Look who showed up again yesterday:
Yep, it's Muff Gone Rogue!
I hadn't seen her for a week and thought for sure she was dead, but apparently not.
I decided to watch her and see if I could figure out where she was disappearing off to.
After she'd had some duck water and stolen some of their grain, she surreptitiously sauntered into the lower barn and went behind the back wall of the duck coop. I quietly followed and watched her fly up to the top of the stone wall and disappear.
Can you spot the hen? Don't try too hard; you can't actually see her in this photo!
Come a little closer and look up in the corner....
What are those?!
Yep, eggs.
Broody Muff made herself an atrocious next on stop of cold stone.
I put some straw next to her but she was unimpressed.
As I suspected, she had gone off in the barn to lay eggs and settle down. She has seven of them in there and I still don't know what to do about it!
Meanwhile, back in the coop...
There's another broody Muff to deal with! She has three eggs under her. While I was in the barn yesterday, I heard this Muff indignantly cackling her head off. When I went in, I found that Charlotte had booted her off her next and had settled down to lay.
Broody Muff was in the box next door, looking highly offended. I wasn't sure what to do. On the spur of the moment, I took her three eggs out from under Charlotte and put them in the box with their Mama. She tucked them under her and looked quite happy.
I still don't know what I'm going to do with the motherly Muffs. I don't mind a few more chickens BUT I don't think either of them are in what I'd call ideal nesting spots! And I'm wondering if their eggs are even viable, especially the ones that have been sitting on a cold stone wall. Any advice out there?
Meanwhile, another Muff was checking out the new nestbox.
And what is wrong with this picture? Yes, that is Beaker the rooster's tail sticking out of a nest box, while Buttercup looks on.
I've got some ducks looking broody as well. I have to break it to them that we definitely do not need any more of their kind around here!! Plus I have found some people interested in buying duck eggs for breakfast. :)
Back in the house, Sophie was enjoying a blissful nap.
Have a great weekend!
PS: Why is today's #2 search keyword for my blog "wanker truck"??
Wanker truck?? Is there such a thing?
ReplyDeleteSo funny that the muff was hiding all this time. That bad boy Beaker is obviously up to no good. And after your successful healing of Eugenia, I think you should be called "The Duck Whisperer."
I gotta tell you, "wanker truck" is not conjuring up any nice images in my head. HAHAHAHA! ANd Beaker is so baaaad!
DeleteAnd I like "The DUck Whisperer" very much! :)
My mom and dad once had a hen laying on eggs in the bathroom :)
ReplyDeleteWhy ??
She had hidden eggs outside and it was almost wintertime.
Wish you a HAPPY EASTER weekend :)
Wow, eggs in the bathroom! Another great story. Hope you had a nice Easter too.
DeleteOops, they go and hide and the eggs. It is not easy to keep track of them but good luck. Have a nice Eastern.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Elna
You too ELna!
DeleteBroody muff? I think there's treatment for that!
ReplyDeleteg
Thank you darling, I knew I could count on you for comic relief.
DeleteWanker truck...does that mean the same as it does in UK?
ReplyDeleteAnyhooooo....do you have fake eggs? When our pigeons lay eggs we swap them for fake eggs. The pigeons sit on them for a while, get bored then carry on with pigeony things.
Jane x
Oooooh yes, I think it does, Jane.
DeleteI do have some fake plastic eggs that I may need to get out!
What does Gordon think about your wandering muff?
ReplyDeleteheh heh.
I think the chicken eggs on top of the wall will be fine. But how cold is it there? Maybe they got too cold? I think eggs are tough, especially when there's a mama hen to take care of them. Betcha they'll hatch. Not a good site for chicks, though. Wont they fall down and die? Any way you can move the mama with the eggs now?
ReplyDeleteFunny that you have these broody hens, and I want a broody hen for my guinea eggs. But none of mine are broody right now. I really don't want anymore chickens right now (I have 17), but I always need to raise guineas to keep our guinea flock existing. How many chickens do you have?
~Lynn
I have 17 hens and 3 roosters now! Still want some guineas, though.
DeleteMama was useless and abandoned her nest but I am ready for next time!
clearly the people of said wanker trucks were searching for very different muffs!
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud when I read that comment!!!!
DeleteI don't know about chickens, but I used to have a sparrow, and every time she laid eggs she would take her motherly role of laying on them very seriously, and when the eggs wouldn't hatch she would destroy them and get very very depressed afterwards. Once she got so depressed that she started pulling all of her feathers out. One day my next door neighbor brought over 4 newly hatched chicks (a different kind) that he had found, and we gave them to my sparrow. she had just gotten off her eggs, and she thought these were her babies. She was sooooo happy to finally have her babies, and she was such a good mother to them :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a GREAT story, Pasha!! Thank you for sharing that. Hubby and I loved it.
DeleteJust move the muff over and put plenty hay or such on her nesting spot, put the eggs back and she'll likely go back to the eggs. I would pick the eggs up with a finger over each end so as not to take off the bloom or dirty the egg with finger grease. It worked for my hens. At least, the hay will keep the chicks warmer and more comfortable when they hatch. My rooster often visits a nesting box, usually to encourage a hen into it. Life with chickens :)
ReplyDeleteI was all set to do this when muff gave up on her nest!! If she gets broody again, I'm going to try this. And I'm glad I'm not the only one with a rooster in the nestbox. THanks for the advice!
DeleteI have only on idea about chickens!:-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter everyone.
You too Willie!
DeleteNo photos from the wanker truck please.
ReplyDeleteNo problem!! :)
DeleteWe HAD a rooster that liked to visit our nest boxes but was looking for a snack. He was mighty tastey!
ReplyDelete