Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tansy is a Mama


Tuesday morning four of the blue/green eggs I had placed under Tansy hatched. I was doing my chores and while feeding the girls I checked on Miss Tansy sitting on her clutch of eggs. She was in an awkward position with her back end up a little higher than her front end. She also had an odd facial expression. Yes, chickens do have expressions and her's showed puzzlement. After the food was spread around she jumped out of the nest box and I saw three little peeps bopping about and a fourth one still working on hatching.

The chicks are marked like typical Ameraucana chicks although we have no idea who their fathers might be. The girl I got the eggs from has several roosters including a black Silkie, his mixed breed sons, bantams, and other mixed breeds.

Wednesday morning she moved her little brood to the pet taxi I had readied for her nursery. Tansy has explained to the other girls that while she may now be a mama she is still Queen of the Coop! When the chicks and Tansy are at one end of the pen all four of the girls go to the opposite end. Nobody messes with the babies!

These four little one are the first animals to be born/hatched on my little homestead. Living in town I cannot keep roosters so keep your fingers crossed they are all girls!!

~ Penny ~