I noticed that I had 2 broody hens a few weeks back and while part of me wanted to dip them in cold water to reset their broodiness, the bigger part of me said, they are older hens, let them have their babies.
It takes about 3 weeks for eggs to hatch if they have been fertilized and sat on consistently. Frannie, the blonde Kelso, and Sage the biggest Rhode Island Red had been nest mates for these last 3 weeks. Taking turns, while 1 would pop down to go get water and food and go for a quick run around the yard, sitting on each others nest. It was the sweetest observation on how things operate in the chicken world or at least how these two hens decided to have each others backs.
Each day, I've walked out several times to check on them as it has been incredibly hot. I've made sure they had water literally within stretching distance of their nests. Frannie was sitting on 3 eggs and Sage had 2 under her.
I knew that Frannie had been sitting for a solid 3 weeks and if indeed her eggs had been fertilized, they would be hatching any day.
Well, Monday afternoon between 12:30 and 1pm, I walked out to check and was on the phone with a friend saying that hopefully we would have babies any day. I opened the coop door and I shouted with excitement, "We have a baby!".
Frannie looked so happy and proud. The chick was still wet and very tired but I let Frannie do her thing and nature take it course.
Yesterday, I walked out again around the same time and voila, we had baby chick #2. Now, when I noticed it, the little squirt was in front, between Frannie and Sage so I thought maybe it was Sage's chick. I picked it up and put it near Sage and the little one scooted on under mama Sage for warmth.
I left them with fresh crumbles and water.
About an hour later, I went out to just make sure that the babies were still alive and if we had any more. To my surprise once again, they were all up eating and drinking. Yep, the one that was just a couple hours old was eating too. I was amazing to see the size different between the 2 chicks with just 24 hours between them.
I'm always amazing as I watch the animals around here. Some days I feel like the old woman in the shoe that had so many children she didn't know what to do. Most days, I'm just giddy with joy and tear up at how much God has blessed me with the selection of animals that are now my family. They each have their own personality and way of communicating and there is a peace with each of them that I can't put into words.
It is truly a blessing to be here, watching everything unfold and the name of the farm suits just right.
I want to invite you all to come visit and experience, even if for a short time, the joy and inner peace that I get to experience daily. Each animal offers something different, yet there is a release that comes as you interact with each one.
Animal therapy is on a whole different frequency here.
It's healing.
It's life giving.
It's abundant.
It's joyful.
It's peaceful.
It's like no other place out there.
We are here to provide a place for you to come and just sit a while, take it all in, breathe a little deeper, and just "Be".
Come take back the place of being "you", the healed version, the healthy version by going back to our roots, the Farma Way.
~Caron