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

[gryeyes]

Day Twenty Seven
Well, let's get to the pictures, first!

GrandChick, who will be named "Sam" from now on, is still the only hatchling.

Sam - who could be Samantha or Samuel - was a little shy.

The little goober kept going in and out of the nest box as Buffy was turning to inspect her remaining eggs.

I did manage to get this shot of Sam disappearing under Buffy's feathers.

I just think this little miracle of life is SO darned cute! The fact that it hatched from an egg laid by a pullet I raised from a 3-day old chick (Rebecca) and its daddy is another I raised from a chick, as is Buffy, and it happened in MY back yard, is just ..... tremendous.

I just cannot bring myself to take the other eggs out from under Buffy, yet. Particularly as she was checking each one before she settled back down on them, then rearranged them again.

Maybe tomorrow.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Sam just doesn't seem to like getting his/her picture takin.

 

[kla37]

Sam is adorable! You are so lucky! Wish I could have a rooster and try this myself. Maybe next summer I could get some hatching eggs from someone and let one of my hens try to hatch them.

 

[Bare bottom farm]

Hi all!! Well my 7 eggs started hatching today!!! I have 5 fuzzy butt!! One died in the egg it could'nt get out and one still has not sign of hatching !! I'am just beside my self... This is a first for me!!!!! I got some eggs from a friend for this hatch no rooster on my place,lol!!!!


Your grandchick is so cute and buffy is a good mom!!!!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:

Day Thirty

I found out today JUST how good a mom Buffy can be. The GrandChick, Sam, is now 9 days old. Today Buffy took the chick out of the nest, out of the coop, out of the run and into the yard. ALL day long.

I removed the four un-hatched eggs from her nest whilst she was out and about.

She showed Sam how to scratch and peck,

how to go up the ramp into the Big Coop, how to locate the Secondary Chicken Egress Point in the run fence, how to get up on the retaining walls around the fish ponds

and scratch in the plants I put there for ground cover (uh yup... not so much coverage now),

and how to hold real still any time she raised the alarm.

She puffed up and chittered when anybody approached them. Nobody bothered the chick. She relaxed. She puffed up really big when Carl, the rooster (and father) approached, and always kept facing him. Carl checked out his love child from Rebecca's egg, then wandered away. However, he didn't go all that far AND he ran back when the ducks came over. The ducks just passed by the first time.

Later, I witnessed a real fracas. Louie the drake wanted to bill the chick. Ducks bill EVERYTHING. Not GrandChicks, though!

Buffy went ballistic and launched into the air, screaming, flapping, feet out and kicking. Louie drew back and ran at her, grabbing her feathers. The noise was tremendous and I snatched that drake up off his feet SO fast! Yes, I wasn't far away, 'cause I wanted to babysit.. err.. watch flock dynamics.

I carried Louie over to the kiddie pool -- about 75 feet away as the human strides -- and unceremoniously dumped him into it. His lady Thelma waddled behind me and jumped in with him.

Buffy and the GrandChick were under the bench, hiding out. After while, she relaxed and she showed Sam some more places to scratch, then she headed off back to the SCEP, into the run, and into the A-Frame coop. Sam followed right behind her and at one point jumped up onto her back!! But when she went up the ramp to the nest boxes, the chick tumbled off and ran around in the lower pen area, peeping loudly. Buffy called from upstairs. Sam eventually scampered up the ramp back to Mom.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

That sounds like quite a day!

 

[molly d]

Sounds like a wonderful and educational day for the GrandChick. Anxiously awaiting pics!

 

[gryeyes]

Photos up. ;-)

 

[Bare bottom farm]

Have I told you how much I LOVE This post!! I LOVE IT!!!!!! You need to write a childs book on Grandchick!!!!(SAM)

 

[Happy Chooks]

Glad to hear everythings going well with Buffy and Sam.