First Two Girls Farm Babies

Sophia hatched three beautiful chicks on Monday making these the first animals born on the farm.

Tallulah

Penelope

They are awesome! I am sooooo in love with these fluff balls. However, my luck with chickens has not always been stellar and this also has not been straight forward and easy. Let's rewind to 5 weeks ago. My lovely hen Sophia decided she wanted babies. I gave her 8 eggs and sat back to watch. She appeared to be doing her job well, one egg did break, but she was determined and patient and although she was protective of her eggs, she was never aggressive towards me. One week later, Phoebe started to display signs of also going broody. I am certainly game for this natural aspect of farm life, so I gave her 7 eggs. She also seemed to be doing things right, the only difference was that she did become aggressive toward me and nipped at me a few times. Following internet and book advice, I waited until dark and moved the hens and their eggs to a separate building now named the maternity ward. Unfortunately, when I went in to check on them in the morning, Phoebe was not sitting on any eggs, and Sophia was sitting on Phoebe's eggs. I hoped that the cold eggs might still be viable and placed them all under Sophia then moved Phoebe back to the regular coop. Eggs hatch in 21 days but unfortunately by the 23rd day I had to admit defeat in that Sophia's original's eggs had been cold for too long and were not going to hatch. She wanted to be a mom so badly that she continued to sit for the additional week on Phoebe's eggs and was successful with three babies.

Arabella

Penelope's Feet "Booted"

Which leads us to the present. We have Tallulah (brown), Arabella (all black) and Penelope (black and white). Penelope is not the healthiest little critter. While her sisters grow and thrive and learn from their mom, Penelope is struggling to walk and therefore cannot make it to the food dish. I have researched (ya, ya, I know) and I think she has curly toes - just like Phoebe - hmmm - not sure if this is a genetic trait.... I have tried to straighten them and the right foot looks much better, but after two treatments, the left foot still curls. I look at Phoebe and see how she thrives, so I keep hoping that if I can keep Penelope fed, she will get stronger and learn how to walk on this unusual foot. I am so proud of Sophia. She is the best mom! She protects and loves all of her babies where some animals may ignore or even kill the weak one. I find her sitting on the chicks keeping them warm in every and any corner of their coop. Wherever Penelope has managed to drag herself, that is where momma makes her other babies come to sleep.






That's enough for now, I could go on gushing about them for pages, and I am sure you will hear more as time goes on, but for now....I am loving being a Chicken Grandma three time over!