A friend of mine sent me this advertisement from a local Freecycle site:
I discovered in my barn a hen who has been laying on a clutch of eggs for who knows how long. I can’t tell you if the eggs will hatch tomorrow or in 2 or more weeks (I’m guessing closer to the latter). I’m not interested in any more chicks but I can’t bring myself to take her eggs away from her and take her back to the coop. If anyone wants a half-made chicken family, she’s yours if you have food and long-term accommodations for her and her brood.
Someone who can’t bring herself to take a determined broody hen’s eggs away is my kind of person. I love that she is doing this, and I love the gentle, loving story of it all.
It’s what us mama hens do. Sometimes we push our chicks out of the nest and sometimes we let them stay a little longer until they are ready.
I’ve notified the owner and told her I’d take the chicken and all chicks once they have hatched.
We’ll simply add them to the 9 assorted chicks we are scheduled to receive in about 2 weeks.
This mama hen will gladly continue what that mama hen has already started.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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