It has been a beautiful year in the garden. The problem with a garden blog is that if the garden is successful one is usually rather busy keeping it that way and the keeping gets in the way of the blogging. But we have some exciting things going on here, so blog I shall. The men can fix their own tomato sandwiches, by gum!
Last month and early this month we had some of our hens start teasing us. They acted like they wanted to set and hatch some chicks for us. We would watch for a few days and get our hopes up. Then we would sneak out when they weren't expecting us and find the stupid things off the nest and playing in the dirt. Sigh. At one point we were so sure that one was broody I made Uncle Mark drag the tractor around and set it up as a broody pen. Alas, she did NOT take to that experience. Once we moved her she absolutely refused to get on the nest. She slept in the middle of the tractor on the dirt. After four days we gave up and let her go back in the pen. At this point, Uncle Mark decided that we needed to just give up on the girls and he would build an incubator come September.
Last Friday we realized we had another of the girls on the nest. This time was different. When I went into the nesting/feeding area, she would puff out her hackles and start screaming at me. Aha! Maybe this was it! We left her in the regular pen Friday through Sunday. By Sunday evening it was quite clear that this really was IT. That evening after sunset we fixed up the tractor and put 8 pretend eggs in the far left nesting box (I don't know what it is about our hens and the far left nesting area, but that has always been their favorite. Uncle Mark is afraid they are libs). We then moved Big Mama in. There she sits! She had done so well that by Tuesday night we removed the pretend eggs and put in REAL, LIVE, FERTILE, HEN EGGS!!! (At least we hope they are fertile. If not, Buckaroo may be destined for the stew pot).
Today is day 3 of 20 and there she still sits. I'm almost worried about her. In fact, yesterday I called my Chicken Guru, aka Grandaddy Reed, and asked him if I should remove her from the nest so that she could eat and drink. He is denying the title of Guru, but did suggest that I might want to just let her be. So I am. Her comb is not in terrible shape ~ just a little limp but not bad and not terribly pale. It was awfully hot over here today, so I took an ice pack and put it on top of the metal roof that is over the nesting boxes (but not right over Big Mama since I don't want condensate dripping on her). I do know that she has had at least two sips of water today. I'm trying really hard not to be anxious...
If this works, we will have babies around the 16th of July. Pictures coming!!
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