Tuesday, 4 August 2009

Luise

...is our oldest chook at 6 years (or more) of age.

She's the little grey one. The two others are ex-battery hens and they were 18 months when we got them about 4 years ago.
Luise has been in semi-retirement for the last 2 years. When she gets broody (which happens very regularly), she sits in the nesting box for about 2-3 months. Must be cosy in there. We leave her be, as she seems to need the rest. The other chooks tend to just walk into the same box (we have 8 nesting boxes, but they only like the ones where another chook is already laying or sitting!!) and lay their eggs. So Luise sits on quite a pile of eggs every morning. You should hear here screech when we take them from underneath her. Sometimes you have to lift her up and do a little bum-check, as she sneakily clings on to an egg. Then one day she'll just get up and leave the box. For a few months nothing happens - then, suddenly, she lays an egg!
Spot Luise's little, pointy and very hard-shelled egg. It's perfect for when you want to crumb something.
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4 comments:

  1. greenfumb4 August 2009 at 6:03 pm

    Good on you for rescuing battery hens. Are they still laying? A Wyandotte breeder told me that Isa Browns stop laying after a year or so. I thought maybe he was just saying that because breeders dont like Isas.

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  2. Jacqueline4 August 2009 at 6:22 pm

    It's like looking into the future reading this - our broodies (Marjie and Fluff) are relentless when they start and they are both only 2 and 1/2 and 3 years old! They don't protest when I take the eggs but they do try wriggle them deep under wings and tail feathers so it is a gentle lift off every morning to make sure we have them all. Unfortunately Fluffy is also humongous so it gets very difficult for the others to squeeze in to use the box but they still insist on trying!!

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  3. Kelly4 August 2009 at 9:45 pm

    marjie,fluff,luise...loving this post! yes, yay for gnome rescue! may luise always produce wee eggies,much more comfortable! and good for crumbing!lol

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  4. Veggie Gnome6 August 2009 at 12:01 pm

    Greenfumb, yes, the battery hens are still laying! They have slowed down a little now, due to age and the cold winter, of course.

    Jacqui, chooks are incredibly entertaining, aren't they?
    Hope yours age as well as ours - but they seem to be on the right track anyway.

    Kel, it's great fun to keep chooks and you get to name them any way you like. :)

    ReplyDelete

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