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| Yes, that is carpet in the background. I had to bring it in to show Hubz! |
But the other two eggs hatched little chicks exactly 21 days later! We were so excited to see these little buggers.
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| They were still a little wet when my sister and nephew discovered them! |
We were so glad they hatched. It actually worked. New babies were born on our homestead! But what do we do with them? We pondered taking them away from the flock with their Momma, but that seemed like a lot of hassle and we worried that re-introduction might not go so well. Hubz ended up modifying our coop slightly and so far, it's working.
He took out the divider between 2 of our nesting boxes to make one big box. Then added an additional 2"x8" to the front to help keep the babies in and the big chickens out. Then he added a scrap piece of OSB to make the entry and exit hole (hopefully) just big enough for a Silkie.
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| View from the outside. |
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| View from the inside. |
We placed their food and water inside a box with a little opening for them to scurry in and out of. I showed them where it was a couple times and they took right to it. The fact that it's an old egg box was pure coincidence.
They've been hanging with the flock outside quite a bit. It's hard to keep them contained when Momma leaves the nest. They hang pretty close to her when they're outside and we move their food and water out, box included, since they can't get back into the coop as easily as they can jump out of it.
Here they are today (9 days old). Aren't they precious?
Next up is figuring out who their 'birth' Mommas are. Some other chicken laid those eggs and Nutmeg took on the gestation duties. Their Daddy is big Ralph the Buff Orpington, but their true Moms could be a Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red or Silver Laced Wyandotte. Any guesses?
Linking up with Homestead Barn Hop and Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways and Rural Thursday
I have a couple of broody Buff Orpington hens (and a rooster) and I have been thinking about letting them hatch out some eggs. I have been wondering what to do with the mom and chickies once they hatch. I like your idea! Do any of the other chickens bother the babies when they go out?
ReplyDeleteCandy - the other chickens seem a little interested in them, but I haven't seen them be aggressive to the babies. I think it helped that they could stick their head into the little mother baby unit we set up and see the chicks beforehand. If the chicks get bothered outside they run to Mom. They stick pretty close to her when they're out. I hope you do hatch some out. Let me know how it goes!
DeleteOh yay, love little chicks!
ReplyDeleteThey're adorable chicks.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. I had some chicks hatch from one of our barred rock hens last year and kept them inside a separate coop until they were old enough to fend for themselves. It's really so fun to watch them grow. :)
ReplyDeleteThey're so cute!
ReplyDelete