Monday, May 13, 2013

By Leaps and Bounds Part 8: Broody Hens, and Incubator Chicks

 We have chicks E.V.E.R.Y  W.H.E.R.E!!!  Let's quickly take a tour of all the babies to get you updated and clarify it for us :)  So, first we had the laying chicks we ordered from McMurray.  Then the Lavender Orpingtons, we just had to have.
Next... Sissy, our first broody hen, hatched out 5 darling silver giant chicks...

and 2 misfit black chicks, whose mother must have snuck in her eggs when we weren't looking.


Sissy, is a very good momma, and loves to take her babies outside to dust bathe. :)


The next groups are just a little confusing, so let me explain.  Josiah had won a picture contest with a photo of an arrangement of eggs, and his prize had been a dozen hatching eggs of some special Blue/Blue Barred Rocks.  We had added them into the incubator along with some eggs from our hens which we were hatching out mainly for friends.


Well, at the same time Little Girl (Josiah's chicken, who just adores him) went broody, so we gave her some of our eggs to sit on for the time being.

Then when 8 out of 12 (a wonderful ratio for shipped eggs) of Josiah's prize eggs hatched, we gave them to Little Girl, and like the sweet heart she is, she accepted everyone of them, and went from sitting on 3 eggs, to the happy mother of 8 chicks.  She had never had a hatch go so fast!!! :)



  Back in the house, our other chicks had hatched, and were being loved on.

 Most of the eggs we set were Easter Egg chickens, and they came out so sweet with puffy cheeks, and little beards. 

 Baby Clairette all sleepy after hatching.

 These are Mousy's (our most adorable Lavender Easter Egger Hen) babies.

1 girl 1 boy!!  They are absolutely, downright, no question about it, adorable, dolls!!!

So, I think that is all the chicks for now! :)  We do have a couple of broody hens in the chicken coop..... 

~Chs