Alice is on the nest...

Alice is on the nest.  Well, actually, Alice has been on the nest for weeks, but finally, rather than shooing her off, I decided to let her keep some eggs.  Alice, our tiniest hen, is an Ameraucana that occupies the lowest rung on the flock's social ladder.  Except for color, Alice is the antithesis of Big Mama, our huge Buff Orpington that went broody in January.  Alice is shy, timid, and frail.  Big Mama is bold, buxom, and brassy.  I had no doubt that Big Mama would be able to handle the rigors of brooding, bring her clutch to hatch, and guard her chicks with her life, but Alice...Alice is an entirely different bird.  When Big Mama went broody, I was afraid of her, not for her.  But Alice, poor, sweet Alice, is just a wisp of a thing.

Although Alice has been struggling to keep eggs for weeks, Saturday was different.  When I went out to collect eggs on Saturday, Alice had puffed up bigger than I thought possible (which still wasn't very big at all), and she had a fierce look in her eye.   The broom and I tried to reason with her, but finally, I took pity on her and decided to let her keep the three eggs she had gathered.  In fact, I rewarded her tenacity with four more.  Alice and her clutch of seven have since been moved to the "broody box" in the vestibule.  Will Alice be able to go the distance in this heat?  Only time will tell.  My prayer is that she doesn't end up paying the ultimate price in her bid for motherhood.