Growing Fast!

The two families of chicks are about two weeks old and growing quickly.

The Black Australorp hen and her Icelandic chicks hunt for bugs.

The little Old English Game hen and her standard sized chicks take a hearty dust bath.

 At this rate, her chicks will outsize her very soon.

Playing "Airplane?"

Unflaterring photo of my leg, but it shows how small the little hen is.

The chick have become very atheltic.

Peeps - Rounds Two

Over the weekend, the Icelandic chicks hatched out in the incubator.

Right from the start, these chicks were much livelier than the standard chicks. When I had left for work in the morning, there were just a few tiny holes pipped in the eggs. This video was what I saw when I got home in the evening.

The next morning, when everyone was completely dried and fluffed, I slipped all the chicks under the sitting black Australorp and gave them the day to bond, then safely sat the peeps on the floor so they wouldn't have to bail out of the nest on their own. Mama hen wasn't sure she was ready to leave the nest, but the calls of the chicks eventually pulled her out.

Chicks, Day 2

 A little black puff appeared overnight.

Time to move them from the communal coop and into a temporary nursery until the other hen hatches hers and every is steady on their feet.

First meal. I love how Momma instinctually makes the "here's food" noise.
She also seemed stiff footed after sitting in her nest for so long. Those nails also grew out while sitting, so they got a trim right after this video was shot.

Peeps!

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Wow, I'm long overdue for updating here, but here are some extra cute photos of the expanding chicken flock to make up for it. 

The big hen was off her nest, while the little one sits tight.

 More eggs in incubator.

 The first to hatch. Still a little wet.

 Dried and fluffed.

 #2 - Bet you didn't know chickens had belly buttons!

 I love the demonstration of stages.

-All dired and fluffy.

-Drying.

-Just hatched,

-Still working on it.

 "Hands off the kids!"