It's amazing watching a life begin

[Chicken Whisperers]

It is kinda hard to not like a chicken, or any pet bird for this matter! We had a really mean RIR hen. She was massive... But I didn't really dislike her until she disfigured another hens comb. It was all crooked and hanging off the side of her head(sorry for the gross description) and that's when I said 'ok, off you go!' So we gave her away before she caused any more trouble. Chica's comb is still a little funky, and every time I look at it I think about Scary Terri (that's what we nicknamed her, cause her real name was Terria)

 

[Sunshine Flock]

It's so amazing. I really had no clue what I was doing when my hen went broody in early June. I forgot they even do that, so I was totally unprepared.

Eight of the ten eggs were fertile. Five are now thriving month-old chicks. I won't let my hen sit on eggs past May again because of the summer heat in my location, and I learned some other really important lessons, too.

But my goodness, I'll never forget thinking there's no way the eggs are fertile (Welsummer eggs are hard to candle), and then one morning I heard the softest, sweetest little cheeps coming from under Gertrude, and then more later in the day, and just like that I'm a chicken hatcher person.

The whole process is truly a miracle. The science just amazes me.

 

[Chicken Whisperers]

This is Chica/ you can't really see her weird comb but whatever

 

[tcfoster]

All part of the fam indeed!! I spoil my hens to the point of them practically becoming queens!! We have had chickens for 7 years, with two of them still thriving from the start. Ginger and Daisy are my two old women of the flock

Aw Ginger and Daisy! What breeds are they? We have only had chickens for just over a year, I feel like I have learned so much but still have so much to learn! Ours are very spoiled as well. I am officially the crazy chicken lady of the family.

I grew up with lots of different pets and raised and showed Netherland Dwarf rabbits, but never had chickens until now. We started with 4 Sex-links: Winky, Lucky, Elizabeth, and Hen (a Hebrew name meaning grace, charm, and fairness- and also a great play on words). In December we adopted 4 black and blue laced Orpingtons from our neighbors (Coco, Hedwig, Buckbeak (also known as Beaky) and Samantha. In March we got 3 black silkie chicks - Sofia, Violet, and Peanut. Unfortunately Sofia is a roo so she's now Bro-fia. And last week we added 2 new white silkie 3-month old hens - not named yet! I just can't stop, I am literally addicted to chickens!

 

[007Sean]

Aww, that's an awesome thing to just put out there. But I totally agree: we hatched out two chickies about a month ago. One of them didn't make it, though. My brother made fun of me when I cried as I threw the dead egg out, but seriously, it's just like it was always alive. He said: it's not even sad when a ful grown chicken dies, let alone one that didn't even make it out of the shell'. But it is!! I still miss Stormie, even though she was never born. I was sad, but I realized that if I didn't want the other two to pass away also, I needed to protect them with all my heart. My chickens are the best thing in the world to me

That's what's partly wrong with this world nowdays....few consider all life as sacred! Doesn't matter how great or small the creature!
I've been hatching and raising birds for over 50 years, and every time, I'm still in amazement, in awe and wonderment of each egg that develops and hatches. Doesn't matter whether it's a lowly ring necked pheasant or one of my rare and expensive pheasants. Birds really have a rough time in development and in the hatching process, then they have to contend with the stuggles of life, in and of it's self.
And it hurts to loose any of them, regardless of their worldly worth. To me their all priceless!

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

007Sean...Every life is precious and priceless... very true,you can't put a price on love (I don't sell any of my birds)... no one could ever love them like I do.

 

[Chicken Whisperers]

@tcfoster : Ginger is a Buff Brahma and Daisy is an Ameraucana. They both have their own little personalities: it's sooo cute! Ginger is really big, but she thinks she's the size of a month old pullet!! She will just come moseying on over into my lap and settle down, and I don't mind, but its just kinda funny. Daisy is the broody hen that sat on those eggs that hatched out to be Pepper and Peaches. She has great mama instincts, too! If any of the other hens get near, she'll fluff up her feathers and huddle down on top of the chicks to protect them. She even attacked my dog, who just happened to be passing by. Both of them are really sweet, and although only Daisy is in good health right now, I know if Ginger passes soon she will be with the other two originals. Tigger and Violet were also ameraucanas, but they died years ago. At least Ginger will have buddies! But I'm also kind of confused because she has had waterbelly for probably two months now. Usually a chicken with waterbelly will die within weeks. I'm not complaining, I want to be with her as long as possible, but it's just confusing. But anyway, both of my 7-year olds are very sweet old hens (to me, at least. They don't exactly get along with each other very well) but I am lucky to still have them after all these years!