Broody Hen

We have a broody hen! I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. The weather has been very spring-like around here. Also, the broody chicken is a black silkie. I've heard that not only are they the broodiest chickens out there, they also easily adopt other chickens chicks to raise. So a good combo!

Saturday morning I found the silkie in the nesting box sitting on her egg. I pushed her around and grabbed the egg. When I looked out at the run later she was running around and scratching like the other chickens. Sunday she showed no signs. Monday she laid another egg, but this time just left it in the box as usual.

Later I found her sitting on a Rhode Island Red egg. I grabbed a golf ball from hubby's stash (don't cringe, it was scuffed, so not very desirable anymore) and swapped an egg for a golf ball. I'm going to head out there this morning and check on things again.

Strangest thing though, yesterday she tried to peck me. This has been the most docile of my chickens. I actually caught and picked her up once! So I'm not afraid to pick her up as much as the others. Now though, I'm considering gloves! Anyway, I just thought it was funny that such a docile chicken was all of a sudden so protective and wanting to be a mother. She's only been laying off and on since December if memory serves me correctly.

Anyway I hope to be able to get some chicks in the next week or so. I'm going to have to get her off the nest somehow and then swap the golf balls out. I've got to get her to graduate to 3-4 golf balls. Then I'm going to pick up 2-3 Rhode Island Reds and an Easter Egger (blue/green eggs).

Speaking of babies... my sister in Michigan is in the hospital this morning being induced with her 2nd child. At the doctor yesterday they did and ultrasound because they thought my sister was measuring bigger than her due date. After the ultrasound, they estimated the baby's weight at 9+ pounds. This freaked my sister out. As it would most mothers!

Anyway, my thoughts are with her this morning. I'm sure she'll do just fine. She had her first baby naturally and I know she will do just fine with this one.