Just Hatched & Too Adorable For Words

The miracle of hatching chicks never gets old. It blows my mind that you can take an egg, pop it under a clucky hen and with the right amount of warmth, have a live, peeping chicken just twenty-one days later. It's quite amazing.

The other thing I find amazing is the amount of cuteness you can pack into something so tiny. I mean, seriously, they're too adorable for words.
This post is mostly pictures as I think these balls of fluff can speak for themselves. You'll just have to excuse the quality of some of the photos as it was late yesterday afternoon when I was snapping them.

I photographed these after the hen had finished hatching. In the late afternoon she was moved from her hatching nest and into a lovely clean one, which is situated amongst millet and peas and other forage plants cultivated specifically for her brand new family. Our chooks get the best private health service imaginable in the poultry world. Raising them in this way not only makes them healthier and happier, it makes raising them easier too.

This clever Silkie mama hatched four out of six eggs, a pretty good hatch rate in my book.
I watched them exploring their world for the first time this morning, and listened to the soft loving clucks coming from their mama. She plucked at the plants and fed it to them gently, called them over to the dish of millet and positioned herself in the full sun so her little ones wouldn't get cold. I don't think I'll ever tire of enjoying the sight of new chicks with their Mum. It really is something special.


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Have you ever had the joy of hatching baby chickens I wonder?
Hope your week to going well,

Sarah x