So that's the sound the greeted me when I went to close the door of the chicken coop tonight.
What? No it can't be.....
One of my chickens actually hatched some chicks!
I've had hens sit on eggs many times before but it has never gone anywhere, they usually just give up or nothing happens I'm assuming because they weren't fertilized or something.
So I guess in this case, mama and rooster dude got it on and she persevered and now there are babies. At least four and maybe a couple more. It was hard to tell in the dark with only a flashlight.
Now I did raise the chickens I have from chicks but have no experience with a hen actually having chicks herself. So on one hand got really excited and on the other I paniced a bit because I'm totally unprepared. Of course I had to discover it and 11:30 at night so beyond getting a tray of water down beside mama hen and a bit of food there isn't much I can easily do until daylight. Here's hoping they survive the night and the next couple of days.
So beyond just passing on the news about my surprise of the day I'm wondering if there are any babblers out there who have any experience with hens raising chicks. Any advice or wisdom gleaned from experience would be much appreciated.