Hen and Chick Update

Approaching our coop – you can see the new chicken run that Brian built!

We have a Buff Orpington that is frequently and determinedly broody. I bought a dozen fertile eggs from a neighbor who has a rooster and put them under her several weeks into her latest broody session. We have twelve nesting boxes and twelve hens… and she kept forgetting which nest to go back to. Oh dear. So her poor eggs suffered many times of being cold until each time we noticed and moved her back to the correct nest.

About half our hens and our bantam rooster (there on the left) out in the new run.

Meanwhile, two other hens which have never been broody became broody! Our Barred Rock and Welsummer joined the “mother hen” queue. I divided the 12 eggs between them, leaving the biggest part of the clutch under the Orpington, whom we have always referred to as “Miss Broody.”

Broody butts! (I know it’s rude, but it’s so hard not to say!)

Well………. we’ve thrown out three eggs after candling them and only seeing expired, soupy insides, but the other nine have a large, dark shadow which we hope are little live chicks… despite them being left in the cold on a regular basis since their mothers keep forgetting their nests! If we do this again, we’ll be more careful to either check on them more often or segregate them to where they have fewer nest choices.

THIS MORNING…..

Is it? Is it???

THERE IS A CHICK! I thought they had all died and I was really more sad about it than I expected. I had such hopes for these little eggs and their growing little chickie lives. So when I went out this morning and found a hatched egg – YIPPEE!!!! There is one more egg with a crack… so at least one more survived.

It is! It is!!!

Gotta get some chick food and water out there – probably tomorrow – and make sure it is chick safe. The nests are low, but not level with the ground, so we’ll need to put a piece of plywood over the drop for a bit. Oooooh – baby chick! So excited!

EDITED to add: All 9 eggs have hatched or begun to crack as of the next morning. Hope they all survive!