No, I’m not brooding, but two of the chickens are, which is proving to be very annoying.  You’ll recall there were all manner of problems associated with beekeeping, and before I got the chickens I was assured they’re super-easy animals to take care of.  And they have been until now, but first one, and now a second hen have gone broody which means they refuse to leave the nest.

Without a rooster the eggs are infertile and will never hatch, so it’s particularly insane for the chickens to sit on these eggs 24/7.  I said to Calvin how do they eat or drink?  Every evening when I go out to close the coop I take out a nice dinner.  Usually kale, spinach or lettuce, topped by either rice or oatmeal.  They all used to come running, but now only four do, and the other two remain on the damn nest.

You might be thinking, so what?  However the problem is by not moving and giving themselves dust baths they can become encrusted with mites.  Another thing is they stop laying eggs, so right at this very moment I’m down to three eggs in the fridge, so I said to Calvin please do something with those chickens.

When they go all broody like that, they get really mean and so will puff up their feathers and act menacing when you come to get the eggs, which I’m not crazy about.  So Calvin said he’d go out and throw them out of the coop and try some strategies to get them to snap out of it. 

All six chickens lay their eggs in that end nest, so the two hens always have something to sit on.  But it only started with the one hen, and now two, so I don’t want to end up with more broody hens and no eggs.  And imagine the crowding as the nests are plastic milk crates filled with straw so it’s very full with the two of them, never mind more.

I should put a camera in there as I’d like to see how the other four hens get themselves into that nest box to lay their eggs.  I’d also like to know if the broody chickens ever leave to eat, drink or do their business.  Turns out chickens are quite fascinating.

The bad knee’s improving, so on Tuesday when Elsa and I go to thrift I should be able to steer the car myself.  Given Elsa has only one eye, it’s a bit dicier than normal, but we made it last time, so cry me a river about hazards while driving.  If you see two women in a red car, one blonde, one with an eye patch, just get out of the way if you’re a nervous driver.

Margaret and I are excited about our impending trip to Puerto Vallarta.  I’m going with carry on, but Margaret can’t cope with that, so I told her please bring a French press, a can of evaporated milk and a can opener of some kind so we don’t have to throw the can down onto the pool deck to open it.  I’ll bring the ground coffee.  I know it seems strange given most Airbnb condos have coffee makers and coffee, however we’re very particular about the way our day begins.

Calvin’s all set to watch the dogs, cats and chickens, so I can travel with a happy, free mind. However by the time he’s given the cats their four or five cans of Fancy Feast and filled their bowls with Temptations, cooked the pork for the dogs’ meals and carried out the chickens’ dinners, all under grey skies, I think he’ll be the one who ends up brooding.