Should I let her?

[humblehillsfarm]

Yay! Congrats on your newest addiction! *eh hem* I mean baby peeps!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Yay! Congrats on your newest addiction! *eh hem* I mean baby peeps!

Oh, you got the addiction part right! I'll be using Bug for my brooding for as long as she'll let me! She did an amazing job and I can't believe how quickly she got the integrated into the flock! We've been lucky to have a fairly mild winter, so she's been bringing them out to frolic with rest of the ladies, and since Bug was (and seems to still remain) head hen, the wee ones go unhaarassed through the crowd like they've always been here! I can't believe I used to do this the hard way!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

They grow so fast! And sooooo much faster under a broody! I can't believe how much quicker these little ones are growing compared with my brooder babies!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

They grow so fast! And sooooo much faster under a broody! I can't believe how much quicker these little ones are growing compared with my brooder babies!

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Yep. I’ve hand raised two batches and let broody do the work twice as well. Broody is the way to go!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Okay, so my babies, *ahem* I mean Bug's babies, are officially 6weeks old! I'm so excited I I want to run out to the coop and grab decent pics so I can get help sexing these little fluff balls! I'm stumped! I thought I'd had it figured out, but Im totally second guessing myself now!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Forgot to add my little update:

Bug has deemed them grown and integrated enough to leave them to their own devices during the day, but continues to snuggle with them at night. She's still pretty tender with them when they seek her out in the run, sharing a tidbit here and there, but doesn't go crazy trying to direct them to eat everything or bullying the rest of the flock until the babies have eaten their fill. She still comes running like a screaming winged demon of impending doom if they start yelling for help though! The most adorable part though... .. my black silkie pair has taken up coddling them throughout the day, picking food out of the feeder the chicks can easily reach themselves to feed them with the classic mommy "eat this" rapid clucking call. They even let them climb all over them and take shelter under their much smaller, if fluffier wings. Somehow it gets even cuter to watch them trying to disappear into the fluff of a silkie hen 1/3 of the size of Mama Bug. All in all I couldn't be any happier with my first broody hatch, even if it was at the start of what should have been (we've had oddly warm temps lately) pretty cold time of year! The only thing that could make this better would be a 4/1 female to male chick ratio, but I'm almost positive I have at least two little boys in the group.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Their little faces are sooo much less poofy during the in between down/feather stage that it makes me a little sad In fact, their pathetic inbetween stage makes me sad in general.

EE Babies at 6weeks, EE roo Over Ameraucana hens (at least I'm assuming it was her Ameraucanas((Also assuming EEs, just because I'm a bit suspicious)) since all the other options were brown layers, and only beautiful blue eggs survivedÀ):

"Little Sir"
The three rows have been visible since week two, but a girl can hope, right? Absolute little sweetheart, assumes my foot is the automatic safe zone and perfect for a free ride:




"Pouf"
Soft as soft can be, comb is confusing me here, slow tail feathers, calm and likes to hide up against the back of my calf under my butt as soon as I crouch down until the rest of the ladies back off again.
¹

"Squeaker"
Always a bit smaller than the others, last in the chick posse pecking order, but this one had the best cheeks. Squeaks like a startled rubber duck if touched, or if a grown girl is headed in her(?) direction. Again. Confused about that comb!


"Muffy"
This one had the second best cheeks, and an amazing little starter beard! Again some confusion with the comb, but I'm super hopeful that this might maybe possibly turn out to be a little pullet. I really really love the colours on this one, and this one has the absolutely perfect attituded! Inquisitive but not pushy, cautious but not timid, and smart!


"Little Jerk"
This wee one is the bitey one. Rushes over the moment you come near the baby group, yelling shrilly, and if you offer foot in your hand "he" (I'm taking a wild shot in the dark that's this is a boy!) Bites your finger tips in a currently cute, but obviously aggressive manner:



So... the lesson I've learned is that Broody Raised chicks are a whole lot less cooperative than my brooder chicks!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Ugh these posts always make me want more babies!!!!! Your little guys were cute. First broody hatch I did only two hatched and one was a girl and one was a boy. Second hatch I did I had 4/5 hatch and 1 was a boy and 3 were girls.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Ugh these posts always make me want more babies!!!!! Your little guys were cute. First broody hatch I did only two hatched and one was a girl and one was a boy. Second hatch I did I had 4/5 hatch and 1 was a boy and 3 were girls.

I already wish another broody was ready to sit another clutch for me! These wee ones are already up and running like proper little chickens! I'm hoping for a single boy in this group, to possibly replace the silkie cockerel getting his butt whooped by my reds, but even 2 out of 5 is better than the 5 boys I was sure fate was going to deliver!

Mama bug has decided they've feathered enough that she can join the rest of the flock on the roosts at night, and the silkies are now firm enforcers of the pecking order again, but the wee ones aren't being bullied or harassed, which is such an amazing sight after all these years of week long integration sessions!