Failed Adoption

For those of you who are reading this and know me, you probably know that my family is a licensed foster home and we've been awaiting an adoption placement for years.  It's actually starting to feel pretty ridiculous how long we've been waiting but there's a reason for everything.  I just haven't figured it out yet.  Really this blog has nothing to do with our adoption process.   Yup, you guessed it, more about chickens.  (Oh no, am I starting to live vicariously through a hen?!  Lol, I hope not but then again I'm jealous that she gets to stay at home every day to raise her babies)

So last Saturday, May 5, 2012, we went to the Feed Warehouse in Southwick, MA to buy a few chicks.  The owner, Larry, had ordered Rhode Island Reds, Buff Opringtons, Barred Rocks, and Corinish Rocks (meat birds).  The chicks had hatched on Monday (the same day some of Judy's chicks hatched).  We purchased 1 Barred Rock (black chick with a white spot on her head) and 2 Buff Opringtons (yellowish in color).

As you may already know, the six chicks Judy hatched were hatched from eggs laid by a variety of hens and are assorted breeds.  It is possible to sneak day old chicks under a broody hen (a hen laying on eggs) and have her raise them like her own.  I decided to take a big risk and sneak the three new chicks under Judy to see if she would take them.

I attempted to place the chicks on Saturday night.  Chickens don't see well at night.  This makes them very vulnerable to predators and to crazy women placing random chicks under them at night.  I put all three chicks in one hand, lifted judy up slightly with the other hand and let the chicks snuggle in under her.  It couldn't have gone any smoother.

On Sunday, May 6, I went out first thing in the morning to check on the chicks.  I saw Judy walking around with a bunch of chicks.  I counted them... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.... umm there should be 9 right?  Ok, I counted again and yup only 8.  I realized Judy only had one black chick and she should have two.  I heard an assertive little peep coming out from behind the dog crate I have on the floor of the coop (where the brooding box is located).  Thank God the little black chick was back there and was alright.

I tried to convince Judy that this chick belonged with the rest but she chased her off.  I brought the chick inside the house and set her up in an old recycling box I had.  I tried placing the little Barred Rock with Judy again on Sunday night also but Steve came home on Monday morning and told me that she was rejected again.  Looks like we'll be raising her by hand.

Chickens like company so we knew we needed to get our indoor chick a buddy.  I considered taking one of Judy's 8 chicks to keep her company but decided I'd leave her alone to raise them and just buy a couple more.  Thankfully we didn't rush out to buy them because it was only a matter of time before the little Barred Rock had company.

On Wednesday, Steve called me in the morning and told me that he found one of the light colored chicks (possibly one of the Buff Opringtons) dead in the dog crate.  He wasn't sure who killed it but I'm thinking it was Judy since it was locked in the crate with her when he found it.  It had an opened wound from being pecked behind its head.

Steve removed the dead chick and watched to see how the remaining seven chicks were doing.  I'm so glad he stayed to watch them interact because he noticed Judy was rejecting another one of the light colored chicks (another adopted chick?).  She was trying to chase it off and was pecking its back.

 (scab on her back from being pecked)

Steve grabbed the chick and brought it in the house to live with the Barred Rock.  In time we'll know for sure if the three she rejected were, in fact, the three I tried convincing her to adopt.

I wasn't thrilled about raising the chicks in the house but Andrew likes to "peep" at them, pet them, and feed them so it's turned out to be fun.  If only I could teach him how to clean out their box.

 

 Please excuse the baby burp on the video :)