on their own

These are Queen's babies, now 7 weeks old and officially on their own. I walked outside today and saw them in the pasture with mom nowhere insight. I knew it was coming, but it saddened me to see it just the same. I guess no matter which species babies grow up too fast.

after my own heart...

If Knit was worrying about having a permanent place here at From the Country Farm she's secured it tonight. For about a week now, a couple of Queens babies have been camped out under Knit's wing at night or at least beside her in the nesting box. I think there's more room, as they are getting really big! Knit didn't seem to mind, when they started following her around the barnyard she took care of them in addition to her 'own' brood. Tonight we integrated the whole flock, the replacement layers had been in the coop segregated from the 'big girls' and the mother hens but in such a way as to be able to see each other. Talk about mayhem when we removed the barriers! The non mothers were running around as if they were saying "Get me outtta here! I am not responsible for all these kids!" The newbies were trying out their wings with new found freedom and more room! Once it settled down and the replacements felt safe they came out and checked things out. They can get back into the area they were in but the 'big girls' cannot get to them so they can venture out and join the rest of the flock. Well, with all the commotion Knit called her brood up to the nesting box and settled down, two of Queen's babies decided to join them and I was curious to see what would happen if I put a replacement layer in the mix. I should have known what would happen and am delighted to say she looked at the replacement hen for a minute and 'adopted' her. No pecking, hissing, or anything, she was very content to let the newbie sit under her and the newbie seemed to like it as well! She's the white leghorn you see at the front of the box. So tonight Knit was being the adoptive mom I want to be by having 6 of her own babies, 1 or 2 of Queen's babies and the replacement layer under her wing. Like I said before...

".....when the desire to be a mother is that strong it does not matter whether they are your blood or not, you just go with what feels right and you love them like you would your own child."

it must be spring

Queen took the chicks outside and wandered all over the yard with them, Ron commented that that was a lot of walking for those little legs. I was thinking she's trying to wear them out she's tired of being up all night with the peeping! They are all doing very well and expecting cousins any day now. Knit, the other broody hen should be a proud momma within a day or two I suspect.

tap tap tap

We just came in the house, yes, we were checking on the eggs and it shouldn't be too much longer, we heard a bit of tapping from the eggs! Faith heard it and teared up with excitement. Soon, very soon we should announce that we've got chicks!

We have movement!

It's official! I just went out to do barn chores and took a heavy duty flashlight with me; and candled a couple eggs, again, only to find that we have movement! In at least three of the eggs I saw what I believe to be movement of the chick embryos! Soon, I should be announcing that we have chicks if everything continues as anticipated.

low tech ultrasound

I am the very definition of impatient, one of those people who when gifts are under the Christmas tree just has to pick them up and shake them, who cannot wait for the entire pot of coffee to brew with out helping myself to a cup, you know, impatient. (Drives Ron crazy.) So when I've got now two broody hens on nests I need to see what's happening inside the eggs. I read about candling online and had to try it. This was my second attempt and this time I remembered the camera! Maybe it's because I wanted to see something in the egg or maybe it was actually developing I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that in a couple eggs I did see the veining and dark spot that I read about! All I know is that I'm pretty excited about it and expect to have some chicks if all goes well soon! The other hen just started sitting on the nest yesterday so it'll be a while if she continues to sit, so we'll see how that goes.

Uh-oh!

Maybe I should have gotten two dozen! We went out to the barn for chores this morning and peeked in to see if Queen was still on the nest, she was not. But Rose, the golden laced wyandotte was! She looked equally as happy and contended as Queen!

"Well somebody has to keep them warm!"

quandary solved!

I was sitting with a bunch of ladies today at co-op who were chatting about a variety of things and although only one of whom I really have anything in common with it was a pleasant conversation nonetheless. The one whom I have things in common with showed me a picture of her new beef critter; a handsome chap let me say, and forwarded the pictures through to her laying hens, one of which had chicks near her. I ooh'd and ahh'd and said how much I'd like for the kids to experience that and seeing as Queen so desperately wants to be a mother hen and all........ then she asked me if I wanted some eggs to try to stick under the hen to see if she'd set on them. Before I had a chance to think it over I heard the words emphatically popping out of my mouth "Heck yeah!" So we chatted a bit more and to make a long story short she dropped them off tonight on her way home from work. Faith was giddy with anticipation that her hen had the possibility of becoming a mom and was quite literally hopping up and down after my friend left waiting to go put them under her or in the nesting box and see if she'd set on them. I'll admit I'm pretty excited too, I experienced this as a child and it's so neat, especially when it's your hen! Faith scooped her up tonight and told her that she would have to sit on the eggs for about 21 days to hatch them out then be a good mommy and take care of them and teach them how to find food and such. It was so cute! In order to know which eggs we are not to take from the nest, we marked them with a green marker and the kids decided to put all the eggs quite literally in one basket, well nesting box at least. Yes, that's a whole dozen, but that's what they decided and since it is for them I let them make that choice. Now I just hope it works!

Marking an egg....

...marking another egg...

....filling the nesting box with eggs and hopeful anticipation...

...Queen checking things out, then directly after this picture was taken she looked at Faith and started purring, yes, that's right, purring. Not like a cat, like a chicken. It was a very happy noise. Then sort of squawking as if she were saying, "I'm only one hen and that is a lot of kids for one hen, how do you expect me to take care of them all, my goodness, I'm only one hen for crying out loud!"

I just went out to the barn twice while typing this post, once to check on her and the nest to see if she was sitting on it then a second time to take pictures for Faith and this post. I think she'll be happy when I tell her what I found tonight......

One seemingly very contented mother hen to be......

.....when the desire to be a mother is that strong it does not matter whether they are your blood or not, you just go with what feels right and you love them like you would your own child.

poor confused little hen

This is Queen, Faith's chicken and she is confused. Why? Because she's sitting in the nesting box, (occasionally on some eggs even) hoping to become a mother hen. The confusion comes twofold; one being we don't have a rooster and two she's not been 'in a family way' to be able to become a mother hen. When I reach in to collect the eggs she proudly lifts herself up as if to say "see what a good job I'm doing" and genuinely looks sad when I take them away. Part of me actually feels guilty for doing that despite the fact I know they're not fertile, she apparently does not and thus the confusion. She must be thinking why would I do that to her? Don't get me wrong, if we still had a rooster I would absolutely encourage her to sit there and hatch them out. I would love for the kids to see that, especially since I had to explain what the rooster was doing to their girls last year. "Trying to become a daddy guys, that's all." I'm not ready for them to loose the rest of that most precious innocence yet. Too many have lost it far to early and it's a tragedy. Yes, I suppose I could get some hatching eggs and try that route, but then we'd have roosters again. Oh what a quandary!