Babies on The Way From Mt. Healthy Sooooooooon!!!

Farmgirl1878

Crowing
6 Years
Mar 17, 2017
1,106
2,609
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Piketon, Ohio
My Coop
My Coop
My Speckled Sussex, Dottie, has been broody for about ten days now. And when I say broody, I mean she is READY for chicks! Our local Rural King and Tractor Supply stores haven't gotten any breeds that I want and don't expect to for quite some time. Sooooo, I started the disappointing online search of hatcheries. I have a small flock of seven girls, six of whom are going to be three years old this year, and I want to keep my flock small to allow the girls to have plenty of room in the 8' by 25' run and the 8' by 16' coop. With that in mind, I wanted to order three to five female chicks. And even more specifically, I was looking only at Brahmas or Cochins as I love their personalities and want to continue to have a laid-back flock.

NO ONE had Brahmas or Cochins in stock except Mt. Healthy, which happens to be about an hour away from us. Unfortunately, they don't raise Cochins, so I'm still without a Partridge Cochin or a sister to my Blue Cochin Blue, but I was able to order five Brahmas! They hatch on the 9th, so should be here shortly thereafter. Now I'm just hoping that Dot wakes up on the 11th and thinks, "WOW! Babies!! I LOVE them!!"

Here's a pic of my sleepy girl. She loves to nap on my lap and even now, in the throes of hormone Hell, she wants to be near me when she comes off the nest to eat, drink, poop (my word!!), and dustbathe.

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Yay!!! Nothing beats the excitement over chicks!! I love love love my brahma girls. Such a gentle breed!
I had a light Brahma for two and a half years. She passed unexpectedly from some kind of infection late last year. She was the first one to go and my favorite. When we got her, she was one of eight chicks, one of whom was a male BLRW. I thought she was the cockerel, so named her David! She also had a minor limp, so we called her David "Hop-along" Cassidy. She was such a sweet girl! Now I've got two light Brahmas coming. Along with a dark and two buffs!

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I had a light Brahma for two and a half years. She passed unexpectedly from some kind of infection late last year. She was the first one to go and my favorite. When we got her, she was one of eight chicks, one of whom was a male BLRW. I thought she was the cockerel, so named her David! She also had a minor limp, so we called her David "Hop-along" Cassidy. She was such a sweet girl! Now I've got two light Brahmas coming. Along with a dark and two buffs!

View attachment 2652976
My brahma would stand at my feet and watch me like this. I started picking her up and carrying her around. Low and behold she loves it!

I'm sorry you lost your sweet girl.
 
My brahma would stand at my feet and watch me like this. I started picking her up and carrying her around. Low and behold she loves it!

I'm sorry you lost your sweet girl.
She didn't like to be picked up, but once I moved my chair closer to one of the roosts in the run, she was able to hop from there onto my lap. She LOVED to sit on my lap, or even next to me on the roost, and just take a nap. I'm hoping I can convince the new chicks that it's okay to be picked up and snuggled...
 
Here is how to do it:
  • make sure all the chicks get a good drink of water
  • wait till dark, and work with a subdued light
  • this will sound a bit heartless but really helps, let the chicks get a little cold. This will make them peep like crazy, and they will burrow into her tighter than ticks
  • Wearing a thick sweatshirt, as she may peck at you, stick the chicks in either on her back or under her. Her voice should change, and she will start clucking to them.
  • This is the hardest part. LEAVE AND DON"T PEAK. Let them sort it out.

Good luck,
Mrs K
 
Here is how to do it:
  • make sure all the chicks get a good drink of water
  • wait till dark, and work with a subdued light
  • this will sound a bit heartless but really helps, let the chicks get a little cold. This will make them peep like crazy, and they will burrow into her tighter than ticks
  • Wearing a thick sweatshirt, as she may peck at you, stick the chicks in either on her back or under her. Her voice should change, and she will start clucking to them.
  • This is the hardest part. LEAVE AND DON"T PEAK. Let them sort it out.

Good luck,
Mrs K
I hope it works!! If she rejects them, will it be immediately? I will have the brooder set up in the coop, so I can move them to safety and warmth. Maybe I can sit inside the coop for a few minutes after I put them under her? (The girls are all used to me sitting in the coop, just not after dark - I usually just do a quick head count around dusk, chat with them for a few minutes, stroke a few willing backs, and lock the door behind me.)
 

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