Martha, one of our Barred Rocks. . .
My girls have been quite faithful to deliver their daily gifts of round orbs for our enjoyment and for sharing since they began laying months ago. Averaging 10-11 a day, every week all throughout Fall and so far this month as well. From all the chatter on the homesteading blogs, there are many it seems who are seeing a decrease in egg production. Even some friends at church have mention decrease laying in their flocks too. It makes one wonder just why we are being so blessed with an abundance of eggs. Not that I am complaining one bit. We are very thankful for the blessing of eggs and of their company around here also. Our customer base has slowly grown from 2 to 5, with room for more with the girls helping out so readily. Come Spring when the Farmer's Markets near by open back up for business I plan to make their free-range eggs available to shoppers.
The challenge of motherly hormones has been a situation we have never faced before, at least not of the feathery kind. Big Mama, our only Brahma pullet has felt the call of nature to reproduce her own kind. For over 6 days during Christmas she has faithful sat in a claimed nest trying her best to hatch an egg or two, along with a golf ball that resides there. Stubbornly refusing to leave the nest and growling at us when we reach to gather the eggs under her. Yes, chickens can GROWL, it is a sort of low rumble in their throats. Despite the fact that there is no Rooster on the premises to ensure fertile eggs, she has not wavered in the least. I don't believe she is the type of loose woman, to have been off visiting neighboring flocks either. Which left her in quite a predicament and with no way to satisfy her longings. We tried to discourage her from setting, by taking her out of the nesting box and placing her outdoors, only to discover that she quickly returns to her post. A broody mama has the perseverance to astonish even the faithful of heart. Dedicated despite the odds against her. I think we could all learn a valuable lesson from her that would serve us well when faced with what appears to be enormous odds against us.
"Big Mama"
We came to the conclusion that we either had to find a way to bar her from the nest or help her out in some way. Choosing the later we started our search for some fertilized eggs for this desperate mama. Success was found with members of our church, Kirk and Dede. Who own a small flock down the road and a very stately looking Roo. They were more than happy to give us some of their eggs for Big Mama to try to hatch out. Gathering 6 from their 3 different hens, a Rhode Island Red, a Black Star and a Dominique will give Big Mama an assortment of offspring, should they all hatch. Fred, as the man of their coop is referred to, hopefully will pass on his great qualities as father to the brood also. I didn't think to take my camera to capture pictures of the adoption process. But, if I had known how beautiful a specimen he was I would have. I am sure they won't mind me coming back over for a few snaps of him to add to a latter post. He is such a looker!
What dreams of Chicken mamas are made of . . .
Home again we took our fragile cargo up to the coop to slip the eggs into the nursery set up by Big Mama. Easy enough as she was off the nest, to our surprise as it was the first time we had seen her do this in days. I reasoned that hunger was playing a big part in her stroll outside. We all know how the hunger pangs of the maternal can be at times. Throwing down some "candy" or scratch grain as most people know it, kept her attention while I marked the fertile eggs and placed them in the nest. It only took her 5 minutes before heeding the call to be back on the nest. She seemed unconcerned that there was quite a few eggs where she had left an empty nest minutes before. Happily settling around them, moving them about to better fit between her feet and fluffing out her feathers into a canopy of warmth over them. From the look on her face I believe I even heard her sigh a little. A happy moment for a mother to be.
She is the beauty in the middle . . .
Future chicks in waiting . . .
Maternal instincts. . .
So the countdown to motherhood has begun and unlike us of the human race, she will hopefully hear the peep of her adopted offspring in about 21 days. Not a long wait for the feathered mother to be, but oh, a long one for us adoptive grandparents. Placing the birth announcement on the nest to assure that no disturbance or gathering of the anticipated babies has everything in place for now. We, Big Mama and ourselves need only to wait for the blessed event to transpire in the middle of January. Not the best time for hatching baby chicks naturally, but who can argue with a determine female, high on hormones. I feel sure if she can hatch them she will be more than capable of taking care of her adopted children. We are now hoping with fingers crossed that one of them will take after his father and become a handsome Roo for our flock next year.
Picture says it all . . . . Waiting on nature,
Deborah
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