I guess there's really no better place to crow about it! I got my Speckled Sussex to adopt three day-old babies. Woo hoo!
Details!
We have five hens - one Easter Egger who is 8 years old and still laying, A Sussex and RIR who are 6, and two Black Australorps who are 4.
Freckles is our Speckled Sussex, and every single year she's gone broody. We don't have any roos, so for us, it's a pain. She stops laying, we have to bring out the broody cage and she ends up in there for about two weeks, then has to reintegrate with the flock... every year. This year she went broody even earlier than normal. I hadn't really planned on buying more hens - babies are a lot of work and I just hadn't had it in me. I made a passing, snide remark to my husband, "We ought to just get some fertilized eggs to toss under her and make her work for it." Well... I started thinking about it more and realized - we don't eat the birds, so eggs wouldn't work because there's a likelihood we'd end up with roos, but day olds? I looked it up and wouldn't you know... apparently it's a thing.
I set off reading like mad - horror stories and successes. Freckles had been broody for a few days when I called the feed store to see if they'd gotten day-olds in. When I called, they babies were three days out, so it would be perfect - my broody would have been sitting for about a week (perfect timing according to lore). The night before I bought them, I moved her and three eggs into a cat carrier. She wasn't happy being accosted at 4 in the morning, but by the following day, she'd settled onto the eggs and was broody as ever.
I went to the feed store and bought a Buff Orpington, Easter Egger, and Rhode Island Red. I avoided peering into the bag as I desperately wanted to because they're so stinking cute - but I knew they'd need to imprint on Freckles, not me. We got them home about 5:15pm.
Most folks say to do this in the dead of night - but I wanted to be certain that no babies would be rejected, and I'd read a couple of other people who did it early in the morning and two who did it in the evening. I'd rather raise them indoors than have them die because I wasn't attentive - not saying they would have, just that with how my mind works, I'd have gotten zero sleep for the worrying. So, with the flock winding down for the day and Freckles quiet and squat, I reached under her and placed a chick, swapping out the eggs. Repeat twice more... and I held my breath.
The EE and BO snuggled right in. I didn't see them at all after putting them under her, but the RIR? Chirping. And popped right out from under Freckles, then proceeded to let her know there were spots on her feathers by picking at them, then wanted to let her know she had eyelids by pecking them, and a back by climbing on it... Freckles was giving the warning growl, but was also oddly patient and curious. She gave a couple of pecks - gentle - almost as if she were telling the kid to lay off and go to bed. (Only once did she really peck hard, but I would have too at that point - that chick grabbed hold of a feather and literally was twisting its head like a puppy to pull that dot off!)
It took me seven times to get that little bird to stay under her wing and stop being a brat. Trouble was, Freckles hadn't yet talked to any of the babies. She looked a little confused by the fact things were moving under her, but only once did I see her chest and neck move as though she were clucking - though it was so soft I couldn't hear it. Needless to say, I was worried... should I take them away and try again later? She wasn't aggressing on them, but she still didn't seem happy... did I screw this up? Did she actually talk to them or was I mistaken?
I sat out there with them for about two hours, until night fell, and in the dark everyone went off to sleep. I went out a couple times during the night just to be sure no one had come out from under Freckles and was cold. All was well - chicks using Freckles as a blanket. Okay, I thought, the real test comes tomorrow.
After a fitful sleep, I went out and there they were under Freckles's wing - all alive, all looking at me with utter confusion for removing their blanket. Ha ha ha. I laid out food and Freckles called the babies out, picking out her favorite bits and chirruping at them to show them what to eat first. She happily talked to them as they had their breakfast. They climbed on her and under her and she was just as happy as could be to let them. Freckles was a mama! Whew!
-----
Granted, some folks might be upset that I handled the chick so much to get it to stay under her, but Freckles is actually our most docile bird - even at her most broody, she'll tolerate being moved and touched without pecking. Seeing her reaction, at this chick popping out from under her, I knew she was shocked, but also knew that when they stayed put, she was quiet. I could see her pupils flexing as she tried to make sense of what was going on, so knowing her temperament, just getting that one to settle was key. Once it did, she flattened out and made room under her wings.
Still, I was concerned because she hadn't responded like so many people claim their hens do - she wasn't talking to them right off the bat. It made me really nervous, but I stopped myself from intervening any more than necessary. So long as she wasn't hurting them, I kept my hands off. It was very hard for me to be patient, but, it paid off in spades.
We still have to get through the next stages - blocking off part of the coop for them to finally be able to run around without the other girls hurting the babies - but so far, great success. Probably one of the most stressful things I've done while keeping chickens - and I've played mama to integrate little ones before! Still, very pleased. And seeing them together... oh my goodness... makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
Details!
