Good news: our errant broody has turned up! This is Queenie’s granddaughter: the only bird we kept from the clutch of 15 hatched out by Queenie Baby Pale (QBP) last Autumn. We kept her because of her markings and also for sentimental reasons…. Queenie is rather a special bantam and we are very keen to keep her line going. She appears to pass on her behavioural qualities as well as looks in that both her daughters and granddaughter are very prolific, as well as very noisy, layers. PLUS in the case of QBP and now, it appears her daughter as well, VERY good broodies.
We have NO idea where she has been for the last few days, we last saw her the morning of the 20th! We can only assume she has a nest of eggs somewhere and that in another two weeks she will hopefully appear with a brood. The fact that she has obviously avoided predators up to now is a good thing but whether she manages to continue to do so remains to be seen. In the nine months we have lived here we have seen very few signs of foxes or badgers living on or near our land which is probably why this bird is managing to avoid detection. We have heard the occasional fox and one of the dogs rolled in some fox poo last autumn (lovely) when we walked round our fields but otherwise, evidence of their presence is very minor.
We hoped we might be able to spot where our bird headed back off to, but having kept an eye on her for a good half hour as she ate and drank and had a good wander, we then turned our back for a second or two and she was gone!!! IF we were able to find her, we probably could not remove her and the eggs successfully now anyway as she would want to stay in the place she had chosen BUT, at the very least, we might be able to be enclose her where she sat so she was a bit more secure at night!!!
Well, as they say, time will tell how this story is going to end!!
In the meantime, we are delighted to announce that all TWELVE Indian game eggs currently being incubated by QPB are ALL fertile (due 7th May). One looks as though it may have stopped growing already but nonetheless for posted eggs this is a great start!!
We have eight of our own eggs under Queenie and our 2013 Indian Game (Posh) and SEVEN of those are fertile (due 10th May). We have bought more eggs, another set of Indian Game, some French Copper Moran eggs (for dark eggs) and half a dozen Exchequer Leghorn eggs (for white eggs). We need to decide which eggs to give to which broodies. We have six chickens that are broody now so enough for the eggs we have.
And then there are the turkeys, two of whom (Victoria and Katherine) are laying well. Victoria has 13 eggs already so she should start sitting soon. BOTH geese are also laying, one just starting today, although NEITHER are using the pig arc that we recently have acquired for them... AND after an unexplained gap of FIVE weeks, Pear (our second Muscovy) has begun to lay again. Banana’s eggs are due in the next two to three days!!!
Yep, it’s all go on the poultry front!!!!