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CITY GIRL FARMING | Sustainable Living for Regular People

A Chicken and Her Eggs

03/09/2011 By Kerrie

As you might remember, I’ve got a broody hen (Harriet) sitting on a clutch of “multi-ethnic eggs”…that is eggs from all sorts of different breeds of mother hens (okay, I don’t know if that term really works, but I’m using it).

Harriet is a dedicated little mama. Every time I open the chicken coop, I see her sitting here, content, on her clutch of 9 eggs. Waiting patiently for her family to hatch. She looks sweet and very motherly, somehow, as she patiently sits it out.

Harriet sits and waits...

I feel badly for her sometimes (like today, when it feels like spring and it’s a good day to be outside and stretch your wings a little). Especially since it’s Harriet. She loves being outside, hunting for ‘wild worms’ and all sorts of insects (she is the one I saw catch a butterfly in mid-air). She’s always the first one out, the last one in. She loves roaming in the yard.

Now, however, she’s cooped up in the coop, keeping her (hopefully) soon to be hatched chicks warm. So, I bring her little treats. Bugs, small bites of apples or lettuce. A tiny bit of cracked corn or bird seed. (She is my favorite after all!)

Harriet stretches for a piece of cracked corn

But today, Harriet got up for a stretch! It must have been the warmer weather. I fed her little snacks and she stood up, stretched, and walked over to the food dish, ate a bit, then flew outside to join the other girls for a bit of recess.

Harriet taking a lunch break
If you look, you can see the clutch of eggs behind her in the shadows...notice also, that she's laying on eggs UNDERNEATH the nesting boxes!

She even took time out for a lovely dust bath in the chicken run…eyes closed, blissed out in contentment. She scratched at a few bugs, ate a worm on her way back up in the coop, to join her eggs.

The blended family eggs...

Now, she’s all tucked back in, waiting. And waiting.

Back with the eggs...getting ready for another long sit...
Tucking the last of the eggs back under her.

The eggs are due to hatch march 14 or 15. I’ll let you know next week how many hatched (if any)…it’ll be a bit of backyard barnyard excitement to be sure!

Back to work for Harriet

Filed Under: Chickens Tagged With: buff orpington hen, chicken eggs, chicken hatching eggs, clutch of eggs, hatching eggs, hen with eggs

Kerrie

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As the editor of  this site, I am a chicken owner (and chicken lover!), a researcher and writer.  I’m not a veterinarian or other animal professional nor a doctor or other medical professional. 
Please do your own research and talk to your own trusted medical personnel. And be safe. See the whole disclaimer/disclosure here:

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