trystinn | Floofy Goodness

A real treat, though undoubtedly late - pictures of our three new chicks. Scroll down for pics.

But first, poultry movements:

"Noah very kindly took a roll of plastic tightly woven deer fencing and added it to the Northwest pen of Bunhalla (Poultrhala?) so that it may now hold chicks and ducklings safely. Mamma Wendy, our smooth-feathered Silkie and her duckling, Prima, are now living the pen-life. This is a good thing, as ducklings need lots of exercise and they now have a 12x6 foot enclosure with rain roof. We've provided a deep waterer that is safe for Prima to drink from (no drowning) and a larger starter food bowl. An old cat carrier will make a temporary nesting box for them both until the new hutches are built. Did I mention I've commissioned two brooding hutches that I hope will be done soon - one this weekend, the next before August? I could have sworn I took a pic of the Northwest pen but its not on the card, will do so Friday.

Mamma Onyx and her THREE chicks have been moved to the back porch brooding hutch. Her remaining eggs have been gifted to Salt, who is brooding away without any eggs but the ones I've tucked under her wings. Its a merry little process, popping eggs under a good-natured Cochin. Not only are the hens very large and fluffy, they are very tolerant of such shenanigans. She sort of wiggled back and forth, like you do to settle in a comfy chair (most entertaining) to settle the eggs. *cross fingers* Picy goodness to come.

Onyx and her three beautiful chicks are doing quite well. Her two blue chicks, hatched sometime around Monday or Tuesday, have been joined by a darker almost black chick. Its a statistical impossibility that a Black hen and a Splash roo will make anything other than 100% blue unicolor chicks and yet, that may have happened. The darkest one, which is lightened by the flash, is the one at the rear left here:

It took but a few moments once settled in for Mamma Onyx to teach her chicks to drink from the drip bottle. Chicks naturally mimic their mother, as early as within 24 hours. They are very quick learners:

They are also gossipers from the hatch:

And they begin scratching and pecking almost immediately:

Our resident wise guy:

Big Blue, the proud papa, has been hanging about keeping an eye on things. This is harder to do with Prima out in the pen, the Ameraucana chicks free ranging and now his three newest chicks in the hutch but he endeavors."

More pictures of Mamma Onyx and her chicks on my FB, in the 7/13/11 album.