Poppy & the Giant Babies

[kurby22]

That’s so sweet! My silkies adopted 4 6 week old Polish chicks, 2 7 week old Ameraucanas, and 2 6 week old d’Uccles! They are seriously the most amazing momma birds! My other Silkie Cher is only 8 months old and adopted 3 week old chicks like they were hers too. I just love when those maternal instincts kick in. Baby chicks with their mommas or surrogate mommas are just the cutest things!!

I also have a very good rooster! My Olandsk Dwarf boy will prepare the area for egg laying for his ladies When he thinks it looks good he calls them in and they lay shortly after! So adorable

 

[rojororeo]

Imma try to keep this concise....

A bad shipping experience led me to divide the order between broodies out in the coop and an intensive care brooder in my livingroom. After more loss, I ended up with 1 chick inside. I bought 2 EE chicks to keep the lone survivor company, but those babies were giants compared to my solo chick (even though same age), so I moved the giant babies outside to brood in the coop.

Today, a month later, I go out to see that Poppy, my buff Orpington, has adopted the 6 week old giant babies spontaneously. She'd made a nest, and they were climbing all over her.

Bad pic, but here they are:
View attachment 3142534

Anyone else have a chicken adopt older chicks???

I haven't posted here in ages but have an interesting and similar thing going on right now! I have 18 and a half chickens- 1 rooster, 17 assorted adult hens, and 1 eight-week old baby who was hatched and raised by an adult hen. Mom did the usual 'I'm done at 6wks' and singlet baby was a bit lost but figured life out. A week or 2 later, my very geriatric 8ish year old Buff Orpington who has raised plenty in past years decided she wanted to mother this lone baby. So for the past week, baby has been sleeping with the old lady in the nest boxes and during the day, and old lady feeds and protects the baby when she isn't old lady napping in the coop. During which time baby tries to hang out with her except if it hears something interesting outside.

I was surprised to see somey else had a similar experience!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I haven't posted here in ages but have an interesting and similar thing going on right now! I have 18 and a half chickens- 1 rooster, 17 assorted adult hens, and 1 eight-week old baby who was hatched and raised by an adult hen. Mom did the usual 'I'm done at 6wks' and singlet baby was a bit lost but figured life out. A week or 2 later, my very geriatric 8ish year old Buff Orpington who has raised plenty in past years decided she wanted to mother this lone baby. So for the past week, baby has been sleeping with the old lady in the nest boxes and during the day, and old lady feeds and protects the baby when she isn't old lady napping in the coop. During which time baby tries to hang out with her except if it hears something interesting outside.

I was surprised to see somey else had a similar experience!

Same exact breed/color of hen, too! How funny!

She really only stayed with them for a few weeks longer, but it was adorable while it lasted.