Guess who came to see us...

We went out to give the chickens lunch, and as we were checking the food and water in the hiding spaces for the Mama chickens who have been sitting on eggs, we found this Mama had hatched out three babies today.

This fuzzy picture was hard to take. See the hole? Its little egg tooth was working overtime. As exciting as it was, the Mama hen was getting stressed out by our presence, so we couldn't watch too long. The little egg was shaking, and the Mama kept trying to tuck it back under her. It was looking like in the Nutcracker when all of the babies keep escaping from under Mother Ginger's skirts.

When I went out a little while later, the fourth baby was hatched, laying on its back and peeping and waving its legs, but she quickly gathered it back under her. And I think I have my hands full with two. At this point she has four little babies, and one egg to keep up with.

The little family is rather exposed where she had hidden to sit on her eggs, so we are concerned about the predators like roadrunners, etc.

We went out a bit later to move them, and Mama carried the Mama hen (fighting from the moment hands went in there) where she could see her babies in a pig feed tub to the maternity ward. When we put them down, we noticed a hole pecked in the edge of the one egg left, so the boys are hopeful there will be five babies! She gathered her little brood up to her.

I love when they cuddle in her feathers. Guess it reminds me of when my own little Bailey and Wyatt used to cuddle up. They still cuddle up, but it is different when they are nearly as big as you are!

Anyhow, another day, another new set of triumphs and challenges. We will go check again in a little while, and hope baby number five makes it out and they all make it to adulthood.