new chick(s)

Despite the chick-astrophe in mid-June, we decided to see if Caroline would raise another clutch of chickies this summer.

We debated for several weeks whether or not to raise chicks again. Ever.

Ron decided that he would fix up Caroline’s reprieve and make a new chicken run that is predator-proof. We hope.

On Monday, July 11th, Ron got Caroline eight new eggs from the same people as before.

Well, not eggs from the people… Eggs from the people who raise Australorp chickens, of course.

Caroline immediately settled onto the eggs and went into broody hen mode. She’s really an amazing chicken mom. It seems to be her m.o. She’s not a great layer, but she goes broody a lot and she’s a good, responsible hen. After all, she raised Scruffy the rooster after Daisy and Ella turned into bad parents. And she raised seven chicks to 5.5 weeks earlier this summer.

We were the ones who really screwed up.

Sigh.

Ron noticed Caroline wiggling a bit yesterday. A day or two before the chicks are due to hatch, the hens usually start moving around. They must be feeling movement under them.

Caroline’s chicks aren’t due to hatch until tomorrow, but Ron peeked in there this morning and saw a little wet head sticking out. He looked a little  later and the chick was running around Caroline’s reprieve with Caroline clucking after her–“come back! come back under me!”

We’re excited to see chicks again and we hope all of them hatch. We don’t know why not. Caroline is such a good mom and it’s so warm in the summer, but you never know.

We’re glad to meet the first of the chicks, but we’re still very nervous and worried about them. Ron has checked and rechecked the chick enclosure, adding various precautions to avoid another chick-astrophe, but I don’t think we’ll feel settled and safe again until these chickies reach maturity in complete safety.