🐣🐥Black Copper Marans and Whiting True Blues. Lots of videos🎥

[wrathsfarm]

Ahhhh....gotcha. My brain is on overload, sorry.

What are ya hatching? I may have missed that also...

 

[TexasBlues]

Ahhhh....gotcha. My brain is on overload, sorry.

What are ya hatching? I may have missed that also...

When I was out of town the Marans starting setting 2 of her eggs. A whiting true blue hen laid 8 eggs in the same nest. So, I’m expecting the chicks to hatch over a several day span.
The first chick is adorable.
Oh- most are pure whiting true blue and 2 are wtb x black copper marans.

 

[TexasBlues]

The Marans hen has been a good attentive mother so far. I let them out of the brooder box on day 4 to explore. She’s taken them completely around the whole back and front yard this morning.

 

[MayBerg]

The Marans hen has been a good attentive mother so far. I let them out of the brooder box on day 4 to explore. She’s taken them completely around the whole back and front yard this morning.

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Too much cuteness in pictures. Omg, I love

 

[TexasBlues]

Too much cuteness in pictures. Omg, I love

 

[MayBerg]

She's a good mamma, she is teaching them well.

 

[TexasBlues]

She's a good mamma, she is teaching them well.

She does seem like a good mama. She has let it be known to the other chickens to give her and her chickens plenty of soace.
I’ve noticed she can’t keep count of the chicks. One got stuck between the fence and she didn’t seem to even notice one missing and moved on.

 

[Tstraub]

She does seem like a good mama. She has let it be known to the other chickens to give her and her chickens plenty of soace.
I’ve noticed she can’t keep count of the chicks. One got stuck between the fence and she didn’t seem to even notice one missing and moved on.

My Jersey Giant Gena was the same way. Sometimes one of the chicks would fall behind and she would just leave them. The first time I noticed it I tried to help by catching the baby and bringing it back. As soon as I laid hands on the chick it started screaming and moma hen came running to let me know to leave those babies alone.

After that I would just watch from a distance but not interfere. Eventually the chick would get cold and call out for its mom. Gena was always quick to respond once the baby called out. That put my mind at ease seeing she was there when needed.

She did leave the chicks earlier than I expected returning to the roost with the adults and ignoring the chicks when they were just 4 weeks old. My Rooster Axl took over some of the motherly duties at that time but they didn’t need a lot they mostly raised themselves and did just fine.

 

[TexasBlues]

2 more whiting true blues hatched out yesterday. I have them inside for a day to get their legs and then put them with the rest of the brood that are a week older. Mama hen took them on no problem. Good thing they all look similar.

I was going wait until night time to put them with her in the brooder but they were being very loud in my office so I expedited their release.

 

[TexasBlues]

I got to say @wrathsfarm and @Tstraub I couldn’t be happier that the broody Marans has taken in the younger chicks. It’s starting to get dark and I put them all in the brooder and they ate, drank and got under the hen.
I like this way of raising chicks, I’ll just have to make it smoother next time and no staggered hatches. Speaking of …I have 6 more wtb eggs in the incubator due in one week. That will be a good test to see if I can integrate those 6 as easily as these last 2.
If you’re wondering why all the small staggered hatches. This last 6 is from the last eggs of my wtb hen that died a few weeks ago. I had some of her eggs in the wine fridge and went ahead and incubated those with a few from my black WTB.
I won’t hatch anymore eggs until all the marans are laying regularly and I can get some olive egger offspring. Hopefully by that time all the mixed pullets will be laying and I can hatch the best of those eggs too.
You can see in the pics the taped splint on the curled toe chick. I reckon that was caused by being in the egg too long? And getting shrink wrapped? It was peeping for awhile, I should’ve stepped in sooner. I was hesitant due to not knowing the actual day these started incubating.