Chicken Mommas Know Better than People Mommas.

Chicken Mommas Know Better than People Mommas.

As announced last week or so seven baby chicks hatched on Monday/Tuesday July 10^th-11^th.

Okay, so here is how this went. Thursday I come home from work about 6:00pm and it is drizzling. Momma is out in the run with her brood! Too early for the flock to go to bed, and momma is hunkered down under one of the old wooden chairs in the run … she’s damp, babies are under her high and dry. But they are so little they could be too small to make it back into the coop when it is darker and they might freeze … even with momma covering them, they’d be on the cold damp ground! In a panic, I gather mother and toss her in the coop, terrified babies scatter in all directions!

I go on the great baby chick round up, and let me tell you, not only are two day old chicks much, much faster than you’d imagine, but somehow they possess a magic reality altering quality that allows seven chicks to run in fourteen different directions at once! Meanwhile, most of the flock was still in the run with me and as I was chasing around loudly peeping chicks, the other girls were now frightened as well. It was total chaos.

Every lap I ran around that coop after the babies took them and me past Coq Au. Normally, I would be on guard against his usual onslaughts, but today I had scared, cold babies to think of. For his part, rather than attack, he stood quizzically still each time I ran past chasing his sons and daughters. Every time he would glare at me with understand frustration and say “Can you PLEASE do something with these yowling brats!” Eventually, they were rounded up and returned to their nervous mother in good condition.

Friday came with a forecast of rain, and rather than leave it all to chance while at work, I let the flock out of the coop and into the run and closed the peep door to keep momma and babies in.

Came home Friday, rains had past, I opened the peep door and several hens barreled over each other to get into the laying boxes, momma and brood safe and sound.

Saturday, hot, bright, and sunny, and momma emerged early with the flock. Babies spent the day happily hanging out in the run with the big girls. Normally I would let the flock out into the yard, but I didn’t want momma and babies out yet and I didn’t want the flock not to have access to the coop, so everyone spent the day in the yard. Right away momma started teaching the wee ones about scratching and I distributed sort treats of bananas and yogurt for all. I also spread around grit in the appropriate size in the run. Might be a day or two early, but momma would teach them what they need and when.

Come that night, it was as I had feared. The entire flock when to bed, and momma settled down under the coop with the babies. The chase was on again, but after collecting them all one by one, in they all went.

Sunday and Monday brought the same circumstances, and each time I emerged from the run in the late evening winded and sweat soaked, but secure in the knowledge that babies were safe!

On Tuesday there came a change. Momma went in, ONE baby followed. The rest stayed out screaming for momma’s warmth, but for the sake of her one smart baby, she nestled in and left the task of collecting the strays to me. My long suffering wife greatly assisted me in rounding up the six wayward children and I delighted as I placed the last baby at the peepdoorway and peered into the gathering darkness of the coop to spy her waddling off to her mother. Wednesday saw three chicks go in all by themselves with momma and my nightly chase was growing easier.

Thursday had me concerned, with my wife working late, I’d have to go back to rounding up strays by myself. At the appropriate time, I went out and saw only Hortense and one screaming baby left outside. I sat patiently waiting for Hortense to go in so I could gather the one chick in peace, but fates smiled upon me. During my wait, I spied the peeping wee baby ascend the ramp all by herself and put herself to bed just like a big girl!

I’ve been checking each night as per usual, but I am now secure that the babies are just big enough to understand and make their way to a safe warm nest in the evenings. Of course, I suspect momma knew this all along.

Saturday the 22^nd came and I let the whole flock out of the run into the yard. Momma slowly emerged with babies in tow and immediately set about the task of teaching them how to forage in the shaggy grass. I made sure to toss chick feed and treats in their general direction to ensure they would find success! For the time that they were out, she kept them away from the flock so she could keep a close eye on them, and I am sure the flock was relieved to get a little peace and quiet away from the nursery.

Here is momma under the safety of the mulberry tree with the babies.

 

Here is Coq Au with the flock glaring at me as usual.

Here is the flock relaxing in the shade like the lazy beasts that they are.

 

Momma may be done with the hatch, but her work is far from over.

The Art of Sneaky War.

The Art of Sneaky War.

I had preempted the story as I was awaiting the new baby chicks (more adventures concerning them in my next post!), but what had happened during that time up to their hatch?

Coq Au, after a long three years of launching unsuccessful frontal assaults has been quietly developing his new strategies of attack. Now, those of you who have been reading along this whole time might remember that I’ve cut the cable TV to the coop and have limited the flock’s internet access. Never the less, they still develop strategies of staying informed.

As it turns out, when I let the flock into the yard, I’m not watching as closely as I should. Coq Au has been surreptitiously sending Hermione (the flock’s alpha female) to the library. She waddles the mile down the street, wanders in, and says to the librarian “book book book?” and the librarian apparently obliges.

So, I wandered into the coop and found a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Caesar’s Conquest of Gaul, and an old Dungeons and Dragons handbook bookmarked to the section about thieves’ “backstab” abilities.

Coq Au is a quick study. Every morning I go into the coop to distribute breakfast. Fine. No issue. At the instant I step out again, Coq Au flings himself at the fence in a show of rage. I turn, quietly open the gate once again, step in, and invite him to test his mettle. He invariably declines.

However, when they are out in the yard, and I am puttering about with some chores … it is common for the flock, once they notice I am about, to run up to me looking for treats (I fear it is a ‘cover’ to distract me while Hermione is off at the library!). In these moments, Coq Au will be the farthest away, and as I turn to walk away, I’ll suddenly sense evil. I turn on a dime, and he is MUCH MUCH closer than he should be for a normal rate of speed and skidding to a stop. I’ll turn again, walk a few paces, turn back, and he has closed the distance by another measure.

Once, I turned at the last second, just in time, and he barely stopped in time before readying himself for a sneak attack. I kid you not, this is what happened next.

Still raging that his sneak attack was thwarted, he could not contain himself and puffed out his cowl. He was going to ‘go for it’ anyway. Respecting my fellow combatant, I bowed slightly as he and I squared off and as I live and breathe, he bowed back!

Okay, Hermione’s trip to the library is a bit of literary cheek for the purposes of making you smile … but I state emphatically once again, this rooster and I literally bowed to each other in that inescapable moment where we both realized a fight was eminent.

Having bowed to each other in mutual respect he reared up and jumped with feathers flying and talons bared. His naked aggression was met once again with the business end of my boot. Took three solid kicks, but he finally relented.

In the ensuing days, he tried again and each time I turned to thwart him (more quickly, in enough time for him to realize I was now facing him and he would not come off the better). A few of those times, I became so frustrated that I would sternly, though slowly, walk forward, slightly back and forth, to corner him all the way back to the run. Once shut in the run by himself, I would bask in the affection of the flock distributing treats and offering time on my lap. All the while, Coq Au would issue his complaints during his ‘time out’. After about fifteen minutes of this or more, I would let him free once again and return to a state of armed neutrality.

 

After these experiences, I have now not only cut off the coops cable and internet, but I’ve had to make the command decision to collect everyone’s library cards.

Brand New BABIES!

Brand New BABIES!

Why has the blog been quite this last month? I've been biting my nails for the last three+ weeks nervously awaiting NEW ARRIVALS! Mildred hatched seven babies!

Born on July 10th. First picture is from Tuesday. The rest of the pictures are from TODAY! Babies' first (official) day out of the coop and in the chicken run (the rest of the flock are out in the yard foraging). SO many more stories to tell just about this past month, but we need some baby pics!