Surprise! Dove made a hatchling

[martineggs]

 

[sourland]

She's a mom.

 

[martineggs]

After 7 years of raising chicken she is my first to hatch babies. I had a brooder hen but nothing came of that. Dove just surprised us by coming out one afternoon with her chicks. And what a good mom she puffs her little self up to protect them.( shes just a little bantam) . I normally buy a few chicks every year or so to add to our girls. This year I got 2 RI reds, 2 red star, and 4 asst bantams. One RI and one bantam ended up being a rooster. I have tried roosters in the past and never kept one longer than the summer but Piper( the bantam) and Kazoo( the Rhoad Island) have made the grade. I have not cracked an egg that had anything in it so I guessed either they were not mature enough or I was getting the eggs in time. Some of my girls will disappear for a day or two so I was not worried about our little dove. Then while I was cooking dinner I saw her, Boo my black sexlink was rushing her and Dove puffed herself all up. I thought what the.... does she think she is a peacock! Then I saw something under her wing then I saw two somethings. I screamed at my Husband "We got babies"!! Dove has never been friendly but she let me get close enough to pick up one of her chicks. She would not let me touch her though. She seems to be a good mom keeping them warm and protected

 

[martineggs]

the first two pics she is sitting on her chicks protecting them the third pic are her chicks. I think she has one from each rooster one white and one red

 

[b.hromada]

I just love those pics!

Congratulations!