I just had to share, we had a hen setting eggs. Well, they(4 chicks) hatched (Wens.) and are all doing well. We had ordered RIR chicks to add to her brood, but was unsure if she'd take them. She's such a good mama, that she took all of them, in the daytime too! She now has 15 chicks and is so happy you can almost see here smilin' The eggs we hatched didn't come out to be the colors we'd expected. One eggs was from our Black Minorca hen and our only rooster is a Buff Orphington, we expected a dark chick, maybe even black but not so, it's the color of the RIR chicks. Another one was from a Barred Rock hen and it's a chocolatey brown with a golden head. I'm trying to learn more about genetics but it's tough to wade through. ;) Anyway just had to share, I love baby anything!!!!

-- Kelle in MT (kellemt@yahoo.com), May 18, 2002

Answers

Hi Kelle, Congratulations on your new chicks. Those babies are so cute. I had chicks hatch last Sunday evening during a strong storm here, seems it's not just humans that give birth during bad weather.:) Mine are bantams- hen is a barred rock-rooster is of questionable heritage with every color and those little ones are so small- about the size of a golfball. Mama hen is taking them out in the sunshine for exploration & lunch and all are doing well. My hen has done something really strange though; she has taken her chicks & 'moved in' with a muscovy duck that's setting . That duck has adopted the chicks and they walk all over her and the hen sets on the eggs when the duck leaves for food. I'm anxious to see what happens when those ducklings hatch, if the chicks stay with the hen and the ducklings go with the duck or if they'll share parenting. Ah, country living it's never boring. KA

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), May 18, 2002.