July 20, 2012

Friday Farm Fotos: A Battle of Wills


This is Doris.
Doris is one of my four laying hens.
She is a big girl with an even bigger ambition.





Doris wants to be a mommy.
She has gone broody.



Problem is, there isn't a rooster around for miles.
Well, my three Silkie roosters are nearby, but thanks to their rather small stature,
the laws of nature say it would be nearly impossible for them to... ahhh... help her out.

So, there is a battle of wills going on between me and Doris.
I want her to snap out of it because now egg production is down.
(Broody hens don't lay eggs, they just want to sit on one.)
But more importantly, in this extreme heat we've been having it's very dangerous
for a hen to spend too much time in a not-so-well-ventilated nest box. 
Especially since she's wasting her time on infertile eggs....


But Doris is having none of my reasoning.....
I've done all I know to do to get her out of the mood.
I even went so far as to lock her outside the hen house for a few hours one day,
but when I opened the door she went right back on the nest,
scolding me the whole time.


Even her sisters- Daphne, Delia, and Darcy- think she's lost her mind...
especially when I throw a nice juicy, over-ripe tomato into their lot
and even that doesn't get her attention.





Oh, she came off the nest for a minute to see what the fuss was all about,




But then.....



*Sigh*


I'm thinking an egg-tervention may be in the near future...
Stay tuned.
Happy Friday, everyone!

24 comments:

  1. mmm Well I am no help. Maybe one of your little roosters will be able to umm well work something out lol

    Goats can surely pull off what seems to be the impossible in that respect LOL

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  2. It's not often these hens who are more natural layers than brooders, go broody and once they do, it's almost impossible to get them out of it. Do you know of anyone else has chickens with fertile eggs? Maybe someone could share one or two?

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  3. Three days in an anti-broody coop will do it. Even my most broodily persistent Buff Orps stop being broody. You can see what I did here

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  4. Guess what Paula, I have the solution... We just happen to have a few extra roosters that would enjoy moving to your hen house! ~smile~ I have looked into Doris' adoring eyes and this time I am on her side, btw my Mother's name is Doris. ~grinning~
    Enjoy your day, give Lily a hug for me.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  5. mmmhmm~I know about these kind of nest sitters, as my geese-who never have gentlemen goose friends around-can get VERY broody, and will not eat or drink. I have had to pick them up off the nest and firmly close the egg house door...

    Doris has that look, though, that she is one determined hen.
    ~Love, Debra

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  6. Poor Doris. What a predicament! Hope some cooler weather is headed your way... and maybe her Prince Charming, too! ;)

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  7. Is there anyone you know that has a rooster you could "borrow" for a while? Poor little wannabe Mommy!!
    Have a great weekend Girl!!
    hughugs

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  8. As a mama, I kinda admire her determination and I also sympathize with Doris. :) I'm learning alot about chickens from you! :)

    Tammy

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  9. Oh goodness, that sounds frustrating...for both you and Doris. I admire her pluck. :D

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  10. Poor Doris, I'll send you some roosters that'll fix the problem...lol..

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  11. I knew you loved chickens but did not realize you were a chicken shrink:) You have a real challenge on your hands. And all the "D" names are funny. Never a dull moment on the farm, for sure!

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  12. Poor Doris...calling all Roosters !! Always love hearing about the adventures on Fraker Farms !!

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  13. It's like a real life soap opera starring Doris. :)
    And the sister's talking about her! That is hysterical!
    Happy weekend to one of the most precious bloggers out in this blog world!

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  14. Well now, you may have to help her out! I can't even begin to imagine a solution to this! :) Enjoy your weekend!

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  15. This is a scream, who will win? What is the latest?

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  16. Wow...I am torn. As a woman, I know how this feels, wanting a baby. I'm still going through that in a sense, wishing I had another grandbaby to cuddle. I feel sorry for her. I DO know that egg production is the important part of this scenario. She's gumming up the works! But, I just shared this with my hubby and he says "Why can't they borrow a rooster for a few days." I guess we're just a couple of softies! :-)

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  17. Roosters and hens are a trip to deal with, and definitely have their own personalities. Richard

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  18. Poor Doris! Cute post, Paula. Hoping you and Miss Lily are having a good week.

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  19. Broody hens, what can you say? They are definitely committed to their task. I have a few myself and end up putting fertile eggs of some sort under them. Turkey, other chicken eggs I want hatched. In old times broody hens were worth a lot BECAUSE they were so broody. I hope you & Doris find a way to solve this problem. Poor Doris, unfulfilled and seeing no other way to satisfy this obsession except to sit, and sit, and sit....

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  20. Well.. she's a determined chicken... ya gotta give her that!

    Will it work to put some mesh over her nesting box? Or, will she just make herself at home in another one?

    Hope you are having a great week!

    Smiles :)
    Kerin

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  21. It doesn't hurt to dream........Doris has ambition!

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  22. Paula, thanks so much for visiting me over at Life Happens and your sweet comments. I had a Polish Hen once that went broody and an old farmer told me to dip her - legs and tail first - into a bucket of cold water. It worked. It has something to do with the body temperature. When a hen goes broody their body temperature goes up and sometimes a cold dip on their bottom portion will lower it and get her out of the broody mood. It's worth a try and with the hot temps we've been having, it can't hurt her.

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