Broody has decided that she wants to do nothing more than sit in the nesting box, day and night, with the hopes of hatching her eggs and any other egg that may be lying in wait. Since we're not in the business to turn out eggs at rapid speeds, we've humored her diligent desire to spend hours on end attempting to bring to fruition this impossible task. I have explained that the absence of a roo in the coop will keep her from ever succeeding since none of these eggs she's trying so hard to hatch are fertilized; however, I'm convinced that she's convinced she can do this!
For now, we're watching to be sure she's eating and drinking as broody hens will often not leave the nest unless they absolutely must. We've also made it a point to pull her from the nest and set her outside to free range with the others throughout the day, but she doesn't last long before high-tailin' it back to her nest to continue egg duty (eggs or no eggs). We collect the eggs often, so she moves from nest to nest, sitting on any egg she can find until we come and take it from her. Thankfully, she has yet to peck me as I pull her out or steal her egg. She does let me know with her low clucks and raised feathers that she's not happy about being pestered. I'm hoping that she'll eventually come to terms with the fact that hatching eggs is not in the stars for her, otherwise, I may have to call in a chicken whisperer to explain things for her!
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