Feathered Friend Friday: A Broody Hen

Earlier this week, I went out to the coop one evening to gather eggs and let the chickens out to free range for a while. When I was checking for eggs, I saw that one of our hens (Ellie, our light Brahma) was sitting in a nesting box. I immediately thought she might be broody, because she always lays her eggs in the morning, so it seemed strange that she would still be in a nesting box when it was in the evening.

My suspicions were confirmed when I approached the box and this happened.

Broodiness is a very strange thing, and one the hen has no say over. Every so often, forces beyond her control will compel a hen to sit on a clutch of eggs and hatch them out. She becomes very protective of her brood and will scream and bite if you come near her babies. This is just instinct of course, and I'm not mad at her for biting the crap out of my hand. She's just doing what any good mama would do.

As you may remember, we currently have five baby chicks inside the house right now, but we have decided to go ahead and let Ellie hatch out some of her eggs. We put several more eggs under her to get a good mix of chicks and give her a better chance of hatching some out successfully. It's clear how much she wants to be a mama, and I just can't bring myself to crush her dream again (she went broody last year and I broke her of it because we didn't want chicks at the time - it took her forever to forgive me!). So we will keep you updated as things progress, and hopefully in several weeks we will have some mama and baby photos to show you.

I also have an awesome giveaway for you today! My sweet friend Jackie from Born Ambitious. Born Imaginative. recently sent me two of her cute handmade drawstring bags. I mentioned in her post about the bags a few weeks back that I loved the ones with chickens stitched on the front (go figure) and she graciously sent me one to keep for myself, and one to give away to a lucky reader!

This is the bag you will receive (as modeled by Penelope). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to let me know you'd like to be entered into the drawing. US residents only please. I will pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 7 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be announced next Wednesday the 8th.

Head over to Jackie's blog for more details on her handmade bags and see how you can order some of your own. She has a stockpile going right now with lots of fun designs so you're sure to find something you love. Check it out here and look around her blog a bit while you're there. The photos of her adorable kids will grab your attention and her delicious food will make you want to stick around and come back for more. If it's your first time paying her a visit, let her know I sent you! She'd be so thrilled to meet you.

~Tammy

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****

The winner is...
Staci from Life At Cobble Hill Farm. Congrats, Staci!

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