Saturday, November 10, 2012

It's that time of year again!

Broody chickens all over the place. The 2 mummies that I had sitting on eggs hatched them yesterday and last night. Maude only hatched 2 - one of her 4 eggs broke and was infertile and she threw one out of the nest 2 days ago. It was fertile so I don't know why she did it. Her 2 babies are one black with white wing tips and one brown striped one.
Mabel has hatched 3 tiny black chicks, all with white wing tips.
George is dad to them all and it was a mixture of eggs. I didn't even know if they were fertile so it's nice to get some chicks. I have a buyer for them already!
(But I know I'll hate to see them go!)

So, the mums and babies are taking up my two broody houses and today I've got 2 more broodies in the big house. It's a bit of a pest really as I have nowhere to put them to either break their broodiness or let them sit safely without the other chickens wanting to lay and eggs getting pushed out of nesting boxes - already this morning there was one broken egg.

This problem has led me to fork out for yet another small chicken house which we will only use as a 'breaking broody' house!!
We got this one - which in actual fact, we'll use as a proper house and use one of the older smaller ones as the breaking broody house!

And here are the new babies.. this one is very pretty!



This wee one looks a bit dusty!  It was lounging around in the food bowl!

15 comments:

  1. Oh my! They are so cute! Especially the little freckled ones. We'd really love some baby chicks here but we just don't have anywhere to keep them cosy. We'll just have to make do with our four spinsters :-) Enjoy your babies!

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    1. they are adorable! Bet your 4 spinsters are very happy!

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  2. Weee! My lady loves new chicks! We have a coop similar to the one that you have. The tray is especially nice for cleaning. Our weather here is a little harsh for the wood on the coop we have so my lady has to paint it with protective stain a couple of times a year.

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    1. I'm pretty pleased with these coops - I've got 2 I use within the run for the broodys to bring up their chicks in - they're perfect for this! I think the painting is a great idea - One of ours needs doing!

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  3. Absolutely gorgeous.

    We have one hen 'Mother Goose' who is ALWAYS broody, she does come and go a bit for food and to tell everyone else off, but is usually to be found sitting on any eggs available and if I have removed them all she gathers together the 'rubber eggs' and sits on those.

    I think she was upset that the last ones she hatched out turned into geese, she just desperately wants a proper little chicken family, maybe next Spring when the weather is warmer we'll let her sit, after all we have four cockerels and it would be wonderful to see what mix of chicks she would rear.

    Sue xx

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    1. Mother Goose sounds like my Mavis - who is not trying to go broody in the big house! The broodys are driving me a bit nuts just now!
      I was at a farm show yesterday and there was a huge light sussex who was brooding a load of tiny wee yellow ducks! It was adorable!

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  4. This time of year when my birthday is near reminds me of my Dad who used to get a clutch of eggs for a clucky bantam hen to sit on...it never failed to amaze me that on the morning of my birthday he would tell me to go down the back and sure enough, there would be new baby chicks on my birthday...he may have done it only a few times while I was little, but the memory of it will stay with me always...
    I still love a baby chick,....your new ones are beautiful.....

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    1. oh Suzanne, that's such a lovely story.
      My dad did something I'll always remember. When my brother and I were around the age that we thought Santa may not exist he told us to come with him and stand by the window once it got dark. He said be very quiet and if you're lucky you might hear the sleigh bells as Santa goes past. We stood in total silence and right enough there was the tinkle of the sleigh bells. Years later I asked him how he did it. Turns out he was standing next to the drinks trolley (well, it was the 70's!) and was nudging it gently with his leg so the bottles jingled against eachother very quietly and sounded like sleigh bells. I'll never forget the night I heard Santa fly over our house. Aren't dads amazing.

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    2. Indeed they are.....

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  5. Love little chicks. I've got 1 broody at the moment and another looking all puffy and sounding like she's heading in that direction too... Have contemplated trying to hatch some eggs under them but have nowhere to put the hen and chicks if they do hatch... the cat will get them for sure...

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    1. I know its a bit of work!! I have 2 small houses. I do know some people just let them get in with it! But I don't want anything to happen to any of them!

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  6. Oh Laura those chick photographs are just brilliant, I would love the housework for that little house ! & mine is not even large.
    Keeping on the subject of wonder Dads, when I was very small my Mum made a Santa outfit for my Dad, because he always filled our stockings before he went to bed on Christmas Eve & just in case we woke up we wouldn't be frightened ! however, this little smarty was awake & asked Santa why he was wearing my Dads signet ring :o)

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    1. Thank you!!
      That's so cute about your mum making a santa costume for your dad. I love stories like that!

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    1. they're out and about in the grassy part of their runs now - so cute seeing them run around in the sun!

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I love it when you leave me comments, it lets me know there are folk out there reading my ramblings! Thank you, I appreciate them loads and loads
Laura x