We have only had chickens for about a year and weren't planning on hatching any until the night of June 11th, coyotes got our beloved Buff Cochin Roo and 5 of our Easter Egger hens - half our flock. Our broody hen's broodiness is probably what saved her because normally she slept on the lower roost right by the rooster, but she had been on the nest for about a week. Impossible to break her of her broodiness! We decided immediately to let her set on eggs laid the following days- there were 10 - 8 of them hatched. We also took 10 that had been in the fridge for 3-5 days and my coworker's daughter incubated them for us, along with several eggs from a local school. 7 of our 10 from the fridge hatched - we doubted any would! Four from the school hatched - we are not exactly sure what kind they are, but black orpington is one of the possibilities. One of the blackies is missing an eye and has a crossed beak, but he/she eats and drinks just fine! We would have been happy if even a few chicks hatched, we can't believe we got 19! Thankfully, she took all the incubated chicks in even though we didn't get some of them until they were 5 days old. The EE/Buff cochin crosses are adorable with their furry feet and some with mustaches. Their feathering is so beautiful coming in - we weren't sure what color they would be since they were all born yellow like their dad, but had similar, but fainter, markings like their mothers. We know already we have a couple roos - they're already sparring. If anyone can confirm or has an idea what the black/gray ones are, please let us know! We let the hen and chicks out some in the evenings and it has been such a joy to see what a good momma she is to the chicks. I couldn't believe how fast they all dove for cover when she made a 'honking' sound in response to geese flying over. The other hens don't seem to mind the chicks when they are out free-ranging with them so hopefully it won't be too difficult when they are all integrated completely.
