Unexpected hatching - help!

[Aunt Angus]

What a fun and fascinating journey! Love this thread for so many reasons!

 

[ValerieJ]

What a fun and fascinating journey! Love this thread for so many reasons!

Me too!

 

[Quailobsessed]

And I witnessed another phenomenon just now: Pukeko teens actually help their family in feeding the younger chicks. Well, I gave her some mealworms and she eats some, then she holds a worm in her beak and starts making this weird call. One of the chicks comes running and she actually turns towards it and lets the worm get stolen. I was so amazed that I tested it a couple of times more and she actually calls for them and gives the worms to them.

That's interesting, my chickens call their chicks for food this way and my quails do the same (the quails also do it for their girls), but a chick feeding other chicks is so sweet!

 

[aart]

And I witnessed another phenomenon just now: Pukeko teens actually help their family in feeding the younger chicks. Well, I gave her some mealworms and she eats some, then she holds a worm in her beak and starts making this weird call. One of the chicks comes running and she actually turns towards it and lets the worm get stolen. I was so amazed that I tested it a couple of times more and she actually calls for them and gives the worms to them.

That is very cool!!

I'm setting her free at the farm with the chicks. I already made a plan for slowly getting them used to being down there and the new surroundings, so we'll see how that goes in a few weeks.

Will they be free range? What kind of 'farm'?

 

[Theblackpukeko]

Will they be free range? What kind of 'farm'?

They will be free range
It's maybe not the type of farm you think of, but rather a farm park where school groups come to learn about farm animals, their importance and so on. We have very big boundaries with many paddocks and different animals like horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and of course chickens. This is where I got the eggs that the chicks hatched from!
We also have tons of pukeko surrounding the area, although they stay a good length from the farm, so Tahi will have the opportunity to meet her own kind, but can always retreat to the farm park.

 

[aart]

It's maybe not the type of farm you think of,

Exactly why I asked
Thanks for the explanation!

 

[Aunt Angus]

They will be free range
It's maybe not the type of farm you think of, but rather a farm park where school groups come to learn about farm animals, their importance and so on. We have very big boundaries with many paddocks and different animals like horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and of course chickens. This is where I got the eggs that the chicks hatched from!
We also have tons of pukeko surrounding the area, although they stay a good length from the farm, so Tahi will have the opportunity to meet her own kind, but can always retreat to the farm park.

That sounds like an awesome place. Love it!!! Aaaand a lil envious...

 

[Theblackpukeko]

Look at this! Can you see it?

Let's get a bit closer in case you didn't spot it

Tahi is getting her blue feathers! ♡

The chicks now have feathers all over. They started to fight a little. Probably just the pecking order, right? I'm predator-proofing an outside enclosure rn to get them out during warm days. But of course, when I started that, it got cold again...

 

[Quailobsessed]

SHE'S SOOO CUTE!!! That's so exciting. Hopefully the fighting will stop.

 

[Kiwibird]

I saw one at the lake with that same smudge of blue the other day. It's interesting how subtle it is at first.