I can’t tell if we have four or five babies so far, as there are little feet everywhere under Petty, but she’s doing a great job! I was able to get some pictures this morning, and I am so excited to have fall baby chicks. They are such spirit lifters, and I am extra excited because we, for sure, have two little Welsummer babies! Rooster is a Welsummer, and I guess, in his effort to keep up with Dvorak, he had done pretty well for a seven-year-old rooster.
The Welsummer babies are the ones with stripes on their backs. I think there are other breeds that have this, but it’s a classic Welsummer marking as well. I’m happy to get more Rooster babies.
Of course, Dvorak has done well too. Ruby’s egg has hatched, and Dvorak is definitely the daddy on that one. I also think we have a Silver egg that has hatched because we have a little silver baby running around under there.
Generally, we only hatch chicks in the summer because we want to make sure there is plenty of warmth for them to grow up, but we learned a few years ago that late summer hatches do work out and that there’s enough time in the early fall for the babies to get their feathers before it gets cold outside, even here in Maine.
I can’t wait to see what all we have. Oh, and Ron just came to get me to confirm there are five babies. He was taking Bairre for a walk and said he saw all five out and about. I am so proud of Petty! Oh, and here’s the best part. She’s pretty chill. She lets me touch the babies, just like Lucy and Broody Hen used to. How wonderful is that?
