Foul fowl behaviour.

'Loooook into my eyes. 

 Looook into my eyes.  

You want to have my chickens.

You cannot resist me.'

 I think roosters go clucky!  Now before you laugh,  read on.  Before Henny decided motherhood was the go for her and hid her eggs under a bush. Brewster, the rooster was making odd noises and 'sitting' in strange places under bushes.  It was as if he was demonstrating the advantages of a range of good nest spots.

One day I even found him sitting on an egg under the cordyline.

As soon as Henny sat on her eggs under the bush, Brewster began making a different and constant noise that sounded like, 'ngg'.  It was high pitched but not very loud.  The other hens have always been a gregarious lot as you know, running up to us when they heard the door and even succeeding in getting into the house.  All of a sudden they eschewed our company choosing to stay close to Brewster.

I took people's advice and moved Henny into the shed with her eggs.  She didn't like it and wouldn't sit on them for a day.  They got cold.  She hopped back on the nest eventually and has been a model sitter for three weeks.  Sadly, I know they won't hatch and they are beginning to smell.  Henny has rotten kids and it nothing to do with their behaviour.

I have been trying to source some day old chickens to pop under her one night.  She will wake up one morning and get a dozen little surprises.  Unfortunately the man I was going to buy them from has had trouble with his incubator but her put me onto someone who can help.

One of the other hens squawks until Henny gets off the nest so she can lay her egg in there.  I have to retrieve it from under Henny.  So far I have been able to pick the new egg from the rotten ones. But the cook is breaking them into a cup, just in case I slip up.

Now today I may have discovered one reason why I haven't been getting many eggs.  Irene was on the back deck sort of dancing around in circles.  

Her bum got closer and closer to the ground. 

She looked as if she was doing the limbo. I could see an egg crowning and on the next pirouette she neatly deposited it on the ground.  Before I could open the door to pick it up she pecked it open and began to eat the contents. This cannot be good, I think.