Poor Josie. She really, really wants to be a mother. This is what we call a “broody chicken.” Some biological trigger was sprung, and she desperately wants chicks. It’s been about two months since she decided to hatch eggs, no matter how long it takes. She sits in her nest box all day long, hopping out once for a sip of water or a nibble of layer ration. Unfortunately, the lack of rooster in our coop means her extraordinary efforts are all for naught.

Every day I take her out and toss her into the yard. At the very least she gets a bit of exercise, a chance to eat some grass. She is noticeably frail, wobbly and extremely vocal, making a constant pipping cluck noise as she totters around. Inevitably, she loses interest in fresh air and scurries back to her box. Some chickens will never recover from this, literally starving themselves to death. Josie has dropped at least a pound, significant for a 5 pound bird. Keep your fingers crossed that her desire to be a mother passes soon!

Another poultry success story from a student in my AdWords classes! Her son and his wife  helped lead fight for the right to raise urban chickens in Stoughton, Wisconsin…happily they won their fight!

Check out their story here:  http://www.chickensinstoughton.com/

Now, we just need to work on Nashville, TN again…

These days I am especially happy to have my own group of healthy hens. Their lives are much different, much healthier and happier, than their sisters in factory farms. Still, it’s not a bad idea to be on alert to avoid a bout of Salmonella and it’s suite of symptoms: fever, bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

First step. Check your eggs to make sure you don’t have a bad batch. Read this page on the FDA site to learn how to identify the source of your eggs! If you’re not sure, toss them. Visit your local farmers market and buy happy eggs instead.

Ongoing Salmonella avoidance is not rocket science. Keep your eggs refrigerated. Don’t eat broken eggs, especially if they are covered in chicken poop. And cook them well – no raw egg a-la-Rocky. Here are some good resources for additional reading.

• CDC.gov
• WebMD
• IncredibleEgg.org

Another photo from the archives!