Mary, our heritage Rhode Island red hen, "went broody" yesterday afternoon. Elaine and I were very excited because that means in three weeks or so Mary's chicks will hatch. One of the joys of raising heritage chickens is that the hens know how to sit on a nest and hatch the eggs. Mary is now three years old and this is the fourth time she has become broody.
Mary is an excellent mother and is very attentive to her chicks. So we are sure that she will be the same with this bunch. She has already been doing the harsh "chrrrr" sound when her fellow flock hens approach her nest. Chickens have this penchant of all wanting to lay their eggs in the same nest no matter how many nesting boxes are within a coop. Mary's protesting chrrrrs is her way of telling her fellow hens to stay away.
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