Gotta brag on my hen - wanted to share......

[smoothmule]

I hatched out 4 LF Araucana chicks from eggs I bought and I kept them in the house for a while then moved them out to the barn to an inside room with a light to keep them warm. They were a month old and feathering out nicely so I started putting them out in the main coop a few hours in the day when I had let the other hens out to free range a while then put them back in the barn at night cause the evenings are a lot cooler now. I watched to be sure the other chickens and my 2 month old chicks didn't harass them and they were fine. There are 4 of them and they stuck together like glue.

I went out yesterday to put them back in the barn, it was getting pretty cool and dark and they were huddled together on the ground. I have one Maran hen setting on some more Araucana eggs and in the next box over, was one of the other Maran hens, setting on a single egg and clucking away. I thought I would see how she reacted to the chicks so I slipped her one egg out and put all 4 of these one month old chicks under her. It was pretty dark and she raised herself up to allow them to snuggle up under her. She pecked at them a couple of times but in a motherly way, like she was telling them to settle down and go to sleep rather than annoyed they were in her space. I left her a couple hours and went back to check on them and they were all cuddled up under their new mom. This is a year old hen who had not yet hatched and cared for any of her own chicks. In a leap of faith, I left them with her and went on to work today.

I knew it would be plenty warm for them to be out in the coop all day even if they were on their own so I didn't go out to check on them until after dark tonight. I was nearly overwhelmed at the site of finding this hen on the ground, hovering her new "month old" brood and clucking away happily with them snuggled up under her safe and warm. I guess my job is over for these chicks

I think this hen deserves a reward, but I think she already feels she's won the chick lottery

 

[Baymule]

She deserves some raisins!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gryeyes]

Oh how WONDERFUL!

(We need photos now, you know.....)

 

[fl_deb]

That is way TOO Cool!

and yes I agree, pictures are in order here.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

How darling, she's a good mommie!

 

[smoothmule]

I'll have to take some tomorrow when we get home. I'm going to a local town, a teeny town, that has a get together sort of like a country reunion. There are tens of thousands of people who come and it's larger every year. I'll take some this weekend though. I'm just so impressed that this hen took on chicks that were so old and that they accepted her so quickly as their new mother. I started them under the hen that is setting the other eggs now then moved them into the incubator. I am still amazed.

 

[cashdl]

Cathy,

That is awesome. I know the chicks I let broodys take care of here fare way better than the ones I hatch and put in broody pens. I do have a 5 month old turkey polt that is watching over 3 of mine that are 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks. She is teaching them to eat and snuggles with them at night.

Your hen sounds like a definate keeper. I appreciate that she is taking care of my babies.

Lanae

 

[Armageddon]

That is sooooooo sweet!

 

[Happy Chooks]

That hen is a keeper for sure!!!! That is so sweet that she took them in.

I have a broody with her 8 chicks right now. I just love watching her show them how to eat/drink.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Awesome mommy!

I had a chicken like that, she was setting on eggs and I had to put 2 half grown guineas in there with her and a almost full grown rooster and she adopted all three of them!