Scott Simpson, of the Jasper County Prairie Chicken Sanctuary,
brought this prairie chicken
nest for our classes to see during his visit.
Female prairie chickens come to the booming grounds in the spring. The nest is on the ground, on a rise in the land, in a clump of grass. Prairie chickens like an overhead screening to block the sun. Dead grass is used to make the nest bowl, which has a 2 1/2 inch rim and a 1/2 inch center. The hen pulls feathers off her chest to line her nest.
The eggs are laid in mid April to mid May. One egg is laid per day. There is an average of twelve eggs to a nest. Eggs need incubation from the mother to keep warm so that the chicks can continue to develop in the egg. In about 25 days, the eggs hatch.
Then the female prairie chickens have a brood. A brood means the mother and her chicks. The mother has brood calls to gather her chicks and alarm calls if danger comes. If there is danger, the mother and chicks squat down and are hard to see. At night, the mother pulls out her wings and broods the little chicks. The chicks get under the mother's wings to keep warm at night. The mother squats down to keep the chicks warm.
Prairie chickens do not mate for life. Not mating for life means the female prairie chicken stays with the baby prairie chickens. The male prairie chicken goes away and then has babies with another female next year.
Around 1990, inbreeding was a problem, so people began introducing prairie chickens from other states to increase genetic diversity. Females have a tendency to go to other populations. They are not able to do this anymore because of the lack of other nearby groups. People bring in prairie chickens from other states to mimic this natural dispersal.
