Broody Pullets & Babies, cont.

The Australorp had been sitting two eggs and because she was in the coop, where she was often made to share her nest with her flockmates, I had my doubts about whether her eggs would in fact hatch. I really didn't think they would.

It just goes to show you what I know. Over the weekend BOTH eggs hatched and both babies seem to be doing really well. Once the first chick hatched and the second egg was pipping, I moved her into her own nest in a cage in the coop, moved her baby and the pipping egg in with her, covered the cage with a tarp to give her some privacy and she has seemed perfectly content. The second egg hatched overnight and she has two adorable babies.

The Buff Orpington mama has moved to a temporary coop in a screened off part of the run, where she has been showing her babies how to scratch around and find food. They have a feeder and waterer in the run, but she routinely knocks the feed over and shows the chicks how to scratch the earth and eat their food from the ground. Sometimes she'll drop feed in front of them. They seem fine; drinking and eating the way she wants them to, so for now I'm leaving her to her time-tested methods.