Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Thankfully, our Creator has given my broodies the ability to know what to do, far better than I and the incubator. Plus, while chickens have a natural desire to scratch (!!! all the shavings into the water!!!) the broody hen tells them "why" they scratch and where. AMAZING motherhood!
I love watching my gals. Hoping that the 5 with one hen are all pullets (yeah, right! Fat chance!!) but, probably only 2 are. Of course, there's always hope. They are feathering but not enough to be sure yet. Then, another 5, combs look like I might have 3 or 4 gals there
Mom was taken by a fox (after a huge fight) and I'm fostering the babes. She would not go into her pen that night.
Mini, you need to get yourself some poultry nipples! Makes all the difference in the world when raising chicks, with or without a mama. The best setup I've had for broodies and babies is a bucket with a nipple cup on the side and straight nipples on the bottom so both sizes are served. Nice, clean water all the time.
Works for ducks too.
I'm with you....I prefer all the hatching to be done by the experts ~the mama~and I will never be one. I've hatched with a regular incubator and even hatched using a heating pad and a natural nest setup, but I still feel too much when I lose one of those dancing chicks, especially through my own error.
