Broody Bill

Months ago, Fitz went a bit broody and was over it in about two days.  Not so for Bill.  She's been trilling and puffed up for days.  It's amazing how large she looks with all her feathers puffed up!  Her belly is bare, as it needs to be to keep a clutch of fertile eggs warm.  The problem is that we have no Roo and no fertile eggs for her to take care of.  Also, it is summer so it is hot to be laying around in the nesting box.  In addition to that, she is so focused on taking care of her non-existent clutch of eggs, that she is not eating and drinking the way she needs to be.  Of course, we are spoiling her with many much-loved treats and she eats them eventually.  As my friend T.B. says, "chickens can focus on only one thing at a time."  Right now, Bill is all about baby chicks.  

After reading many backyard chicken farmers' blogs and message boards about broody hens, we decided to empty out the pine shavings and straw from the bottom of our little coop within the coop.  This will allow the air to circulate around her and keep her out of the dark corners of the nesting boxes where it is just too hot for her.  Hopefully this will cool her from her chick-focus and get her back to her normal size. 

All in all, she is super adorable in this state.  We are just worried about the other hens catching the biological clock.  Or is it biological CLUCK?  ha ha

In addition, we are hoping that she will  be back to normal before Papa Hen travels for work next week and Mama Hen leaves for a week at The Farm.