While Little Red was climbing the avian social ladder and Alice and Margaret were adapting to their new environs, Big Mama was contemplating motherhood. On January 11, I went out to collect eggs, and Big Mama was in the "Food Bank" (presumably to make a deposit), but when I went out later that evening, she was still in the Bank, and I collected no eggs that day. The next morning, I went out to collect eggs, and Big Mama was still in the Bank, but next to her was one egg. I reached in for the egg, and she GROWLED at me...really! I didn't know that chickens could growl, but growl she did! Later that night she was still in the Bank. I got a broom to "encourage" her out, but she absolutely refused to leave! This went on for several days; me going out to collect eggs and Big Mama continuing her "sit in" at the Bank.
After Big Mama's fifth day of residency, I decided it was time to see what was going on in there, but I was a bit intimidated. (She growled at me, remember?!) I had read about "broody" hens, and I suspected that I was dealing with one, so I called in back-up. First I phoned my brother, Dan, and he came in and built a nest box right away. Then I called my uncle, Duane. Someone would need to secure the hen, and someone would need to count and move the eggs. I was planning to count and move the eggs and let Duane take his chances with the hen!
Duane, ever brave, removed Big Mama from the Food Bank, and we discovered that over the course of five days, Big Mama had managed to tuck away twelve eggs--some her own and others pilfered from her flock mates. (As aggressive as she was toward me, she didn't seem to mind sharing "her" nest with the other hens. Little did they know that as soon as they laid their eggs and left, she would add them to her growing collection!)
Big Mama raised a terrible ruckus as I carefully removed the eggs and placed them in the newly built nest box. When it seemed that Big Mama could stand it no more, Duane placed her in the nest box atop her precious eggs only to have her race screaming and squawking back to the Food Bank! Big Mama had obviously lost her mind, so Duane (ever brave) captured her (again) and placed her in the new nest box (again), and we boarded it up so she couldn't get out! (Fortunately, Dan had drilled ventilation holes in the lid, so Big Mama was able to breathe!) The next morning, I removed the barricade and found that Big Mama had come to her senses and was sitting contentedly on her new nest.
On February 2 (my birthday!), my husband came in from the chicken house and said, "Something is going on with Big Mama." I went out the the chicken house and heard Big Mama warbling softly to herself. A couple hours later we were greeted by three fuzzy baby chicks peeking out from beneath her wings! On February 3, Big Mama hatched five more babies for a total of eight. (Not bad for a first hatch!) Big Mama as been an amazing mother, and it has been a delight to watch her love, nurture, and protect her babies! Speaking of protect, not only can Big Mama growl, but it you get between her and her brood, she'll give you a ROAR!
