This is the first time for both the hen and us having naturally hatched chicks - and I'm thrilled. I never separated her from the main flock, so she got extra eggs every day that I removed (I marked the incubating ones) She did go into the wrong nest twice - the second time back into her original - and one of those times the eggs were cold. But I stuck them back under, and now look!! Chicks!!! When I do it again, I might separate, but one things for sure - I will not mark the eggs in merely pencil. Two half-incubated eggs slipped into the eggs for eating. Fortunately, I caught one of them before it went over the skillet, and cracked it in the compost. The other, however, got sold to our most faithful costumer. She had good humor about it, thank God.
So Mama C started out with 12 eggs, two lost to humans, one I realized was a duck egg (no drake
) and as I write this, there are 5 chicks and one known pip. Hooray broodies!!!!!!!
P.S. Mama C is a partridge Rock, from Ideal. The papa of the eggs was a GLW/buff Rock, so all of the chicks are certified mutts. I just grabbed eggs from the nest boxes, so the parentage is unknown.
Here she is!!
It is just so cute to see them come out from under Mama. She's such a good girl.
So Mama C started out with 12 eggs, two lost to humans, one I realized was a duck egg (no drake
P.S. Mama C is a partridge Rock, from Ideal. The papa of the eggs was a GLW/buff Rock, so all of the chicks are certified mutts. I just grabbed eggs from the nest boxes, so the parentage is unknown.
Here she is!!
It is just so cute to see them come out from under Mama. She's such a good girl.
