My First Broody!

Pics
Both of mine are sticking to their guns. Helen, the EE/Brahma, makes scarcely a peep. If her food bowl weren't knocked over regularly, I would think she never left her nest at all. She's in a pen of her own inside the run with six eggs. Prudence, the Orpington/Ancona, is also staying faithful to her single fake egg. She emerges in the evening for a quick bite to eat and is hilarious. She's so nice the rest of the time, but now she acts like a disgruntled old lady, shoving every body out of the way, hurling insults at anyone who comes too close and generally talking to herself the whole time. She's hysterical. I'm loving this chapter of chicken raising!
 
I just gave 4 incubator babies to a hen who has been trying her hardest to be broody for the past month.

So we set her up with a broody box and some fake eggs earlier this week and let her sit. Earlier today, I gave the chicks a dose of NutriDrench and I took the chicks out and gave them to the broody. I'm leaving to go on a business trip tomorrow morning, so I wanted to give them to her today so I could keep an eye on her. I put them under her and three of them immediately popped right back out. She growled and pecked at them to get them to go under her. They weren't getting the message and she wasn't happy until I shoved them up under her butt. Then they stayed put.

I just went out to check on them because they haven't left the nest, not surprising, because it is a nasty rainy day. I had to lift her wing to see if the babies were okay. When I lifted her wing, out this baby popped. She was clamped over them tighter than a clam shell over a pearl.
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This one didn't want to come out.
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@Redhead Rae your pictures are wonderful! That is amazing.
Thanks! Now I have two Buff Orp hens with broods of Dark Cornish babies. Next weekend I should have Dark Cornish babies hatched by one of my Dark Cornish hens!
 
But just look at that sweet little chick :love

I know! That’s why i keep letting them sit. Secret is I only let them keep like 3-6 eggs each. I lost count of broodies and chicks this year.
 
I know! That’s why i keep letting them sit. Secret is I only let them keep like 3-6 eggs each. I lost count of broodies and chicks this year.
Ah, and that is why you didn't overflow from your 30ish broody hatches last year.
 

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