bit of fresh blood into my flock! My cockerel is still pretty good though as we get a good hatch rate.
ReplyDeleteI need a new bed for Rocky hound. I like the look of the liners you have for your dogs. Rocky sheds like crazy so it will need frequent washing. Good luck with your eggs x
ReplyDeleteI have three Collie puppies next door and have watched them grow over the last 3 months. They fight over the growing amount of toys in the garden and they crave attention at all times. When I go to the fence they jump up to kiss me and the competition to see who can jump the highest begins. They love the hens and try to get into the hen house. Animals are so entertaining.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is looking very cozy! :)
ReplyDeleteOoh Sue...where did you get the dog bed liners? They look just the thing to deter my youngster from chewing the edge of her plastic bed!
ReplyDeleteThey are from Pets at Home :-)
DeleteOh brilliant thanks. We have one near us but I had never spotted them. Will open my eyes next time I go in 😀
DeleteWhat lovely beds everyone has. Thankfully your pets use their beds. Mine always seemed to want to sleep anywhere but their own beds!
ReplyDeleteThe dog beds are always a challenge for my two, so I keep a third one available, just in case one takes over two of them!
ReplyDeleteI have a broody Serama sitting on 6 eggs :)
ReplyDeleteMy 6 eggs are on their way via Royal Mail. Hopefully this time we will get some little Lavender Pekins :-)
DeleteLovely :)
ReplyDelete