A Tale of Two Broodies

New Year's Eve a visiting friend walked in and said "Do you know that there's a hen and chicks out there?" I immediately thought of Mohawk and her two month old offspring but no, Gabriella, a black hen with a stubborn streak had arrived with a fresh clutch of many small fluffies. We counted nine with her plus two brownish ones further up the drive which Gwendolyn, the descendent of Squidgey my Old English Game Fowl, promptly stole and sat on. We managed to fill a bucket with babies before clearing a cage to keep them safe in. Gabriella was easy to wrangle as she was hungry after three weeks brooding.

The next morning I went outside to find one small brown chick outside the cage and the other small browny bumblebee down the drive. Threw them back in with Gabriella but later that day she became aggressive and chased them out again while Gwendolyn took them into the garden. Which is when I realised that they were actually Gwen's chickens. I had had two broodies walk out the same day which led to all the confusion.

Later that day one of Gabriella's chicks escaped and a visitor, not sure of what went where, threw it in with Gwendolyn who promptly sat down on it. As Gabby had eight still with her I decided to let Gwen keep her adopted baby and she has done a beautiful job raising it.

Meanwhile Mohawk's chicks arrived at their two month birthday without many problems although the one she had stepped on at a week of age was still struggling with walking. However she began hopping about on one leg quite happily and would peck visitor's toes to try and get them to feed her. All was going well until I found her dead in the cage one morning with her mother standing on her. The five remaining chicks are now ranging around the garden on their own and their mother has returned to the hen house.

I have spoken to the remainder of the flock quite sternly about constantly going broody which has succeeded in frightening three eggs out of them. I am hopeful that I may yet get enough for a fresh summer omelet.