It has been quite heart warming seeing the friendship blossom between Emerald and Speckles.
Emerald and Speckles perch together
They spend a lot of time perching side by side. Emerald has a tendency to stand rather than sit. This is also true of her position in the shed at bedtime until later in the evening.
However yesterday after Emerald had laid her egg she wanted to brood for the first time. In the four years that we have had her she has never showed any signs of going broody. She had always stopped laying half way through May.
This year she has laid for three weeks longer than she has ever laid before. I think maybe that is why she wants to go broody. I think yesterday’s egg was probably her last egg of the season and she has now decided that it is time to sit.
Emerald wants to stay in the cat box
Emerald and Speckles roost together
Speckles often used to roost at the far end of the perch, away from the rest of the bigger girls. Now Speckles and Emerald always roost together. I think Emerald’s flattened, sitting down, pose, is because of her broody feelings.
Yesterday she wanted to stay in the cat box. She has never done this before. I took her out several times and she returned to the cat box. I put the grill on the cat box to close it from her. I was surprised to find that she managed to open the grill and climb over it to settle in the cat box once more. She was determined to get in there. I closed it more securely.
This morning I left the cat box closed and Emerald stayed in the shed near the cat box. She didn’t even want to come out for some corn. I decided to remove the cat box. She still returned to the shed so I decided to close the pop hole.
I really don’t want Emerald to spend her day in the shed and the other girls can lay their eggs in the wooden nest boxes. Once I had closed the shed Emerald stayed out in the run.
I don’t think she will start laying again until next year as she has already laid for the longest stretch ever but I just don’t want her to spend time sitting in the shed when she could be out in the run with her flock mates doing chicken things.
I hope she will soon forget and get back to normal. This seemed like an appropriate time to remove the cat box as without Emerald laying it will no longer be needed. Only Freckles and Rusty lay their eggs in the cat box and with Rusty it’s only been her last two eggs. I am sure they will soon get used to the wooden nest boxes again.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Nice picture the two together.
Several times today they have been in the same position on the other ladder and sometimes on the perch by the metal table. They do seem to be sticking together.
Awe, Emerald. I have two broodies right now and two more showing signs. It’s going to be a long summer at my house.
I am used to the seramas going broody and some of my past girls, Butterscotch in particular, but Emerald in four years has never showed any sign of going broody before. She has laid for the longest spell ever this year so maybe that has something to do with it. She didn’t want to leave the shed this morning so I closed the pop hole once more and she has stayed in the run for the day. Three little girls laid in the wooden nest boxes. Unlike past broodies, Emerald isn’t going to the nest boxes. I think she is brighter than the other girls and knows that the nest boxes won’t do the job as she laid her eggs in the cat box.
I feel for you with multiple broodies. At the moment my seramas are going one at a time and I can break them in three days, simply by constantly taking them out. I put this down to them being less than bright, although making up for this, with extra cuteness. You just have to love them.
I think you said, when you first got Emerald and Toffee, that the farmer used game birds for broodies; strange that she’s never gone broody before but, as you say, she has laid longer this year, and has been laying really well. I have 5 broody at the moment – it’s persistent here, but only to be expected with silkie and silkie crosses, although my marans and wyandottes have also been broody. Brown eggs have virtually disappeared – for now; suspect some will start and moult soon.
I have always been surprised that the farmer we got her from used the game girls as broodies because Toffee never went broody and this is Emerald’s first time. After a day of being shut out of the shed she was back to normal but as I suspected she hasn’t laid since. This was her record year for laying.
I don’t envy you with five broodies at once. Speckles hasn’t laid again since her whopper egg. I am not sure if she will lay any more this year either but you never know. She was always erratic with her egg laying but has always laid the largest eggs of any of my girls.
It is good to have you back, I have missed you. I assumed that perhaps you were away as I felt certain you would comment on Apricot and Speckles eggs. It is good to hear from you again. Good luck with all your broodies, I think you are right about some moulting being just around the corner.
Thanks, Carol – had a difficult month; my mother died on 10th May, then my wife had a hip replacement on 28th, so I’ve been very much out of routine. Hope to be able to get back to normal, but have a couple of months of seasonal work commitments starting mid-week next week. It was a pleasure to get back into the know with your flock.
I am so sorry. I just assumed you were away on holiday. So sorry for your loss and I hope your wife is on the road to recovery after her hip replacement.
I am so happy to have you along with my flock’s ups and downs. In a mad world it’s a small thing that keeps us going in the daily routine. I wish you better times round the corner.