Sunday, October 5, 2008

Oh Lord, when it rains it pours!

You all remember I bought 15 new chickens not more than two weeks ago?  Well yesterday morning, Hubby and I were discussing three older birds missing from the coop, two just at night time.  One of those birds is Mama Banty, whom I'm sure is setting on a massive nest somewhere and will return with bundles in tow.  The other one is Cleopatra, she's young and being a banty she will find a tree to sit in at night but she always shows up in the morning, so I'm not too worried about her.  The one that I've been worried about is a barred rock that was hatched last year in the baler.  Within an hour of that conversation Hubby comes up on the porch and tells me to get my boots on, I have to see something.  I ask if it's bad news?  He says "No, not really."

He points over to the missing barred rock firmly sitting near my truck, and informs me that there is little feet under her, he thinks there's maybe 3 or 4 chicks.  Of course all the other hens followed me over when I came out.  One snarky hen grabs the barred rock and yanks her (they certainly have a "pecking order").  She stands up and 16 chicks go scurrying!!  Every colour you can imagine!  Oh Lord, when it rains it pours!

Here's some of the babies:




Not a great shot but you can see the mixture of colours!
One little gaff wasn't doing too well, it must have been hatched that morning and the walk up to the coop downright wore the little thing out.  We brought her in the house, put a light on her, and I mixed up a teeny bit of sugar water.  After an hour or so she was drinking the sugar water from an eyedropper and doing well enough that I was able to bring her back to her mama.

We have now gathered up all the babies, and Mama, and they are nicely tucked in the coop nursery.  I don't even want to think about how many chickens I have in my coop now....

10 comments:

Karen Baking Soda said...

Aren't they just too cute! For a moment I was preparing myself for a horror story about chicken and wildlife, but this story hatches cuteness!

tanita✿davis said...

*snicker*
Soooo, Kansas. How's that chicken-and-egg business going?

This is hilarious.

KansasA said...

Baking Soda, I too think they are adorable but what happens when Mama Banty shows up with a whole bunch more? Where am I going to put them all? Hey wanna buy some chicks? LOL

Oma said...

The chicks are so adorable. Wow to hatch that brood all at one time. She must be one proud Mama. I Love it!

KansasA said...

Okay TadMack I'm air mailing ya about a dozen chicks! lol

David T. Macknet said...

Awesome!

And ... if you were to air-mail them, you'd need to bypass both the Royal (pain) Mail and Fed (drop your package in a river) Ex. ;)

Anonymous said...

That is so cool. Wow, what a lot of healthy chicks. They are so cute.

Dora Renee Wilkerson said...

That's great!

I have 4 hens sitting right now (well 3 full time and 1 that just does it from time to time..lol..)

Something was stealing a egg a day. I still can't figure out what it is. The wire on the tractor is too small to even get an egg out.

Anyway, I have been candling the eggs (it's so much fun but at the same time drives me nuts because I am doing it every day now..lol..)

One of the four eggs I can't see anything in it. The other 3 have something in them but I can't tell if they are still alive or not. I keep watching to see if they are moving and I swear I see it sometimes but then maybe it's just because I want too..lol..

I thought about getting on the camera but it's hard to hold the egg, flashlight, and get the picture all at one time..lol.. I guess I'll have to call the kids in to help me with this one.

Dora Renee' Wilkerson

Jackie said...

16 is quite a brood! And I'd take a chick or two off your hands, really, but like apricots, they don't ship well. And then there is that city bi-law that we have in Fredericton taht says that you can't have "livestock" within the city limits.

Sydney A said...

they are the cutest little chicks ever! I think they are adorabul!