Ninja has done it again....

We've been worried about Ninja because we hadn't seen her out and about for 2 days. At the same time, we have seen multiple coyotes coming into our yard and though they don't seem to tarry long, we all know the outcome if chicken meets coyote. So of course I go into high worry mode and put out delicacies to see if I can tempt Ninja (if she's still around) to come out and show herself. No dice.

It was during a quick conversation that my partner showed me where he saw her last and we went out to see where she could've disappeared. Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ninja is smarter that I am by far. She was laying very still and didn't move even when we approached her. We thought she was injured or dead, so I reached down to grab her when she shot out of her hiding place and flew high up into the Deodar in the thicket. We gasped when we realized what she had been doing. She was sitting on a beautifully carved out nest of 15 eggs. She must've been laying at least 2 eggs per day since she decided to live with us and we were too thick to find out what she was up to. 

Now a broody hen is a great thing except for one MINOR detail. Unless she has a secret boyfriend we haven't seen, or more importantly, heard, her eggs will not hatch into cute little chicks. So I picked up all but 2 of the eggs (to keep in the nest so she would come back was my thinking), and then spent the rest of the day second-guessing myself. I confess I'm finding this chicken to be more stressful than joyful, but I hope to get it right in time and we will all be happy families.