Mom-to-be

 It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it! 

 From the television show ‘The Golden Girls’

Another one of Solly’s hen’s (she’s four months old now), has made herself at home in my garden and started laying eggs – against a wall, totally in the open with no protection over-head. I can’t actually provide her with any protection, I’m so scared she’ll leave the nest if I fiddle around too much.

The beginning of new life

However, I am preparing a warm place for them to live once she hatches her new brood, and hopefully Kingston, the Dad-to-Be will join them for good once they’re settled. Such exciting times! I just can’t wait to hold the little bundles once they’ve hatched!

Day 3

So far there are four eggs and she’ll probably lay 9 or 10 before starting with the serious stuff of sitting on them. I’ll be doing an up-date when the babies hatch, if all should go well – life on a smallholding for chickens is a risky business!

The proud Father-to-Be, “Kingston”, one of Solly’s youngest roosters – he’s also just 4 months old now.

Mommy Bobby and her clutch of 10

Mommy Bobby, one of Solly’s hens, chose to make her nest under a truck canopy lying on the lawn in the workshop area of our business (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa), waiting to be fitted on one of the trucks, snugly out of the rain and harm’s way. For three weeks the workshop staff waited impatiently (upon my strict threats that the canopy was not to be touched!) as Bobby sat on her clutch of 12 eggs, fluffing herself to double her normal size should anybody dare to come near.

Then, at about 11am on the 31st December 2010, she triumphantly emerged from underneath the canopy, keeping her brood of 10 close to her side, much to the pleasure and relief of all in the workshop, who immediately got to work moving the canopy, now leaving Bobby and her brood totally homeless!
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Now I know I was supposed to do this long before the time, but Solly and I quickly scrambled to erect a make-shift new home for them so that they wouldn't be caught in the rain that was looming, finishing the coup that same afternoon. At about 4pm, we slowly herded them towards their new home, securely fenced, protected against the rain and a large area where they stayed for about a week before I opened the gate and introduced them to the garden. Now they spend their days happily scratching around in the garden before she leads them home back to the coup at about 4.30pm every day.

Mommy and her brood quickly took to the new housing, snug and safe on the fresh straw I put down for them.

I’m really enjoying having chickens in my garden once more after an absence of almost 2 years!

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The chicken, no the egg, no the chicken, no the egg. It's enough to make your head spin right off your neck. We’ve all been through the logic; most of us end up at the same place... no answer!

Basically, many, many moons ago there was a chicken-like bird. It was genetically close to a chicken, but wasn’t a full-blown chicken yet...

Go to Mother Nature Network to FINALLY find out the truth!