My first broody!** Daily Updates* Post Hatch Events

[gryeyes]

Day Twenty Three

This is Buffy yesterday, when she moved all the eggs out of the nest box to sit on them, perhaps cooler than inside the box.

Well, it's getting that hot today, too. She's now moving out of the nest box again.

Wow, I haven't seen her fluffybutt for over 3 weeks... she still looks good, so I guess she's not been starved.

She's checking on the eggs that haven't hatched.

And she's MOVING the eggs, now! WOW. (But my presence is bothering her.)

So she got back into the nest box.... and the GrandChick came out from its little hiding cubby.

It's SO freakin' CUTE! Buffy doesn't want me to touch it at all.

So, I'm gonna let her sit on the rest of the eggs, until she gives up. She's obviously caring for them, still.

On my way back to the house to download these photos, I told Rebecca she has an adorable chick being raised by a wonderful mother.

I'm SO glad I have today and tomorrow off!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Love the last photo. It's like she's saying "I dare you to try to touch my baby!"

 

[nanawendy]

Great pics and video

 

[gryeyes]

Day Twenty Four

OMG! I dunno what kind of MOTHER Buffy is (we know she can hatch an egg) - because the GrandChick is loose in the run!

Buffy is on the four eggs in her nestbox, still puffing up and chittering at me when I check on the eggs' status. But her chick is loose in the run! Out of the A-Frame coop!

I went to the feed store to get some chick starter (and some mealworms for Momma Buffy) and when I got back, I thought the chick was just hiding in Buffy's feathers. But a few minutes after I went back into the house, I heard the distinctive sounds of a peeper - and it wasn't the Sebright Boys who still peep when they are separated.

GrandChick was at least 30 feet away from the A-Frame, hiding behind the duck pool. Little goober scoots FAST and made it back to the Middles' coop to hide under it. There's only a 3 inch clearance there. Crap. Why wasn't Buffy out in the run worried about her chick???

I'll be back in a few minutes to update this with something, hopefully a successful catch, because I hear the GrandChick peeping loudly again. Wish me TONS of luck!

**Latest Update**
GrandChick can MOVE! It has now covered more ground in the run - AND outside of it - than some of the Littles have explored!

Part of the run includes a huge blackberry bramble I've been meaning to cut down for more square footage. I thought - and correctly, I might add - it would be a fun place for the chickens to investigate. They have been snacking on the young shoots, which I figured was a good start on chopping it down. Yah right. Coulda Woulda Shoulda.

GrandChick is in the blackberry bramble. Twice, it's found tiny holes in the run fence - great for me to find out about 'em NOW, huh?!?!? - and gotten out to scoot past me on the other side of the run fencing.

I am resting, sweaty and frustrated, waiting for that little goober to start peeping again so I have a clue WHERE it is now.

 

[Morgan7782]

Oh goodness! I hope everything turns out alright! Talk about an exciting homecoming for you yikes! Maybe Buffy thought the eggs need her more then the chick, no clue though. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a safe catch!!

I will be watching this thread for updates! I am sorry that little chick is giving you a run for your money! It's making sure Gramma is getting her dailt excersize! Hope everything turns out ok!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh no! I hope you find the little one!

You may want to candle the rest of the eggs. You should see all dark except for the air sac in a fully developed chick. The rest of the eggs might be duds, but she could keep trying to hatch them, and not tend to the baby.

 

[gryeyes]

We are re-united.

I spent some time IN the blackberry bramble, chopping my way deeper into it, in a determined direction to flush Little Cross-Country Runner out into the open run area. Several other chickens began to gather, interested in the ruckus in the blackberries. Oh, my, this is a tasty shoot! Ummm mmmmm, nice fresh green leaf, here. Satisfied clucking.

And GrandChick was hesitant to go towards those chickens. Finally, it saw an opening and made a dash for the Middles' coop again, to disappear under one of the outside nest boxes, then wriggle further underneath the main body of the coop.

So I stopped snipping brambles and waded out of the thorny mess to set up a barrier into the blackberries. That precious chick was NOT going to be able to run back into THAT sanctuary!

After a while, it made a peeping dash towards the Big Coop - past the A-Frame, of course! - and OMG it found the Secondary Chicken Free Range Egress point. Out into the back yard it scampered. *I* do not fit through the SCFREP; I had to go the long way 'round to try to head GrandChick off at another pass.

MWAAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! Around the end of one of the fish pond retaining walls... why, LOOK! there's a little chick-sized cubby there where the power cord is snaked into the pond enclosure! Into that crevice it scampered. And as it turned around and started to run back out of the cubby, I snatched it up. Whew!

The little goober was awfully glad to be reunited with it's broody mom. After it preened a tiny bit (oh so very cute!) it tucked in under her feathers out of sight.

I noticed Buffy had eaten the mealworms in the interim.

The A-Frame coop is now closed and locked. I dunno if Buffy had made a daily constitutional run and the chick followed, or it had fallen down the pop-hole to the lower section and then escaped, or actually traipsed down the ramp by itself. But nobody's leaving that coop any more tonight. I'm going to have to decide if I need to keep Buffy locked IN there tomorrow while I'm at work, which will also keep any pullet or hen from coming in there to lay their eggs.

But that ever-so-precious EE chick is now safe. I need to go tend to my blackberry thorn scratches now.

 

[Morgan7782]

I am so glad it worked out! Goodness that was nerve wracking for a moment there I can't imagine what YOU went through! Ouch to blackberry bush attacks

hope you get them cleaned up. I am so glad Buffy and GrandChick are reunited! Whew! I was sitting here refreshing this thread checking for any updates and I am glad I did!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh good. *phew*

 

[blueberrychickens]

Glad to hear that baby & momma were reunited. & now just think, you won't need any exercise tonight!!!