Cabin Crazy in the Prairies: Broodies! and an update on my 7 week old babies

I have been complaining all spring that my hens weren't being broody. I recently cleaned the ENTIRE summer coop, like top to bottom (not the pig side but I'll have to get in there this summer), scraped it right out, fresh bedding, lifted their nest boxes, moved their roost. ETC.

Shortly after that my first hen became broody. I didn't take her too seriously but after a few days I let her keep 5 eggs that I marked. I still didn't take her seriously because she kept switching nest box. Finally I took her seriously and decided I would give her some eggs to actually sit, but first I candled the five I gave her. Welp. They are all growing so I just left her with those. They are … 7 days (ish) along.

Broody # 1

Then the day after I let hen #1 have eggs (I should name her. Maybe she already has a name and I forgot it …) Broody Hen #2 decides to sit. I don't take her seriously for a few days but it's been three days so I gave her three of Polly's eggs. They are tiny and she wasn't convinced she had eggs so I snuck one from hen #1 and put it under hen #2 so she thinks she has 'big' eggs.

Both hens were broody last year because they have blue bands on their legs. I'm going to add another blue band on their legs this year and contemplate keeping them another year. I feel like they're earning their keep?

In other news, the April 2019 chicks are getting SO BIG. Three of my favorites have died already Darkside, The grey rooster and a big fluffy chick with brown on top of his black. So pretty!

Oh well, c'est la vie I guess.

Here are some pictures of the 'still alive'! ones