So, yesterday when I heard peeping I was a bit dismayed - it is so late in the year and going to be so cold for a hen to raise a clutch, and these chicks were hidden somewhere in the cluttered, storage section of the barn.
Today Cadence and I found and caught the hen and her babies, all nine of them, and put them in a dog crate in the chicken coop. The other chickens won't be able to harrass them in the crate and they will be much warmer in the coop than the barn. Not to mention they will be fed and watered. In a few days I will open the crate door so the family can go in and out at will.
It is impossible for your crabbiness not to melt a bit when you see how cute the chicks are and how proud and motherly the hen is.
4 comments:
Hooray for surprise babies! Congratulations!
Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/autumn-giveaway-clever-chicks-blog-hop-4.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
Love the little peeps, but you're right, fall is not the time. We had bad luck last year with peeps, but better this year... just too many cockerels!
Susan, I am sorry to hear of your losses. I have had a few losses to coon this year and owls too. It is frustrating. If you need some started or nearly adult replacements, I am reducing my flock for winter and breeding season now. I have pullets available. Give me a call if you are interested. I have some Cochins, Buckeyes, Ameraucanas and Minorcas for sure. I have some younger Blue and Black Orpingtons too that hatched in June.
Aww! What a nice surprise! One of my hens produced a surprise chook on 24 November, when it was almighty cold, and I did the same thing with a dog crate. I stuck a low cardboard box in one corner, with a little hay in it, and the hen settled right in :)
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