I never, ever thought that I could get angry with a chicken
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 23 comments
Wyandotte hen named Hope
But I did. I was so angry with Hope that I wanted to rip her apart with my bare hands.
Hope has been toying with being broody all summer. She’ll sit for a day or two and then decide she doesn’t want to sit on eggs any more. If a hen stops being broody there are various tricks that you can do – such as putting her in a dark box for a day or so. If you’re going to try this don’t forget to give her food and water.
Hope would have nothing to do with a dark box. She screamed and screamed until I felt sorry for the rest of the flock and our neighbours. When I opened the box she flew out and marched round the pen, still shrieking away. She “went broody” vaguely twice. Irritating but forgivable.
About two weeks ago she went broody again. She seemed serious this time. In fact she sat for 10 days, pecking me hard when I topped up her food and individual water fountain. She refused point blank to leave the nest.
Each day I pulled on my thick leather gardening gauntlets and whipped her off the nest so that she could relieve herself and stretch her legs. She stomped about the hen run clearly screaming at me in chickenese. She really was rather frightening. She nipped back to her nest quickly and hurl a few stringent clucks of abuse as I walked back to the cottage.
Then on the tenth day I booted her off the nest and she didn’t go back. In fact she took a dust bath, lay in the sun for a while and eventually went up to roost. I opened the chicken house door and she glared at me with gimlet eyes.
Her nest of eggs was quite cold by then. I couldn’t stop thinking about the partly formed chicks in the eggs – four lives just snuffed out by a wilful hen. I was furious with her and I’m embarrassed to admit that I picked up the perch that she was roosting on and shook it hard.
Needless to say she held on tight. Although she seemed a bit surprised.
I felt like a cross between King Kong and a medieval knight – lance in hand.
Then I realised that my behaviour was absolutely ridiculous. I gently replaced the perch with Hope still attached and walked away. Later when I’d calmed down I collected the eggs from her nest and threw them away. Chickens are not thinking creatures – they are not the brightest sparks in the fire. Like so many warm blooded creatures they act on instinct.
I reckon that you might be wondering what has happened to Hope since then? Hope has remained taciturn but I still love her and I think that after this incident I care for her even more. She is also such a pretty hen and she lays the sweetest eggs that I’ve ever tasted.
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Thank you for all your comments! Much appreciated. I just needed a break for a while but I’m back now with a new post 🙂
Missing my daily dose of Fiona’s blog too. Is she too tied up with her ‘Emporium’ on e-bay? Hope you’re back soon Fiona.
Nothing on here since the Chickens, over a month ago, i miss my morning read with Fiona, hope all is ok ??????
Apparently, Fiona’s just taking a blog break. I miss her too, hope you’re back soon, Fiona!
Me too, I thought it was just me having missed something. I do hope you will be back soon, fiona. You are missed
I agree with you. It is not like FIona at to be away for a month. Every day when I come on to the site I am disappointed and I am now a bit worried. I so miss reading the Blog and hope all is well with Fiona.
I keep checking the site, but nothing new comes up on the Blog section. No one seems the least bit surprised, so I must be missing something…. but what? I’ve checked a few recent articles but can’t see a ‘Gone Fishin’ sign…. It’s a bit like the Marie Celeste, sailing on, unmanned, the recipes still there, the photos of food on the table…..but where is the captain and the crew?
My goodness, you are diligent. I just leave all my hens and banties to get on with it!
One of them sat for a month this year without ever having been in a serious relationship!!!
I think I must be a bit lax!
I have had chickens for many years and I think you’re interfering with the natural order of things. Each day of throwing her off the nest is a way to break broodiness. She’ll get off the nest on her own to eat and poop. Once she’s broody leave her be and don’t worry about her eating and pooping she knows how to do that all by herself. Don’t throw her off if she’s sitting it’s the quickest way to change her mind.
Fiona….where are you? We miss your daily blogs and interesting insights. Come back soon!