The mama hen that went broody a few weeks ago now has three baby chicks peeping under her warm feathers. :)
When the hen went broody, we put her in a large cage in the barn, where she could have darkness and quiet and warmth, and gave her five eggs to sit on. As of this afternoon, three had hatched – two fluffy yellow chicks that look like the drawings of baby chicks you see at Easter, and one little black chick. The other two eggs may yet hatch, we’ll see in the next day.
It’s always exciting to watch new life arrive!
(And yes, we’ve been very careful: the mama hen has a water bottle … there is *no* water dish in the cage!)
Gotta love baby chicks. Congrats to you and your momma hen. We had one of the two semi-retired hens broody recently as well, but no fertilized eggs to put under her. I`m hoping to set up some space for some small scale breeding when spring returns.
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