We have five hens - one Easter Egger who is 8 years old and still laying, A Sussex and RIR who are 6, and two Black Australorps who are 4.
Freckles is our Speckled Sussex, and every single year she's gone broody. We don't have any roos, so for us, it's a pain. She stops laying, we have to bring out the broody cage and she ends up in there for about two weeks, then has to reintegrate with the flock... every year. This year she went broody even earlier than normal. I hadn't really planned on buying more hens - babies are a lot of work and I just hadn't had it in me. I made a passing, snide remark to my husband, "We ought to just get some fertilized eggs to toss under her and make her work for it." Well... I started thinking about it more and realized - we don't eat the birds, so eggs wouldn't work because there's a likelihood we'd end up with roos, but day olds? I looked it up and wouldn't you know... apparently it's a thing.
I set off reading like mad - horror stories and successes. Freckles had been broody for a few days when I called the feed store to see if they'd gotten day-olds in. When I called, they babies were three days out, so it would be perfect - my broody would have been sitting for about a week (perfect timing according to lore). The night before I bought them, I moved her and three eggs into a cat carrier. She wasn't happy being accosted at 4 in the morning, but by the following day, she'd settled onto the eggs and was broody as ever.
I went to the feed store and bought a Buff Orpington, Easter Egger, and Rhode Island Red. I avoided peering into the bag as I desperately wanted to because they're so stinking cute - but I knew they'd need to imprint on Freckles, not me. We got them home about 5:15pm.
Most folks say to do this in the dead of night - but I wanted to be certain that no babies would be rejected, and I'd read a couple of other people who did it early in the morning and two who did it in the evening. I'd rather raise them indoors than have them die because I wasn't attentive - not saying they would have, just that with how my mind works, I'd have gotten zero sleep for the worrying. So, with the flock winding down for the day and Freckles quiet and squat, I reached under her and placed a chick, swapping out the eggs. Repeat twice more... and I held my breath.
The EE and BO snuggled right in. I didn't see them at all after putting them under her, but the RIR? Chirping. And popped right out from under Freckles, then proceeded to let her know there were spots on her feathers by picking at them, then wanted to let her know she had eyelids by pecking them, and a back by climbing on it... Freckles was giving the warning growl, but was also oddly patient and curious. She gave a couple of pecks - gentle - almost as if she were telling the kid to lay off and go to bed. (Only once did she really peck hard, but I would have too at that point - that chick grabbed hold of a feather and literally was twisting its head like a puppy to pull that dot off!)
It took me seven times to get that little bird to stay under her wing and stop being a brat. Trouble was, Freckles hadn't yet talked to any of the babies. She looked a little confused by the fact things were moving under her, but only once did I see her chest and neck move as though she were clucking - though it was so soft I couldn't hear it. Needless to say, I was worried... should I take them away and try again later? She wasn't aggressing on them, but she still didn't seem happy... did I screw this up? Did she actually talk to them or was I mistaken?
I sat out there with them for about two hours, until night fell, and in the dark everyone went off to sleep. I went out a couple times during the night just to be sure no one had come out from under Freckles and was cold. All was well - chicks using Freckles as a blanket. Okay, I thought, the real test comes tomorrow.
After a fitful sleep, I went out and there they were under Freckles's wing - all alive, all looking at me with utter confusion for removing their blanket. Ha ha ha. I laid out food and Freckles called the babies out, picking out her favorite bits and chirruping at them to show them what to eat first. She happily talked to them as they had their breakfast. They climbed on her and under her and she was just as happy as could be to let them. Freckles was a mama! Whew!
-----
Granted, some folks might be upset that I handled the chick so much to get it to stay under her, but Freckles is actually our most docile bird - even at her most broody, she'll tolerate being moved and touched without pecking. Seeing her reaction, at this chick popping out from under her, I knew she was shocked, but also knew that when they stayed put, she was quiet. I could see her pupils flexing as she tried to make sense of what was going on, so knowing her temperament, just getting that one to settle was key. Once it did, she flattened out and made room under her wings.
Still, I was concerned because she hadn't responded like so many people claim their hens do - she wasn't talking to them right off the bat. It made me really nervous, but I stopped myself from intervening any more than necessary. So long as she wasn't hurting them, I kept my hands off. It was very hard for me to be patient, but, it paid off in spades.
We still have to get through the next stages - blocking off part of the coop for them to finally be able to run around without the other girls hurting the babies - but so far, great success. Probably one of the most stressful things I've done while keeping chickens - and I've played mama to integrate little ones before! Still, very pleased. And seeing them together... oh my goodness... makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
