Suffice it to say, that chickens cannot count. They’re not too smart or as Our Friend the Farmer says, ‘There’s a reason why chickens are at the end of the food chain.’
Lucy the red hen has been sitting on her eggs for just about forever! She had 6 eggs…2 eggs began chipping and … died. They never made it out of the shell. Yes, we were a bit sad for her, but…then again…to quote Our Friend the Farmer…’They just don’t all make it.’ Four eggs left and then…there was one little chick, alive…Ginger Chick…a sort of red striped cutie.
One more egg started to chip…we moved the chipping egg, two more ‘nothing doing’ eggs and Ginger Chick into the chick box along with Lucy…who to our delight sat back down on everyone…chick, eggs and all. However, one chick is not exactly a ‘clutch’ and we had little hope of the remaining eggs hatching.
My Loving Spouse has been yearning for some Buff Orpington hens.
‘Oh, Sweetie…when you are on your way back from Spokane, why don’t you run into your favorite feed store and pick up a few chicks. We’ll slip them under Lucy and then she’ll be a happy hen. Look for Buff Orpingtons’
“That’s it? That’s all we have to do?”
‘Chickens are not too smart.’
So, that is how I found myself driving 1 1/2 hours with chirping chicks in a chick carry out container.
I kept moving them into the sunlight coming trough the window to keep them warm on the car ride home. I had the heater cranked up as well and it was one chirpy ride home to deliver the Buffies to My Loving Spouse.
He slipped the chicks under Lucy the red hen who now has 1 Ginger Chick, 2 black chicks (because her nothing eggs turned into chicks) and 2 Buff Orpington chicks…and she is a happy mother hen…believing that they are all hers and they are…hers to cluck after, keep warm, and care for now.
…and we…have more chicks than we need…but they sure are cute right now and I love how they huddle under the wings of the mother hen to keep themselves warm and protected. Spring has certainly sprung!
