Yesterday we discovered the prettiest new chick out in the middle of the yard cheeping loudly for attention, but nobody was responding. We had no idea who his mother was. Cadence scooped him up and tried giving him to the two hens who dote on one chick but they would have nothing to do with him. The hen with eight babies didn't want him either. Cadence tried to get him to hang out with the turkeys, but even though they towered over him, the turkeys were afraid of him, running away whenever he approached.
I took him out to the loafing shed where one buff orpington is raising 5 chicks in the midst of the 50 meat chickens and 14 guinea hens. Even though her chicks are a bit bigger, she accepted him and has been serving as a great mom. This morning I was tickled to find him perched upon her back...
just like the ceramic chicken tureen my mom gave us as a farm-warming gift.
This hen is a wonderfully protective mother. When danger, such as a rooster, approaches, she puff up to be huge and makes the chicks get underneath her. Here she is, feathers puffed out -- you can see the rooster's beak at the right edge of the photo.
1 comment:
That's crazy! It looks a bit like some wild turkey chicks we hatched after a farmer destroyed their nest. Hmmm...
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