We have chicks


We have chicks.


I arrived home from London and late and knackered on Wednesday. The other side of the valley was still flooded with sunlight. Wonderful June where getting home after nine still lets you have some of the day.
"I've got a surprise for you. "
"What?"
"Well it's the colour of scrambled egg for a clue."
There were two tiny chicks huddled amongst the eggs when we lifted the chicken. She squawked protestingly. They were so tiny and yellow and fluffy they seemed almost too chick-like to be true, like fancy dress chicks, Disney chicks, surely they should look wetter, scrawnier, more like chicks from the school of hard knocks, but no, there they were so perfect you could have put them on an Easter cake.
Today there are another three, all five still firmly under the hen, for warmth I presume. I have put a chick water holder in there, specially designed to let out only a little so that they don't fall in and drown, and chick crumbs too. For the first twenty four hours or so a chick does not need to feed, living still on the nourishment from the egg, but now the older ones should be ready to take something. I am crossing my fingers and relying on the hen to sort it all out although as far as I can see she is just sitting there as determinedly as though they were all still eggs.
There are another seven eggs in the nest and presumably at some point a decision has to be made as to whether they will hatch or not but so far so good.

Comments

  1. Wow! Absolutely adorable. Amy would love them!

    CJ xx

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  2. Oooh! Now I have got chick envy as well as hen envy (or should that be henvy?) Anyway totally and utterly adorable! What a clever hen. I just just hear all the lovely deep mummy hen clucks (and no, not just from you!)

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  3. I don't get the hen thing normally but THAT is very sweet indeedy.

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  4. Good! I've been looking forwards to seeing the family - so glad you were able to post pictures of them - now laughing at Mag's 'henvy'!

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  5. Definitely got chick envy. Lucky you.

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  6. How wonderful! They are so cute.

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  7. Awwww, bet you are thrilled and a whole weekend to spend admiring your new additions!

    Elizabeth, I can't find your email address for love nor money, I wanted to send you some suggestions about Roses that might be beefy enough for your conditions, but I cant :( Drop me a mail to: zoelynch at unknowndomain dot co dot uk

    Zoë xx

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  8. What a lovely homecoming...both the chicks AND the valley still sunlit late in the evening..

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  9. Love the pictures, and can just about imagine how nice a surprise it must have been to return to home and get the news from the nest.

    Please do keep us up to date.
    xo

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  10. that is so lovely!

    but i'm not entirely sure it's tactful to mention scrambled eggs around a baby chick....

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  11. Congratulations, they're gorgeous!

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  12. Oh wonderful Elizabeth. What a lovely thing to come home to. They are so sweet and tiny when born and yet look at mum! Have fun xx

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  13. Whence my comment? I know I left one. H is entranced with the chicks. Me too!

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