Broody hen surprise!

Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time!

Having gathered eggs on my grandparents' farm as a child, and as a volunteer Hen House Helper at the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, I have benefitted from many "close encounters" with chickens.

Tuesday I was collecting from a particularly broody Barred Rock Hen. I lifted the hen with my right hand and reached in the nest with my left to avoid being pecked. As I lifted the hen, she laid a warm, elastic egg directly into my hand!

Unbelievable! To see the "act of laying" up close and personal was truly amazing! Thanks to the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm for this experience!

Cynthia Horine

Editor's note: Thank YOU, Cynthia -- for volunteering your time as a Hen House Helper, and for sharing this amazing story with us!

How to trick a broody hen . . .

I'm trying a crazy experiment with the hens this week. Many of the Learning Farm hens have become "broody" -- this means they are spending a lot of time sitting on their eggs hoping to make them hatch. Although that seems to be the hen's plan, it does not align with the Learning Farm's plan to package their eggs for sale!

We do have a few roosters in the flock, but we collect eggs twice a day and refrigerate them, which stops any fertilized eggs from developing into chicks. This is easy to explain to you, but challenging to communicate to the hens!

Based on my quick research, broodiness is not desirable in a laying flock for several reasons. First, they sometimes peck the volunteer Hen House Helpers -- it's not painful, but it's surprising! Also, broody hens may neglect their own health by not eating or drinking as often as they should, and their egg production may diminish.

Ready for the crazy experiment? I read that broodiness can be curbed by lowering the body temperature of the hen's underside. I read about some labor-intensive ideas for doing this, but came up with an easier, though crazier idea instead. We are going to try to reduce broody behavior by placing plastic eggs containing plastic ice cubes underneath the hens who exhibit the most "pecky" behaviors.

It's so crazy, it just might work! Even if it doesn't it can't hurt to try, and it's been fun learning more about chickens. I never anticipated using my undergraduate psychology degree on chickens . . . .

Chickens on the Farm Camp!

Whew! Last week the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm had our first Chickens on the Farm Camp! A great group of 8-10 year old students spent some quality time with the lovely Learning Farm hens.

During the one week camp the children learned about chickens, fed them, collected eggs, did chicken-related crafts, and more. The hens received a lot of attention last week!

Sound interesting? All of our children's Farm Camp programs involve collecting eggs and interacting with the chickens. Young farmers also dig in the soil, care for plants, harvest crops, and even prepare their own snacks during some camp sessions.

The Learning Farm has some spaces in the following Farm Camps:

Sweet Peas (4-5 years) -- Using Our Senses to Explore the Farm
Session A: July 19 - July 29 (2 weeks), Tues. - Fri. from 9-11:30 a.m., $200/child
Session B: Aug. 2 - Aug. 12 (2 weeks), Tues. - Fri. from 9-11:30 a.m., $200/child

Hungry Caterpillars (6-7 years) -- Plants and Animals on the Farm
Session A: July 19 - July 29 (2 weeks), Tues. - Fri. from 1-3:30 p.m., $200/child
Session B: Aug. 2 - Aug. 12 (2 weeks), Tues. - Fri. from 1-3:30 p.m., $200/child

Chickens on the Farm (5-7 years) -- ONLY ONE OPENING LEFT!
July 12-15 (1 week), Tues. - Fri. from 1-3:30 p.m., $100/child

Great Garden Gang -- Exploring Fall on the Farm (5-10 years)
Sept. 1 - Oct. 6, Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m., $90/child

Registration forms can be downloaded at www.prairiecrossing.com/learning/farm.php We hope to see your young farmer at Farm Camp this summer!

Stay tuned for fun stories from last week's Chickens on the Farm Camp . . . .