Motherly Love

A warm and fuzzy post.

Day One  -Broody meets chick- partial fail.
Dandy was still very much in egg mode when I presented her with a 6 day old chick. In reading on various forums, there has been success's but also failures as far as trying the adoption angle.

Why didn't I just give her some eggs? Two reasons: it would take another week to get the eggs therefore it would be a total of five weeks of sitting before the eggs hatched. Also I don't really have the room to grow 1/2 dozen chicks to maturity - what if they are all Roos!

Initial contact was tense and Dandy pecked at the chick. There were no signs of motherly love.
The nights are cold here and the chick needs constant heat to keep him/her alive. All I really needed was her body heat for the time being. I did feel a little annoyed at Dandy for not accepting the chick straight away. Anyway Dandy was put into the laundry room in a large plastic storage tub with some straw. She seemed undisturbed and was quite content to sit tight. Her rear was lifted and the chick slipped underneath in the cover of darkness. Dandy snuggled in and the chicks cheeping ceased. All seemed well.

Day Two -Try Again.
In the morning, Dandy was adamant she was not going to have a bar of this intruder and was getting more aggressive. Chick was removed and reared artificially that day.

Day Three -And Again.
The chick was bonding more with human hands rather than her potential adoptive mother and it felt like hope was slipping away. A large electricity bill was looming in the back of my mind.
A thought crossed my mind. Perhaps Dandy is not recognising the hatching of the chick. Two egg shells were retrieved from the mornings omelet and placed in front of her and the chick was put under her rear again. She moved the egg shells about and after a few moments gave up on trying to pull them under her body. They were abandoned.
The chicks movement underneath seemed to be annoying her. She had a tentative look and examined the chick closely watching it eat and drink. I was close by to prevent injury. As if someone had flicked a switch, her vocalisations changed. She started to eat and drink too. My heart gave a little flutter of delight. The chick settled under her and Dandy snuggled in tight. Success. They still were rather nervous of each other. It seemed there was still some more bonding to be done. Later it was the chicks turn to examine it's new mother. Wattles were pulled and a mothers back was explored. All the activity was tolerated but you could see her relief when baby finally settled under mum for a sleep.

Since then the bond has strengthened. They call to each other and prefer each other's company. Dandy will call her baby if there is something particularly tasty to eat.
With some warmer days was an opportunity to have some time in the sun. Dandy seemed to thoroughly enjoy stretching her legs and having access to grass. It was great to see her off the nest and taking care of her baby.
On the colder days the chick spends alot of time under mum. It's favourite spot is under the wing with its head poking out to keep an eye on whats going on. The chick seems to have a lovely personality. Bold, fearless and happy to follow humans or mum. Not hysterical if left alone. Other chicks I've had have demanded a companion. This one would have been okay to raise alone. I'm hoping this one will be a hen and be able to stay otherwise Dandy will have the pleasure of raising another chick for me at some stage.

It is heart warming to observe such sacrificial motherly love.