Ethel spends most of the day sitting around looking all casual like this.
Then a little head will pop out from underneath her.
And then another little head.
Sometimes a little fluff ball will run around the back of mama,
and sneak back underneath her tail feathers.
Then Ethel goes back to looking all nonchalant.
“What are you looking at? I don’t know anything about any baby chickens.”
So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that we’ve had a difficult time getting a decent head count.
Turns out we have 9 baby chicks, not 8.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Forgive the dumb city girl questions, ok?
Are these breeding chicks, egg laying chicks, or the eating kind? Forget that last one-really doubt you’d eat chicks you raised! Really adorable to watch
The more I read about her, the more I get the sense Ethel knows a lot of things the rest of us don’t….
I love watching mama chickens care for their brood. My sister and her husband have a bunch of australorps and when last year’s breeding resulted in a rooster or two it was very interesting to watch Mama teach the boys to be bossy. Unfortunately a one of the neighbors hated the rooster so he had to go. Most of the other neighbors love the chickens and the eggs they get and lots of grade school kids make their house a frequent stopping point.
This is so funny!
Funny how Ethel looks so relaxed until those little ones escape. Then she has this worried, “I’m looking to attach anything that comes near my babes.” look on her face.
I think her feathers are lovely.
mazeltov!
I love Mama Ethel! I wonder what else she’s hiding under those feathers…
Ha! Ha! Just love the chicken news for some reason. Pondering our relationship with animals, grateful for the connection. We would still be living in caves without them!
Ethel has very fine wattles.
Our Blue had some adopted Ameracuna chicks that we snuck under her when she was broody, and they loved to play “king of the mommy”– they’d climb up onto her back and joust for position, day in, day out. Hopefully Ethel will be spared those particular feats of chickie agility…
hehehe….too cute!
The song “Ain’t Nobody Here but us Chickens”, recorded by Louis Jordan, keeps rolling through my head as I look at these pictures!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain't_Nobody_Here_But_Us_Chickens
What a good mama, and what cute chicks!
It’s fun to imagine what it must feel like to be sitting on all those active little bodies!! I just love chickens and enjoy watching them on the “Lamb Cam”. Thanks! Great photos – Ethel is a real beauty.
Me again – could you please tell us more about your chicken coop and how you keep them safe? Do the dogs protect them as well as the sheep and goats?
Egads!!! Baby chicks!
Ethel seems so…so with it. Like she’s going to open her mouth and start giving you parenting advice…I love it!
lol!
)
I love chickens, especially hens and their cute chicks learning about the world. The bravery of hens protecting their babies is unlimited; they will attack anything threatening them. GO ETHEL!