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Monday, March 19, 2012

We're Expecting!

THE EXPECTANT MOTHER

 
THE MIDWIVES

THE FATHER-TO-BE


Is it just me or does he look a bit shell shocked?

He ain't seen nothing yet!

::::::::::

Now that we are safely into the second trimester, we're are delighted to
announce that we're expecting at Rural Revival Farm!

We're new at this chicken stuff, so it took us a few days to realize that we
had a broody hen on our hands but we wasted no time in tucking three eggs
under her, once we knew what the game was.


She has been a devoted mother, rarely leaving her post except for a brief foray
for scratch and water in the morning. Having read not to feed her while on the
nest, so that she is encouraged to get off and do her business, I still give her a treat
later in the day whenever the rest of the flock is having some. I can see she appreciates
 it even if she does wait until I have the left the coop before she partakes of the day's treat.

Eggs were placed under our Mama Hen on March 8th.
(A special day in our family!)

Hence, our expected due date is March 29th.

We're really not sure if we should be leaving the chicks with the hen once hatched,
either in a separate area with mama hen, or with the rest of the flock,
or remove them altogether and raise them in a brooder box.

Any suggestions, advice, or tips is appreciated.


~Be well friends!~
::::::::::::::::::





18 comments:

Clint Baker said...

That sounds very exciting! God Bless!

Lynne said...

Sounds like it will be excitement at the REVIVAL . . . no knowledge on these matters, thus . . . no advice . . .
Excited for you though . . .

V.L. Locey said...

Congratulations! Peeps are just so precious!

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Fun times are coming at your house. Baby chicks are adorable!

Nancy said...

A broody hen is worth her weight in gold. Congrats!

From my experience, Momma is the best alternative. Sequester her and the chicks in their own space and let her raise them, with plenty of food and water from you.

Good luck and Happy Monday to you!

The Sisters' Hood said...

my kids are dying to do this! Cannot wait to see your pics xxx

Anonymous said...

sounds like fun and I can't wait until we get to do this too

Anonymous said...

sounds like fun and I can't wait until we get to do this too

Judy said...

Oh how exciting! I sure do miss my girls and had hoped to get a rooster one day.

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

You could ask my friend Linda at Prairie Flower Farm. They have chickens...and new chick babies that just hatched not too long ago. I think she seperates the momma and chicks from the rest of the flock for a time. Here's her blog http://prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com/

She's also on Facebook, too :)

Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)

vintage grey said...

How exciting! I wish I could give you some advice! Can't wait to see the sweet chicks! :) xo Heather

Buttons Thoughts said...

So much excitement how do you keep yourself so grounded? :)

Tracy said...

We always just leave mama and the chicks with the rest of the hens. We have never had one die because of the other hens or rooster and we didn't have to worry about acclimating the chicks with the adults once it is time to put the in the same pen (or reaquainting mama with her flock mates if separating them for a bit of time) Chickens can be quite mean when new chickens come around but we never had a problem when they all stayed in the same pen from the time of hatching forward. Good luck with your chickie endeavor!!

Staci@LifeAtCobbleHillFarm said...

Congrats!! We put a separate penned off area in the coop so Mama and chicks could be with the other girls but Mama didn't have to be so stressed out over protecting those little chicks. The other ladies were quite nosey and loved to check in on everyone. When you do finally release them to be with the others there's a whole lot of pecking for a little while, but eventually it all calms down. We would make sure to hold the chicks often, one at a time so as not to make Mama too upset, but we wanted them to be friendly. Our last batch we hatched two. One is the bratiest of girls you've ever met and the other is sweet as pie......I say one takes after papa and one after mama. :-) Good luck!

Michelle said...

Best of luck and I do hope you will take photos of the new babies when they arrive!

Megan @ Restoring the Roost said...

Yay!! How exciting! I would suggest letting mama raise her baby chicks and separating them in a safe place away from the others- she knows best how to keep them warm, teach them how to eat, drink, scratch, and all the complex calls and language of chicken talk. It was so cute watching our broody hen with her babies- sometimes I would dice up special treats like blueberries for the chicks and she would go crazy clucking to them to show that the treats were the extra special good stuff. Then once they got a few weeks older they would always be partial to those treats she told them were the best over others. Just watch over them to be sure they are all ok and that they have adequate chick feed and access to water.

Unknown said...

That is one handsome rooster.

The "the midwives" caption made me giggle - love it!! :D

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

OMG! I have never been an Auntie to little chickies before! Hooray :)
xo, misha