Mama Hen hatched THIRTEEN babies yesterday.

[cluckcluckhens]

Pictures please.

 

[Weeg]

Adorable! Congratulations!
Its quite a surprise how much they can cover. Last Spring, my Mallard momma hatched 10, Pekin/Swedish Blue sized babies and was still able to cover them all. They can surprise us.
Enjoy your new additions! They really are so much fun.

 

[mrswalker]

If you move a mama chicken her babies to a new nesting spot, does she take to it quicker than a full size hen being moved to a new coop?

 

[NatJ]

If you move a mama chicken her babies to a new nesting spot, does she take to it quicker than a full size hen being moved to a new coop?

Yes, I think so.

Hens usually want to sleep in their familiar coop each night.
A broody hen will usually want to sit on the nest she chose for herself.

But a hen with young chicks will tend to stay where the chicks are, which makes it easier to move her and have her stay moved. (She might try to go "home" and take the chicks with her, but if she & the chicks are in a secure pen, I think she settles in faster than a hen without chicks.)

 

[mrswalker]

Yes, I think so.

Hens usually want to sleep in their familiar coop each night.
A broody hen will usually want to sit on the nest she chose for herself.

But a hen with young chicks will tend to stay where the chicks are, which makes it easier to move her and have her stay moved. (She might try to go "home" and take the chicks with her, but if she & the chicks are in a secure pen, I think she settles in faster than a hen without chicks.)

That was my hunch. Mama bird has been trying to get them out of the brooder. Since they aren’t ready for the big barn, I moved them into a large pet carrier in the garden. They spent half the day closed in, then I let them out to roam. I’m hoping they’ll nest back in the carrier instead of finding their own place.

 

[mrswalker]

Pictures please.

 

[Weeg]

You really have a beautiful array of colors there! They're so beautiful!

 

[mrswalker]

You really have a beautiful array of colors there! They're so beautiful!

Thank you! Their papa is so pretty, this is a pic of him and the black/green boy is his baby. He was born fully black and now is gorgeous- there’s even purple on its back. I can’t wait to see how these babies turn out.