i am the proud grandma of 5 new baby chicks. i went outside this morning and heard little peeps coming from the coop. there was one little black head peering out from beneath mama. i was so excited. but then panic struck-how is mama gonna get the babies down from the nest to get water? hazel wouldn't let me near her-growling and fluffing her feathers out like a male turkey! i quickly built a ramp. then, i started reading about the new brood and how the other hens could try and kill the babies-what horrid beastly little creatures chickens can be! i still love my girls but wow! such nasty behaviors. just then lucie walks in the coop and boy is she pissed at the little peeping sounds. not only does she have to deal with the teens but now, newborns.
i calmed down and got a big board and kind of herded them in-yea! they have food and water and are separated from the others. i will sleep better now with no visions of canabalistic chickens. hazel is a great mom-i need to relax!
one thing i thought was totally cool is that hazel cleaned her nest after the births. at first we thought only 4 were gonna hatch, but then several hours later the fifth one happened and hazel brought all five down the ramp. i thought she might eat the shells but i found them stacked one inside the other in a neat little bunch-very cool.
2 comments:
That shell stacking thing is kinda weird - another thing I don't know about chickens, past feathers, sharp pointy beaks and eggs.
great looking chicks! Can't wait to watch as they grow up on your blog.
Like Sharon, I'm surprised at the shell stacking trick, too. What other surprises are in store?
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