If you’ve ever kept chickens, you know that a broody hen is a force of nature. Once that maternal instinct kicks in, they will sit in that nesting box with the determination of a furry, feathered boulder, waiting for babies that may or may not be coming.
Currently, we have two such determined mamas in our coop. We really wanted to let them experience the joy of raising a clutch, so we recently bought some hatching eggs and carefully tucked them underneath our sitting hens. We waited, they incubated… and unfortunately, nothing happened. Not a single egg hatched.
It’s always a bit of a heartbreak when nature doesn’t quite cooperate, especially after watching our girls work so hard for weeks. We just couldn’t bear to leave them empty-nested after all that dedication.
So, we moved to Plan B: Operation Adoption!
As soon as we realized the eggs were a bust, we started scouring Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace. We specifically needed chicks that were at most two days old to ensure the best chance of our broody hens accepting them. Finally, a glimmer of hope: a woman named Lisa posted an ad on Kijiji for her one-day-old hatchlings. We immediately made arrangements and took a drive down to the valley to pick them up. It was an hour and twenty minutes each way, but totally worth it.
Now, anyone who knows me is well aware of my Tim Hortons tea addiction, so a pit stop on the way was practically mandatory. While I got my tea fix, J grabbed a box of Timbits as a treat for Nova. It was a stroke of luck, really, because once those actual Timbits were gone, we were left with the absolute perfect, cozy transport container for our tiny new feathered cargo.
If you were to look through the window of our car on the drive home, you’d probably just think we saved some road trip snacks for later. Sitting right there on the dashboard was that classic red-and-white 10-pack Timbits box.
But open the lid, and instead of chocolate glazed and honey dip, you’re greeted by four of the tiniest, fluffiest little peeps you’ve ever seen! We got a beautiful “assorted pack” consisting of two Lavender Orpingtons and two Barred Rocks. They fit perfectly inside the little cardboard carrier, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a better box of treats in my life.
Once we got them home, our cat, Corduroy, was immediately on the case. He is always so curious and absolutely loves baby chicks. As soon as he heard those faint little peeps coming from the cardboard box, he started pestering me relentlessly to get a look. I had to be extra diligent guarding our precious cargo to make sure he didn’t try to sample one of our fluffy new “Timbits”!
The next step is the delicate process of introducing these babies to our broody hens. We’ll be sneaking them under the girls tonight when it’s dark and quiet, hoping that when the sun comes up, they’ll just assume their eggs finally hatched and step right into their new roles as mothers.
Wish us luck with the introductions! I’ll be sure to post an update tomorrow to let you all know how the new mamas and their new fluffballs are doing.