Today Diana got on my case for not blogging enough, but I don't really feel like I have anything to blog about. She told me to blog about my laundry, but I decided that the chickens are much more interesting than the laundry.
Last year, one of our hens, Little Orange, laid an egg in the food can and sat on it. She sat and sat and sat. Once we realized she was serious about "nesting" we put 9 additional eggs, laid by the other hens, under her. Three of them hatched! It was so amazing to witness the whole process.
See the little black guy off to the left? So cute! The chicks have to drink within 48 hours of hatching so we had to get them down on a level that they could get out of the 'nest' but then get back in. Lesli dug a hole in the ground and then put the food can down in the hole and filled in dirt around the sides. Then we separted them into their own little coop within the coop. The other hens would have pecked the babies to death so they needed to be safe, and at the same time, the other chickens could get used to them.
This little guy was the last one to hatch. He wasn't quite ready to get out of the 'nest' yet but mama had to get out and teach the other two babies how to scratch for food. (See below) 
Whew! What an adventure. It was so fun to watch her with them. At night when they would nest down and they would get under her wings and every now and then you would see their little heads pop out. So cute. She was sooooo protective of them.
"...how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings..." I literally witnessed this. One evening I reached down into their little area to pull out the water container and she freaked out! She spread out her wings real big and fanned them around to literally gather all three of them in under her wings. It was the COOLEST thing to actually see! That scripture means a little bit more now that I've witnessed that.
O.k. enough about chickens for tonight. Another day I'll show you how we hatched a bunch using an incubator. I know, I know...don't get so excited!
3 comments:
You're chickens are very cute.
I love the picture you posted of YOU! Holy Wow! YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad you're blogging and we can keep up!
Sorry Deb, that comment was from me, Leslie. I guess Jared was signed in! Didn't even know he had an account! :)
They just are the cutest when they are little. I don't care much for them when they are older even if they are small chickens. I think it's the pecking thing and a bad experience at a petting zoo when I was little. Can't wait to show the kids the cute photos you know Bailey will love them. I love that picture of you!
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