DailyCelestialChallenge, A Mothers Love

For my first daily #celestialchallenge on this fine Friday full of love, beauty and freedom (first day of xmas break for my son, woohoo!) I am going to post about the love I see between some of my chickens.

Dalle and her first hatchling, Rosie2

This hen, who I named Broody Dalle, came to me from my mom. She kept trying to brood on an empty nest, and even if my mom did give her any eggs there was no rooster in my mom's small flock. Rather than trying to "break" her from this instinctive state, my mom said sure when I asked if I could bring her home to my place.

Another little snuggle shot

I brought her to my house, 2.5 hours away, in a small cat carrier. I sectioned off an area in my coop just for her. I put 12 eggs from my own hens under her and marked the date on the calendar. I was so excited throughout those three weeks! Her desire to brood was so strong that I had to take her off the nest every day so that she wouldn't poop in it, and so she could have a drink and a bite to eat. I waited with her while she did her business, because as she was the new girl everybody was mean to her and would try to get into her nest. I didn't want her to come back and have to fight anyone off so I kept the others out while she was away.

Dalle showing her chicks whats good to eat

All the chickens came down with a cold half way through the eggs incubation time. Sneezing, raspy breathing, lethargy. I put garlic, oregano oil, and pureed plantain leaves into the feed for the whole flock. Dalle really wasn't interested in eating, so I mixed her up a smooothie of the same supplements and syringed it into her beak numerous times a day. I was worried she would die, she sounded so terrible. I was worried she would still be sick when the chicks hatched and that they'd get sick. She held on and got better with my nursing, and didn't abandon those eggs.

Four chickies! She's still sitting on eggs here.

The chicks hatched on Sept 4. Though she started with 12 eggs, only four chicks lived. Some eggs weren't viable, some stopped developing, two died while hatching. We are so happy to have those four though.

Dalle is always with her babies. She doesn't know that they didn't hatch from eggs she laid, she loves them all the same.

Such a good momma hen, putting herself inbetween her babies and the big baby snatching food machine

Shes always there.

Not really babies anymore, practically as big as she is!

Now the babies are almost four months old but she hasn't given up her role as a loving, doting mother hen. She snuggles up with them every night instead of roosting with the others. She waits until everyone leaves the coop in the morning and then leads her babies out with a series of clucks. They're old enough to take care of themselves now but this mothers love is unending!