designated chicksitter

[MickeysChicks]

So I go out to check on the girls this weekend, after working all day Sunday. Broody Mama has gotten used to me messing around her nest filling the babies feeder and waterer, cleaning up wet shavings ( somebody likes to splash water), and I usually have to lift a wing to do a baby head count. Well when I went to lift her wing, sure enough there were the 3 remaining chicks (the first 3 were playing ring around the waterer) and there was also a pretty white leghorn egg! Broody Mama is a Red Comet...not her egg!

The only thing I can think of is Mama has allowed a Leghorn to be a designated chicksitter while she steps out to stretch her legs and take care of business. I know she leaves the nest because there is no adult size poop in the the baby chick nest/pool. I put Mamas nest in a kiddy pool filled with shavings, keeps the littleones from getting into trouble with the rest of the flock in the coop, I got a picture somewhere I'll try to post when I find it!

 

[MickeysChicks]

Aha! Found the picture of the nest!

This is the view from the door of the coop, Broody Mama is in her nestbox which has it's back to the door, the kiddie pool is wedged in the corner, and for a few days we had temporary walls around the nest to keep out the rest of the nosey and very verbal girls. Since things have calmed down and everybody seems to have adjusted, we moved the walls away.


Here's a view standing over the nest looking down. We've come in a few times to find Mama up on the roost, stretching her wings and legs out. But I've also seen one of the other girls attempt to get on that roost and Broody Mama chased her off!