The Prime of Miss Jane Broody

Alas and alack, my broody hen's determination to hatch a clutch of eggs has all been for nought. She sat on them religiously for more than a month...well more than a month...

So the day before yesterday, I finally put the eggs in water when she went for a quick stroll to eat some hen food.

They all floated.

So then I cracked one open, just to be absolutely certain there was no chick in it.  WHEW!  It was eye-watering rotten.

I carefully put the rest of them into a plastic bag and placed them unbroken into the trash can where they will remain (hopefully unbroken!!!) until the collection company comes by next Friday...

When I tried to put Broody back into the hen pen, all of the other hens started attacking her, so I waited until dark last night to put her in with them.

This morning, they're leaving Broody alone. I reckon she's recognized as one of their flock now.

Someone in the hen pen has started laying again--or has begun laying for the first time. We got two eggs yesterday. It has been months since we've seen any, but they've been out and about in the goat pasture until about a week ago, so they could have been laying in the big tree/branch pile where wild rabbits live, which is what we've been assuming. So after I penned them in closer to the hen house, I expected to find  lots of eggs again. Nope. Just two, after almost a week.

My sister was calling them slackers. I was defending them, and looking all over for their stash of eggs in the goat pasture. I guess they really haven't been laying!

It's a good thing one of them is laying now, and Broody will be too, pretty soon. Jackie was about to ask me to have a hatchet party, I think! She doesn't want to pay to feed chickens that don't produce eggs.

*awwwww* Is that any way to treat old ladies?!

Not on this property, it isn't!