Thursday 24 May 2018

Broody breaking

We'd been expecting Poppy (or Gloria) to have gone broody a few weeks ago.  We'd thought we might pop a few eggs under her, to reward her for her years of determined broodiness.   Once she's gone broody, she sits tight - on an empty nest - for six or seven weeks.

With the disappointment of so many clear eggs,  it seemed that popping some under Poppy would be a good idea.... but she didn't go broody.

Yesterday, DH separated the eggs from the two incubators.  One lot is due to hatch this weekend,  and they were moved into the incubator whch was set up for hatching (higher humidity). The other lot, the eergency lot I collected when we realised so many of the originals were clear, aren't due to hatch until 6 days later, so they are in the first incubator still.

Today, Poppy went broody.

DH brought back the Dorking's eggs from the allotment.  I cracked a couple, and they don't look fertilised to me.  They have a white spot on the yolk, but I can't see a definite bullseye ring.     Eggs from the garden girls often look like that, so I know it doesn't mean anything.

Anyway. We decided to write on the shells, and put them under Poppy.   We know they aren't likely to develop, but, well,  you never know.  And she might as well be sitting on them instead of sitting on nothing.

She gave me a Look as  I put the eggs under her.   I realised that I should have waited until she wasn't looking. Maybe when she was having her daily poo, or when she was asleep.  But it was too late.

Half an hour later, she was wandering around the garden, unbroody.

She may go back to it, so we'll have to see.  At least they weren't bought-in eggs.

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