Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Setting hen!

We have a hen setting on eggs!


We haven't had a setting hen since Frightful (who has since died) stole a nest last October.

This hen - she's nameless - parked herself behind the thousand-pound haybales in the barn, on top of a couple of propane canisters. Hey, wherever she feels comfortable, I guess. She's fairly safe from coyotes here. She only had one egg under her, so I put four more fresh ones nearby and she immediately tucked them under. She's been on it for about five days, so she still has another 16 or so days to do before we find out which eggs were fertile. Standby!

13 comments:

  1. Unless you intend to eat that hen someday, would you please give her a name? She's a mother now and deserves some respect. If you won't name her, we - your loyal fans - will.
    And you might not like the names we come up with. For example, just off the top of my head...Pillow Stuffing (too long?). TankHer (in deference to her affection for the propane tank, plus her gender). Pox (the word "chicken" being implied). Wishbone. Or perhaps, KFC Reject.

    How about it, loyal readers of Rural Revolution, shouldn't that hen have a name?

    Anonymous Twit
    USA

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  2. I would call her Goofy. I like short names that roll of the tongue easily. I hope she pulls it off and hatches all of them. That would be fun.

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  3. She sorta looks like a Mable to me.

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  4. She looks like Funky Feather to me.

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  5. How about "Hen"rietta?

    Jenna in Florida

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  6. What a coincidence! Just a few minutes ago, German Shepherd dog was barking in his "Mom, we gots a PROBLEM HERE" voice. I called him, asked him where the problem was, and he raced off to my firewood and feed area where a hen has a nest in a spare Rubbermaid watering tub. I heard thumping and bumping and thought maybe a possum had hold of the hen, so I raced over and the light of the flashlight revealed a rat snake about 5' long attempting to get the hen's eggs, and the hen was viciously picking and attempting to shake the snake. I retreated briefly to get a stick to allow the snake to climb up (I was disinclined to add to the scars on my arm by sticking my hand in there) but when I returned, snake was GONE and hen was settled back on the eggs.

    I'm just glad it didn't decide to flee up my leg underneath the blue jeans!

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  7. i hope you have real live chicks soon. i would dearly love to have chickens, ducks, geese, a few goats and maybe a burro or two but my husband won't let me...well, he is older than i am and (wink) so maybe someday.....if your setting hen hatches any chicks then i guess you will have to name her "mother".

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  8. Our standard chicken names are Trudy, whichever hen is last to come to the coop at night, Henrietta, the hen setting on eggs, and Ruby Ann, whichever is the boys' favorite at that time. There was a Delmaria at one time but I think they have retired that name in favor of Ruby Ann.
    Lorenzo Poe

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  9. I second on Henrietta.

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  10. You see that swampie, those birds are pretty resilient and and tough. These days I have to settle for watching birds dumb enough to put their nest in plain site on the iron structure of a plant were I spend so much time. I still enjoy watching a brood raised up only to return the next year and carry on the family tradition.

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  11. What a lovely Americuna! I have one that has the same colorings ,named Taffy. She lays the best blue eggs ever !

    How about Mrs. Tweedy in honor of the movie "Chicken Run" .

    Tina

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  12. I named my hens Chicken fingers and StirFry. Just to remind them that they had better produce one way or another.

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