"Lavender's Brood ...dilly dilly ..."

Lavender, my beautiful blue/grey Cochin hen, has been broody since 9th April, when I promptly stuck a selection of eggs underneath her along with one of her own. Four Dorking eggs and two Buff Orpington eggs have remained and should hatch any time now.

As I was so desperately unsure of what I was doing the first time round when I had chicks, I am determined to make it work this time round and make sure that all the little chicks survive. I went up to our local country store yesterday and purchased a maternity ward for Lavender so as to separate her from the others. It's just a basic run about a couple of feet long and one foot wide and an enclosed bedroom area where she can be private and sit on her eggs.

She took to it very well and the transfer was a lot easier than expected from the main hutch into her new quarters. She was a little confused at first and pecked at the wire to the run area for a bit. I calmed her down by placing my jacket over the run and she went inside to discover her eggs. There was minimal pecking on the wooden sides and then silence. I opened the door to the hutch five minutes later and she was all spread out over her eggs as normal ...smashing!!!

I was worried that I was really going to stress out a pregnant Mother to be, which from my own experience is not a wise thing to do! but, It all went swimmingly in the end and she seems right at home now.