Tuesday, 8 October 2024

Mother Hen




We are so excited this morning, as we are about to hatch a plan.


For the last few days I have taken on the role of Mother Hen. Every morning we have collected our eggs, and stored them in the downstairs loo! The only room in the house without a radiator, with the correct humidity and temperature to keep the eggs happy until incubation. I have been in and out of the loo so many times, to turn the eggs and move them from side to side. I hope I've been a good Mother Hen.



Our incubator arrived yesterday, so we set it up, got the temperature right, added a little bit of water to the well in the centre and waited. We just needed one more egg this morning, to bring our total to seven.

We checked the nest box at 7.00, no egg....

We checked again at 8.00, still no egg....

So we popped the six eggs in, and hoped that the seventh would be along soon.

At 9.00 still no eggs to be found, this is very strange, what are those girls up to? I had a look round the garden and found two eggs hidden away under a bush. The girls had both been and laid their eggs in this new hideaway this morning. It's as if they knew, they are very clever those girls. So I quickly chose an egg and popped it in the incubator with the others. I just hope it hasn't been out in the cold for too long.



Here are the parents this morning, Doris, Rocky and Daisy. I have feeling that they know exactly what's going on. The next 21 days will be an anxious wait for us all.




Come on my little chicks x.

41 comments:

charl said...

how exciting.. what a lovely thing for your children to experiance aswell..great stuff!!

i have images now of the daddy hens handing out cigars in hospital waiting rooms now!!!!

annie's abode said...

wow - it will be an anxious wait - i will keep popping by - so exciting!
anniex

Sherry from Alabama said...

We have found out that chickens are smarter than they look. They know when you are wanting those eggs and play games with you. :) Hope you have better luck with your eggs than we did with ours. We found out our rooster, also named Rocky, was a little "lacking" in the fathering area. Our eggs were not fertilized. Bummer! I'll stay tuned for your reports. Hope they're good ones!

Sherry from Alabama

Katy Noelle said...

How fun! My Mom used to incubate eggs in her Day Care Center (appropriately called "Children's Country House" even though it was located on the outer edge of Los Angeles). We had so much fun with that. Good Luck! We are expecting puppies in a month and I am anxious to be a good Mommy to my Mommy.

Love, Katy Noelle

Julie Petty said...

Oh, what fun! We have raised chickens in the past, love having them around, and love the farm fresh eggs! Great story, great pictures, great blog!

Thedarkerside73 said...

Fingers crossed Bertie! x

How eggciting. (I am sorry but i just had too)

Hope those eggs produce some cute little chickies. Will be waiting to see how it all pans out.


MBBx

Jude said...

I shall wait with baited breath....clever little things...one thing, could you tell me where you bought the incubator from??
Thank you
Jude

Kissed by an Angel said...

This is exciting!! The whole of Blogland will be waiting to see the new arrivals!!! Good Luck!!
xxxx

Alijane said...

Wow how exciting Bertie, look forward to seeing little chicks soon with a bit of luck.

Alison
x

Jak said...

How interesting, shall pop by for updates. Your children must be very excited. Oh dear, the word verification for this comment was 'fatest' how rude of Mr. Blogger (I'm sure it must be a man), lol!
Jak x

Julia said...

Hello!

This is very exciting! I can hardly wait - I have had a long standing yearning to have hens and chicks of my own (and will do too, one of these days!), so will watch your progress unfold with bated breath!

Sending love
Julia x x x

Jude said...

How egg-citing (sorry!) Can't wait to see what happens next! xx

Sue said...

Ooh how eggciting...sorry had to join in with that one!!

I'll be watching with baited breath as I hope to start breeding Lavender Pekins soon and I may have to get an incubator if they aren't good little mothers.

Sue xx

A Thrifty Mrs said...

How exciting!

The Curious Cat said...

awww! Come on little chicks! That would be ace! I do hope they make it - can't wait to see!!! :) xxx

Curlew Country said...

What a great plan - cracking fun! Oh dear, we really should stop this.

Have a great week, love Stephx

Stitchy said...

I grew up on a pheasant farm. We used to take hundreds of eggs to a neighboring farm that incubated them for us. Then the exciting day came for us to pick up the stacks of big, flat boxes full of chicks. I loved peeking into the holes along the sides and seeing the fuzzy, noisey little creatures inside. Back on our farm they were released into the warm brooder pens. Imagine, hundreds of chicks and having to walk with a slow, careful shuffle so as not to harm any of them.
Thanks for bringing back that memory and good luck with the chicks. It's going to be fun to check back and watch the progress!

susan said...

How exciting!! My inlaws have 16 chickens but sadly no cockrel, so no babies!!

Selfsewn said...

Omg how exciting!
Just in time for Easter.
Clare

val said...

Those girls certainly have given you the run around! We will all be waiting with baited breath to read the next chapter! I'm sure you have been a good mum!
Blessings!, Val

Rebecca said...

How incredibly exciting for you!
I have just stumbled upon your beautiful blog and will most certainly be following you.... what beautiful images & interesting words! xx

The domestic novice said...

That is just too exciting. Can't wait to see the fluffballs!

Frances said...

Maybe you are a godmother hen?

I look forward to the next post!

Anonymous said...

My neighbour and I are doing exactly the same as you - waiting for some eggs from elsewhere as her girls are a bit ancient and maybe we'll a a couple of theirs just to see...fingers crossed!

melanie said...

Wow, those hens certainly are clever! This is such an exciting time for you, I hope all goes well. :) xxx

Em said...

Just found your blog.
It's lovely.
Em x

MarmaladeRose said...

Gosh the excitement, keep us posted. Hubby want to keep hens...maybe later this year when we might have a bit more land.

Lesley (Notesfrommydays) said...

oh how exciting I have fingers and toes crossed for you all X

Laura said...

How exciting. I hope they hatch safely. L x

lemonade kitty said...

Good luck with the chicks, Lucey xx

harmony and rosie said...

That's so exciting - I bet the children are besides themselves. Here's hoping they all hatch out.
Kate

Unknown said...

What a wonderful time for you ! Mmmm I just wonder how many times those eggs will be checked , lots!

Aqeela said...

Oh i really hope we see some little chicks here soon, wouldnt that be delightful? Do you know what you will do with any chicks that hatch?
Aqeela xx

Anonymous said...

awww....i am keeping my fingers crossed for you xxx

maryannlucy said...

How exciting - I look forward to following this story....can't wait to meet the new additions.

The Vintage Kitten said...

What a lovely post X

Simone said...

I am so excited for you! I will be back to follow the story! x

Blueberry Heart said...

good luck - hope there are lovely chicks to post of really soon!
BH x

The Vintage Kitten said...

Happy Easter! X

Fondant Kiss said...

Your blog is fab and im now following so I can read about your forthcoming chicks!
Best regards
Deborah

A Farmers Wife said...

OOh only another couple of days for you then surely? Sadly none of the rest of our eggs have been hatched as fully formed chickies...daisy decided to get off of the clutch after the two happy chicks started moving around more and so we had to take the rest of the eggs away and crack them open...three of them were just yolk and three were chicks that hadnt fully grown, i think they stopped growing when she got off and stopped keeping them warm. Well we live and learn, im thinking i may invest in an incubator as this chook business is addictie stuff...keep us posted! Kirsty x