broody: a chicken story

Our bantam hen Scratch didn't come home to roost the other night. We were so scared for her but the next morning there she was, scratching around in the yard. The next thing we knew she was gone again and stayed away overnight again.

This morning Josh saw her come running across the concrete as if she had come from the front yard. She ate, scratched around, took a huge crap and then sat in the sun with the other two like it was any other day. Then the two started off one way and Scratch went the other. I watched her saunter over toward the front yard and nonchalantly jump the two foot wall and go underneath the recycling bins. I called Josh to help me and we were on either side of the bins so she didn't have a way out, but she wasn't moving anyway. I grabbed her with one hand (she's so skinny!) and what do you know, I grab an egg with her. I looked down and there were the other 11, all cozy in the dirt. Makes sense...she stopped laying about two weeks ago but thought it was just due to the cold. Nope...she was collecting herself some kids. Poor girl.

My vote was to go to the feed store and get her a couple of fertile eggs to sit on, but Josh was having none of it. So she's in the coop with food and water and no eggs. Not happy with us at all.

And yes, we looked for her all over the neighborhood! She made nary a cluck.