Chicks
With egg prices skyrocketing, I am actually running low. I go out to check for eggs everyday. When I look at the nests, I find a chicken. If I try to take the eggs underneath, I get pecked. It seems that the hens are brooding. That is when they decide to be mothers. They will sit on a nest of eggs for 20-30 days. They stay on the nests without leaving. I throw food out for them. If they need water, they need to go to the water. Eventually, we get chicks. Even if we have a number of chicks, I do not really count them until they reach a certain size. When they first hatch, it seems chickens can sense issues with the chicks. Whether it is a health issues or some other issue, they will kill the chick. Then, you have to worry about predators. The mothers will defend the chicks, but I have found dead hens and missing chicks. Now we are nearing an extra 30 to 40 chickens, if they survive. That...