Grumpiest Hen

By |2019-08-15T09:22:07-05:00August 30th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Every once in a while, a hen will go broody.  This means she sits in the nest box as if she is hatching eggs.  This would be fine if she actually had eggs and would sit on them until they hatch.  We’ve learned that many times she gives up before they hatch and we are left with undeveloped and unusable eggs.

One hen has been broody and grumpy. She pecks my hand when I reach for the eggs.  This is not entirely uncommon however it does not usually leave bruises!  I started throwing her out of the nest box before I gathered the eggs.  She would peck my leg in protest.

Brian put her in a separate area, but she would fly over the gate and go back to the nest box sometimes even before I got back to the house.She is the black hen – fitting for one so grumpy. Brian has now put wire over the top of the pen so she must stay put.

Be warned – if you get too grumpy at our house, you get put in time out!

Meanwhile, it is much safer gathering eggs these days.