Silkie adoptive mom...

[Khyree]

Just thought i'd share. I had my silkie sit on a few eggs... and my 'bator hatched a 'few' eggs at the same time... i had them right next to each other so the silkie could hear their calls at night. I moved them out from the bator last night but she hadn't abandoned her nest yet. This morning i found she had abandoned her nest (with one egg pipped and breathing!) so i shoved that one in the incubator but put my silkie in the brooder with her nesting material... and her chicks... i watched closely to see what would happen... seemed the little ones were very scared of her at first even though she'd been calling to them all night long (one more reason i put her in with them)... one little teeny silkie kept crying and crying and crying and crying... finally i hear this loud squawk and everything goes deathly silent (i had walked away to turn on my computer). I think oh no time to rescue whose left... well low and behold they were all perfectly still... just listening like little frozen statues... i of course ruined it by knocking into a tin measuring cup after snapping a photo... there are still a possible 5 more in the incubator 2 more silkies 1 phoenix and 1 mix silkie/ameraucana. 3 of which have pipped but not exited yet... i hope she'll take them too!!! (not that she doesn't already have a brooder full)

i'm also afraid that the one she abandoned might be shrinkwrapped... should i try to help it or give it a while... she was on and off the nest a lot more than i would have expected during hatching time...

here's a pic of her and the babies...

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Aw, what a sweet hen. Hope the rest hatch okay! Keep us updated please!!

 

[acid_chipmunk]

 

[Khyree]

The first night there was a lot of squeaking and cheeping and 'cuck cuck cuck cuck' from Gimpy... I didn't manage to get a picture of the rough semi circle of trust they formed around her by the first morning... but after a friend of mine came by to admire them they were all about the circle of trust. And Gimpy was their most trusted person in the whole world... Out of 25 chicks only 2 are not under her or trying to be under her in this picture... not because they need the heat... they just liked her better than my friend.

one little baby i think was having a 'claustrophobia' discussion with his mama.

i can hear it now.... "Mom, i've been feeling a bit claustrophobic of late..."
"Why whatever do you mean dear? There's plenty of room under here for you too... I believe there may be a back tail feather free..."

I checked to make sure that no one was suffocating... everyone was perfectly happy... but she went from 4 to 6 to usually now there are about 11 under her or hiding in her feathers some where...
I have one tucked in my robe right now because it wasn't satisfied with it's cuddling arrangements and just kept crying... i find that the silkies are the ones the cry incessantly! the cochins are indifferent (the run test doesn't even work) and the ameraucanas, araucanas, and silver phoenix are also no where near as noisy or picky as the bantams!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Aw, I'm so happy she took them!!!