"Springing in the Chicks" 2016 April Hatch-a-Long Hosted by Mike & Sally

[BullChick]

Nope! Too confusing!

 

[BantyChooks]

Nope! Too confusing!

Typical.

 

[BullChick]

Unless you pick either Marco or Polo, and tell us if you are playing with one or both. If you are playing with both, you will have to tell us which one you're responding to.

 

[BantyChooks]

Unless you pick either Marco or Polo, and tell us if you are playing with one or both. If you are playing with both, you will have to tell us which one you're responding to.

I pick polo.

 

[Beekissed]

Had two broodies start to sit mid-April...one down in the wood pile on the front porch, another out in the woods.

Porch Betty was on 16 WR and BA/WR mix eggs and hatched out 14 healthy chicks on May 1st....5 BA/WR mix and 9 WR...and that left 2 unfertilized eggs in the nest. They are currently out on range and doing well...she's running the little legs off them.

Day of hatch...





The hatch was closely supervised by these three, who kept close all through it....I think they were drawn in by her purring to the chicks.



Clairee, the wood's broody, hatched her brood today....a Mother's Day hatch!!!! Appropriate, huh?

I don't know how many yet but she was sitting on 19, so it will be interesting to see her hatch rate. That poor bird has been out on that nest in these torrential and steady rains we've been having and the very cool nights, while the porch broody has enjoyed a snug nest all the while.

Will post pics of the wood's broody when I can...I'll give her a few days to finish up, but then may move her and the brood into the maternity ward for a few days.

Got another broody sitting on a nest in the coop....she will have to be logged into the May hatchalong as she just started on May 2nd. She is sitting on an even dozen and she's done this before, whereas these two WR broodies in April are pullets and first time moms.

I really love that they chose to locate nests out of the coop and in isolated areas....those are the birds and offspring I want to breed from, as these are traits I value in my flock.

ETA: When I moved porch broody and her chicks to the maternity ward, I accidentally left a chick behind...the temps that night were in the high 40s and low 50s, damp and chilly breeze blowing all night....the next morning I heard a loud cheeping from the front porch when I went out to feed the kittens, searched that wood pile and old nest all over and couldn't find it. Finally found it on one of the pieces of firewood, big as life...it was not a bit chilled, was bright eyed and bushy and turned out to be the biggest chick of that hatch, a pure WR. Goes to show how hardy chicks can really be, huh?

 

[BullChick]

Awwwww!

 

[Blooie]

She amazes me, Bee....she's so flat out gorgeous and a good mom besides! And your rescue kittens are so adorable...which for me is saying something because I, well, I really don't like cats at all. I'll bet Aliza just loves them!

Aggie sure picked a fine time to decide she had no idea what being broody means, didn't she? <sigh>

 

[Chaos18]

Marco, Chaos!

Polo!

 

[Honora]

Had two broodies start to sit mid-April...one down in the wood pile on the front porch, another out in the woods.

Porch Betty was on 16 WR and BA/WR mix eggs and hatched out 14 healthy chicks on May 1st....5 BA/WR mix and 9 WR...and that left 2 unfertilized eggs in the nest. They are currently out on range and doing well...she's running the little legs off them.

Day of hatch...





The hatch was closely supervised by these three, who kept close all through it....I think they were drawn in by her purring to the chicks.



Clairee, the wood's broody, hatched her brood today....a Mother's Day hatch!!!! Appropriate, huh?

I don't know how many yet but she was sitting on 19, so it will be interesting to see her hatch rate. That poor bird has been out on that nest in these torrential and steady rains we've been having and the very cool nights, while the porch broody has enjoyed a snug nest all the while.

Will post pics of the wood's broody when I can...I'll give her a few days to finish up, but then may move her and the brood into the maternity ward for a few days.

Got another broody sitting on a nest in the coop....she will have to be logged into the May hatchalong as she just started on May 2nd. She is sitting on an even dozen and she's done this before, whereas these two WR broodies in April are pullets and first time moms.

I really love that they chose to locate nests out of the coop and in isolated areas....those are the birds and offspring I want to breed from, as these are traits I value in my flock.

ETA: When I moved porch broody and her chicks to the maternity ward, I accidentally left a chick behind...the temps that night were in the high 40s and low 50s, damp and chilly breeze blowing all night....the next morning I heard a loud cheeping from the front porch when I went out to feed the kittens, searched that wood pile and old nest all over and couldn't find it. Finally found it on one of the pieces of firewood, big as life...it was not a bit chilled, was bright eyed and bushy and turned out to be the biggest chick of that hatch, a pure WR. Goes to show how hardy chicks can really be, huh?

Your broody & chicks are beautiful! My hen just went broody under a bush & I have been worried about whether to let her stay there or try to move her. I'm glad to hear that they can do ok brooding away from the coop.

 

[Beekissed]

Your broody & chicks are beautiful! My hen just went broody under a bush & I have been worried about whether to let her stay there or try to move her. I'm glad to hear that they can do ok brooding away from the coop.

Thank you! I have a very strong dog presence in this area, with two full time chicken dogs on duty 24/7, so they kind of deter most predators from hanging around the meadow and this might help with my broodies, though both broodies were fully outside their boundary they were most likely more protected than a hen without two tough dogs living within sight and/or sound of her nest.

That wood's broody and chicks have the most quiet nest I've ever encountered with new chicks....usually there is a lot of purring and cheeping but I heard absolutely nothing. Wouldn't have known she had chicks at all except I saw some of her feathers quivering, so I lifted her up a little on one side and saw a few chicks under there. The porch broody, on the other hand, had the usual vocalizations and so did her peeps. I'd say the wood's broody and chicks are more aware of their danger out there in the woods by themselves and are staying more quiet to prevent attracting predators.

Could be that same instinct may preserve your bush broody just fine. I tried moving my wood's broody into a maternity pen when she was sitting, as she was so far away from the dog's boundary line and I have a resident gray fox that has a route past the meadow, but as soon as I let the light into her new nesting spot she left those eggs and wouldn't go back to them, kept pacing the pen to get out and go back to the woods....I had to move her right back out to the woods and let her be. Turns out she did alright and all's well that ends well.