Chicky Stories

I was thinking as I walked back in the house for the hundredth time today, I am not only driving myself crazy watching the chicks but I am driving the hens crazy too. I am going to do something else soon. I should have ran errands today. Did I do anything but stand outside the coop with a silly grin on my face. Nope, not a thing. The chick has learned that as soon as I show up to go hide. I only got these pictures tonight by lifting the hen and grabbing the chick.

It wasn't happy about being in my hands. It is a white Silkie Bantam. It has tiny furry feet. The other chick looks just like this one. I don't think any of the other eggs from these two hens are going to hatch. I am waiting until this weekend and if none have hatched then I will bury the eggs. Deep. Like with the tractor.

 This morning I put this black hen with the other setting hens in the coop that I have for my bantams. I guess it will be my nursery coop for awhile. I had my doubts if this hen would be a good mother. I gave her a chick once a couple of years ago and she had crushed it. So I have kept my eye on her. I think maybe that was why I just watched to make sure she wasn't going to hurt this one. At first, she was a little rough but as the day wore on her mothering instinct took over. I noticed how she would pick up a little tiny piece of corn and put in in her beak and drop it in a teeny piece. I watched her do that over and over.

I know I have seen this before but today it seemed brand new. The hen took the chick over to the chicken waterer. The chick stood real close to it as the hen put her head down  in the water took a tiny drink, lifted her head slowly, while the chick watched closely. The chick put it's little beak in the water and took a tiny drink just like it's Momma had taught it. I stood there mesmerized. I had brought some bread out and I had torn it into little pieces but the hen took them and tore them in even littler pieces.

 

I am not real popular out there among the hens. They poof up three sizes now when I show up. I guess tomorrow I will have to not check on them so much. Sasha has been pecked  hard five times today. She really has her feelings hurt. The last time she got pecked on the nose, she turned and walked up the hill to the house with her head down and  her tail drooping. I never saw such dejection on an animal before. The one thing about Sasha is her tail is always in a happy curl over her back. To see it like that really hurt me too. She is just like Fly in Babe. She always wants to mother things, from kittens to babies and to have a hen do that was really hard for her today.

I just thought I would share a bit.
Thanks for stopping by,
~Kim~