I picked up 4 Blue and 2 Black Marans this morning from Jeff (Papa Brooder from the California-Northern thread)'s wife!
They came from beautiful dark eggs! Like I really needed to add 6 more chicks to the 17 I already have but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to add some chocolate eggs and eventually get some dark Olive eggs.
I hit two road construction stops on my way to meet up, so poor Jeff's wife, with their 1 and 3 year old were waiting for me when I got there (but I bribed the kids with bags of M&M's
). Hope she made it to work on time.
I placed the new chicks in the newest broodies nest while she was out with her chicks. She heard the peeping and slowly made her way back to the nest, thinking she left some behind. Exactly as I had hoped....unfortunetley the new chicks don't speak chicken so they totally ignored her motherly clucks. She did hunker down to invite them to get under her but they had no clue so I placed them one by one and they tucked in and took a short nap. When a couple got up she scolded them but they didn't understand. She finally got up and shook the rest out and worked her way out of the barn, calling to them but they didn't follow.
I left them as is and when I checked on them before I left, the grandma chicken who helps all the moms was in there along with another chicken (mine are all used to babies so I'm no worried they'll hurt them) and the broody I want to care for them was clucking her way back in. We'll see how it goes. It's warm enough today for them but they'll need mom tonight. They just need to learn a new language!
Can't wait to see what color eggs I get!

I hit two road construction stops on my way to meet up, so poor Jeff's wife, with their 1 and 3 year old were waiting for me when I got there (but I bribed the kids with bags of M&M's

I placed the new chicks in the newest broodies nest while she was out with her chicks. She heard the peeping and slowly made her way back to the nest, thinking she left some behind. Exactly as I had hoped....unfortunetley the new chicks don't speak chicken so they totally ignored her motherly clucks. She did hunker down to invite them to get under her but they had no clue so I placed them one by one and they tucked in and took a short nap. When a couple got up she scolded them but they didn't understand. She finally got up and shook the rest out and worked her way out of the barn, calling to them but they didn't follow.
I left them as is and when I checked on them before I left, the grandma chicken who helps all the moms was in there along with another chicken (mine are all used to babies so I'm no worried they'll hurt them) and the broody I want to care for them was clucking her way back in. We'll see how it goes. It's warm enough today for them but they'll need mom tonight. They just need to learn a new language!
Can't wait to see what color eggs I get!