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half in,  half out.   Out this morning,  In this afternoon evening.   This is going to be for a few days,  at least.   I think it's as Mo suggests.  She's gone broody.   But i am trying to be uhhhh,   objective.      She moved her nest site from the Feed House where her egg was collected daily.   To that secret place in Nogal's calf hutch  where the eggs multiplied,  uncollected.   I'm thinking it tripped off a thing in her of her Deep Chicken ness.   Instinct.   a nest FULL.   she felt the impulse to stay.  To sit.  To become silent and secretive to protect.    I didn't go in there today.  Did not  collect any egg that might be there.  Only because the day was already FULL of doing and i was just done with doing.   So when i went down to give Buck Feed,  i could see her…sitting.

Maybe it's not anthropomorphic….maybe she really does.  Want.   to make more of herSelf.     Maybe she's tired of being the only chicken.

?

I think of all this.   For me,  being SelFish,   i don't know if i can love much more.   I am to the brim.   We talk about how it's not necessary to love any additional chickens.  that we can just say….chickens….and not name them,  claim them.   that would take work on my part.   not to love.

Fire Season comes.   the necessity to evacuate sentient  SENTIENT beings here.   More chickens….?   if there is only so much time,   and loading Goats takes that time and then there are

chicken S

not just Talkie?

I think.

 

 

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19 responses to “broody”

  1. Michelle Slater Avatar

    YOUR HEART SPEAKS VOLUMES. Yes-it would be nice for her to have more but fire season is BIG consideration.

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  2. Mo Crow Avatar

    (((Grace))) Talkie’ll get over it but it’s best to take her eggs out soon as the nest will get very stinky when they go off!

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  3. grace Forrest Avatar

    i took all those eggs out the day i found them.

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  4. Joanne Avatar
    Joanne

    Ah Grace— so many heads to count, so many to worry , feed and care for.
    You need to just get in the car and drive. And when it feels easier- turn around and drive back.

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  5. Peggy McG Avatar
    Peggy McG

    She has you and you have her… a give and take.. not selfish…
    My granddaughter this morning sent a pic of a robin’s egg found on the ground near the nest the bird built on the outside front door light. Bite marks in it. We mourned.

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  6. Acey Avatar

    yeah. on this end i immediately thought about what this could and ultimately would mean evacuation-wise. would/could it work with more chickens on top of two additional goats. logistics. and also insight. now have a tangible frame for your periodic worry over “too much” to be loved. Is not just the love itself but the ongoing reality of what love’s expression will need to include.

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  7. Patty M Avatar

    Roosters are full of themselves and a general pain in the neck but I remember our rooster with love. But, as you say, in fire season…

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  8. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    Oh. What if Talkie had just one hen friend to talkie to? Or just one or two chicks? Somebody to love.

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  9. Nanette Avatar

    It’s not always that straightforward and easy to introduce more chickens, it can take a lot of time and extra work, and then they don’t always become “friends”. I brought on 2 new chickens when my Lola died, leaving Juno alone, but she’d had nest mates all her life, but Talkie doesn’t know that, so I think she’s probably fine on her own. I think the broodiness and instinct to hatch babies is a different thing to her having a companion. She has you, goats, Tay, a whole world of creatures to be part of her flock, and I think you’d be wise, particularly given that necessity to evacuate, to keep things as they are. She’ll be fine, this is just a short season in her otherwise big life…..until next year, then you’ll be ready.

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  10. Nanette Avatar

    Oh and the other concern with letting the broodiness go on, is her health….she won’t be eating drinking or pooping as much and this combined with sitting for long hours, is not good for her. There can sometimes be personality changes too, as she becomes frustrated waiting on that nest, or getting aggressive toward you when you take the egg/s. I hear you saying there was plenty to do, but this will have to be part of your “doing” for a little while….don’t let her nest, just gently shoo her off the nest and take any egg away every day. You might have to barricade or block her hidey hole too to deter her. Some people put the chook in a crate for a while, so they can’t sneak off, or ice cubes in the nest…..I don’t know, I’ve never done anything that drastic, just lifted them out and shood them away, check a few times a day to make sure they’re not sitting, and move them on. I’ve done some digging in the garden so they start scratching for worms and are distracted. Also make sure she’s roosting at night, not nesting, even if you have to move her after dark ….more work I know 💖

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  11. Mo Crow Avatar

    (((Nanette))) good advice & all this reminded me of the other side of looking after chooks. On a dreadful day more than half a lifetime ago one of the chooks had gone missing for about a week, figured she’d been taken by a carpet snake but no, my partner at the time was mowing the long grass round a fence post near the chook pen and ran right over her sitting on a nest…

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  12. grace Forrest Avatar

    it is. it’s REAL and it’s soon.

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  13. grace Forrest Avatar

    i grinned the first time i read this and i grin again
    tonight…what a BEAUTY FULL little movie that is…
    driving OFF
    coming back in time for evening feeding

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  14. grace Forrest Avatar

    thank you Peggy for this real story of the egg…i am
    so happy to hear from you

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  15. grace Forrest Avatar

    yes. Love is a VERB. it takes place every day day after day. Over and Over. It GIVES so so very much and
    it needs veryvery much
    LOVE is a live thing.
    evacuation…a nightmare. What people do, often is
    just open all doors and gates and hope for the best

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  16. grace Forrest Avatar

    yes. that is my big equation. Fire.
    Two summers i’ve been here. Two evacuations.

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  17. grace Forrest Avatar

    you softie. someone to love…maybe…but she’s
    a fierce bird. What might love be like for Talkie???
    i wonder

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  18. grace Forrest Avatar

    these things you say…they RING TRUE and i know
    your close attention to your chickens…i will update
    following your advice soon

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  19. Nanette Avatar

    Mo! No, oh horror! I can’t imagine. Reminds me of my teen daughter, throwing a huge tantrum, running to her room and slamming the door…..with her beloved budgie, flying after her,caught in the door and squished horribly. One of my better parenting moments when I didn’t say what I wanted to say, but just offered comfort.

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