Meet Broody Buffy - CHICKS are hatching! Pictures!

[teresa-78]

oh what a great story... the chicks are lovely.. im on day 12 for mine only 9 days left yey... 4 eggs under broody... please please all hatch lol

 

[aka Rachel]

Thats so awesome, congrats!!! I'm also so worried mine will kill the chicks, because on her first brood one was broken open. However I think that was my fault (too slippery in the nest box).

Right now, there is peeping coming from underneath her and I got to see



Sorry, I didn't mean to jack your thread, I'm just so excited

I'm also going to try to let my broody do this 'all natural'. Figure this out girls, 'cause I'm thinking 20 weeks is too long to raise 'em myself, lol.

 

[sonew123]

Congrats!!! You take gorgeous photos too--wow--crystal clear!!!

 

[BLaBauve]

Well Buffy had 8 hatch total! One apparently was squished by accident last night.

But Buffy has plenty of babies to keep her busy. She's still sitting on 1 egg that didn't hatch. I'm not sure when she'll decide to get off the nest. I'm anxious to see what happens when she brings the chicks around the other hens/pullets. My back-up plan is to put her and the chicks in a dog crate in the run. I will have to cover the dog crate with hardware cloth. My biggest predator to the chicks will be rats.

 

[DebsChicks]

Congratulations on all the new babies! Those were great pics you posted.

We expect to see more as they grow of course!

 

[BLaBauve]

The other hens got a good look at Buffy and her babies today. They didn't seem to care about the chicks too much though. However, when Buffy sat herself in the Alpha Hens favorite nesting box, the alpha hen (RIR) let her have it! Buffy does not mind the dominate hens around her chicks, which concerns me a little. But when a few of the younger pullets in the flock came into the coop Buffy went crazy on them! Those poor pullets didn't see it coming! I'm still keeping Buffy and her chicks under the rabbit cage in the coop, but am allowing them out with the flock when I'm around. Eventually I hope I'll be confident enough the to let them stay out with the flock - we'll see. Here are some pictures from this morning.

 

[gryeyes]

Awwwwwwww! Those are great photos of the other ladies checking 'em out. And they're just adorable!

My Buffy has been bringing the GrandChick out every day for the past 5 days. She chitters and puffs up a little bit if the younger chickens come near, but there have been only one or two "Stay Away!" shrieks when somebody got too close. I wonder if she gets dizzy, because she keeps turning to keep track of the chick and/or anybody else around her. She looks like a toy on a spindle, almost; swivel on spot to the left, swirl almost all the way 'round to the right, take a step, turn back, call the chick, turn forward, take a step, turn back, swivel right... etc.

Her comb and wattles are starting to pink up again; I noticed how pale they were at time of hatch.

(Just thought I'd share what my Buffy was doing, because she's a couple weeks ahead of yours.) Please continue to share pictures!

 

[BLaBauve]

Linda,
I'm glad to hear your mom seems to be acting similar to mine. I was worried that my Buffy was being to trusting of the other hens. I'm
assuming she doesn't consider them a threat? What was very interesting to me was seeing day old chicks scratching. They saw Mom do it and jumped right in to help! Whenever I incubate chicks they don't figure out scratching for awhile.

Buffy seems to like being a Mom, although she does have trouble keeping track of all 7.

 

[Tiss]

Great pictures! Good job, Buffy.

 

[oliviad51]

wow, thats a beautiful hen..she has pretty eyes! Cute chicks!