30 Chicks and No Broody

I was really panicking because I had 30 chicks hatch and no broody, neither do I have a brooder.  So I put them in a spare small incubator.  Three days passed and I didn’t know what to do with these, now  very energetic, chicks who were rapidly outgrowing the incubator.  Next morning  I noticed this silver hen was a bit clucky and sure enough she went back in her coop and  went broody.

Rushed Job

A few hours later I tried her with a couple of chicks, which, to my relief, she accepted so another couple of hours later I picked her up and put her in a big cardboard with the rest of the chicks and she was perfect.  I knew I was taking terrible liberties with asking her to take on chicks so soon after being broody and moving her  in broad daylight, but she has a kind, sensible disposition.

Perfect Broody

The broody is a second year hen from my spangled Wyandotte bantam project.  She has lovely type but unfortunately too much white on her to use her to breed from but she has been more valuable than a breeding hen.

She’s  lovely to the chicks, isn’t bothered by me and  and doesn’t  peck too hard.  Aren’t hens wonderful?  🙂