Well, our broody gal just hatched her eggs today!! We have 10 beautiful little Araucana/Bantam babies running around!! They are so adorable! Mommy is doing a great job thus far, so our next quest is to get her to either bring her babies to the coop, or to get her and her babies into the kennel and bring them to the coop ourselves, so they aren't in the woods serving as predator bait. If mommy doesn't like the situation, then I guess we'll be forced to put the babies in a brooder, but I'd love to just let mommy do her job... Thanks for the previous advice as to whether or not to move the eggs/nest. We left things, and protected her a bit...she's done a great job! We are so excited over here!!
Congrats on the new additions. I've promised my SO no more chickens, but I can't help what the girls do when they're out in the woods right?
CONGRATS !!!! Any pics of mama and chicks ?? It would be a GOOD idea to catch em and put them in a safe place with mama !!
Congrats! I had a hen that disappeared once into the woods (honestly I thought she was scooped up by a preditor) and randomly showed up with chicks behind her in a line one day. The babies were about a week old when she brought them back to the coop on her own. Knowing how cold it is right now though, were it me, I'd scoop them into a crate and get them sheltered. It sounds like you have some great birds. Most of mine jump off their eggs so fast you'd think they lay hand grenades.
