CHICKS!!!!!!!!!

Our beautiful maran hen has been sitting for a very long time. Sadly she broke most of her original eggs but we gave her some Appenzeller Spitzhousen and Blue-Splash Orpington eggs to hatch, along with one she had of her own. The chicks were due to hatch today but started showing signs on Saturday night, this morning it looks like most are out!!!!

first signs of hatching

bit further on

I spy little legs!

Cute little bundles of fluff

Mother Hen

Peek-a-boo

Just out of the egg looking a little scrawny!

If you can't see, climb!

It's lunchtime now and I've checked on them. Her one own egg shows no signs of hatching and one Orpington didn't survive breaking out of his shell, but she appears to have 8 healthy little balls of fluff hiding underneath her! Joe completely distraught by the death and ran away but I've retrieved him from next-door garden and he's dealing with his sadness with the aid of sweets!