May 2007

1	A new month up and running with eggs all round from Titfer, Tat and Lacey.
2	More water dips for Clover, who has spent a little part of the day with the others.
3	It's seven days now and I don't know how to shake Clover out of this broodiness.  She happily sat in my lap this morning when I removed her from the nest.  After 15 minutes, I had to throw her off as I was getting a numb bum sitting on the chicken run step!
4	Four eggs today, so that includes Aggie's first since being broody.  Also, Aggie has taken to wandering in the paddock.  Sometimes she strays too far and we have to chase her back. Clover had two sessions sitting in my lap until I threw her off.  It's lovely for me and I think she likes it as my lap is probably quite like a nest, but it could well be counter productive in terms of anti-broodiness.
5	Is Aggie getting special titbits in the paddock because she laid again today, not something I expected after her little rest.  I thought she'd be every other day at first. I'm afraid Clover's still very broody - nothing we seem to do has any effect.  She's hardly eating anything.  In fact, all she's had today is what we've fed her by hand.
6	A day in the pen as we were out & about.  They don't like it!
7	Wow!  The first rain for a long time and the chicks are wondering what's up.
8	When I open up the run, Clover jumps straight up to the perches without eating, but I've found that if I put some oats or mash on the perch nest to her, she eats it all.  Meanwhile the other silly chicks stand underneath eagerly gobbling up anything she drops, even though they have the same in their feeders.
9	Clover is still so broody.....
10	..... and she's still coming onto my lap for hand feeding.
11	Clover's new perch dinner plate -->
12	I got hen pecked this evening!  Lacey was in the nest very late and I knew she was sitting on at least two eggs laid earlier by Titfer & Aggie.  Even though I wore my thick gardening gloves, when I went to retrieve them she pecked so persistently and so hard that she wounded me on the arm.  That'll teach me!
13	I can't imagine how Titfer got so dirty.....  Look how clean Tat is in comparison.
14	Are our hens getting older and wiser?  I caught them all (except Clover, who was on a dry perch) sheltering from the rain in our car port.
15	Tat has laid every day for the last 41 days - just incredible!
16	Lacey was still in the nest at 18:30 and I knew she was sitting on eggs, so it was Crow's turn to be hen pecked.  She went for a real attack, made a great deal of noise and when out of the nest, she jumped up and kicked at Crow, in a cock-fighting style.  Is this another hen turning broody?  Meanwhile, Clover still very docile and clucking.
17	Our hens were locked in the pen today as we were going out late afternoon.  Lacey was up and about with A, T & T but went into the nest mid afternoon and was still sitting in there when we got back at 21:00.  Crow tried to move her to see if she was sitting on an egg.  He didn't think she was, but we decided we would leave her as we didn't want to wake the neighbours.
18	Lacey was still firmly sat in the nest this morning so I donned protective coat and gloves to remove her and she was sitting on an egg.  From yesterday or this morning?  Can't be sure.  I got the pecking, noise and fighting but out she came!  Poor Lacey then spent several hours patrolling the run to find a way back in and fanning out her feathers in a peacock-like fashion.  When I finally submitted, she dashed into the nest but then came out later of her own accord, but didn't lay.  Is she broody or not?
19	So desperate to get a piece of Maria biscuit, Tat, Titfer and even Aggie jumped up onto the table next to me - a first for Aggie! Lacey has spent all day in the broody pen and will be staying in there overnight.
20	Clover is still very docile and cuddly but I had to get her out of the nest three times before I finally blocked it.  She's next for the broody pen as it's 23 days since she last laid and she's getting very thin, so we really need to get her back to normal.
21	After 48 hours in the broody pen, I found Lacey pacing about with a completely empty food dish, looking very bright.  So I let Lacey out and put Clover in.  Lacey had a very luxurious dirt bath and spent the rest of the day with the white chicks and didn't try to go into the nest at all.  So with a bit of luck, we've shaken off her broodiness before it really got started.
22	Lacey's definitely cured of her broodiness.  She's ran about with the others all day with not even a glance at the nest.  Just like Aggie, we caught her early and stopped her getting deeply broody.  Unlike poor Clover.....
23	Clover's food bowl is completely empty every morning but I don't think she's eating all those pellets, so I think the a rat must be about.  Poison down outside the run tonight.
24	I thought Clover looked a bit more active this morning so I let her out while I changed her water and filled up her empty food bowl,  Unfortunately no poison was disturbed, but all the food was gone again :-(  Sadly, Clover went straight to the nest, so I had to put her back in the broody pen.
25	Our local moorhens have bred five chicks and ugly little devils they are too! Hen happenings:  Clover has had a good run around with the others this afternoon but had to go back into the broody pen to stop her nesting for the night.  Lacey had been next door.  I had to get Titfer out of the nest as she went back after laying.  Please don't let her get broody now!
26	This is Tat's 52nd consecutive laying day!!!!!!!!! After an eight day break, Lacey laid the most beautiful looking egg today. Clover seems a bit better.  She's been out all day and hasn't kept looking for the nest.  She's been bullied off the perches this evening and has gone into the hen house but has perched in there, not sat in a nest.  A good sign, I hope. Mother moorhen sat on all of her five chicks in the garden this evening.
27	Well, it's a full month since Clover laid an egg and at last, she seems to be rising out of her broodiness.  This morning she was out of the nest and on the top perch.  When I opened up the run, she flew out. Sadly, the others wouldn't let her have any corn.  She followed me back to the run where she had some corn from the bowl, then went back to the top perch.  Meanwhile, the others are wandering around in the pouring rain.
28	I don't know if something has happened to the moorhen's original nest, but dad is very busy at the moment building a new nest on our pond whilst mum sits on the chicks on the lawn.   Dad's quite amusing, jumping up at our bamboo and pampas grass and hanging on to tear bits of for nest material.  Very sadly, however, two of the chicks have drowned in the pond.
29	Yesterday, I may have spoken too soon when I said "What a relief to have no broody hens", as Aggie is behaving a bit strangely again.  I had to throw her out of the nest yesterday evening and again this evening (but she still laid today) and she's being quite aggressive with the others. Poor, poor Tat has a head injury.  I noticed some blood in the run this morning and then found that somehow Tat has a damaged comb which must had bled quite a lot.  There's blood on her head feathers and on Titfer, Aggie and Lacey where I guess she jumped when she was hurt and sprayed them.  Aggie and Lacey are the main suspects, but we'll never know for sure.......
30	Aggie's definitely on the edge of broody.  She laid again, but sat on it until I lifted her out of the nest.  Then, she didn't stray far from the run and I think she would have been straight back into the nest if it was available.
31	Broody Aggie  :-(( This month's scores: SuperTat 31, Titfer 26, Aggie 23, Lacey 19, Clover 0
	eggs this month
	eggs this year