A good mother hen

[Lance Capozella]

I have a buff orp sitting on a dozen eggs right now.  She insisted to stay on the nest so I prepped up another nest in the brooder with eggs I wanted her to hatch and she climbed right in.  Thats been 10 days ago and I have never seen her out of the box.  Looks like she will stick it out.

She only hatched 1.  It hatched a day early but she got back on the nest so I left her alone.  A day later after work she had quit sitting and was tending to the one that hatched.  I tried to save the eggs but was too late.  None hatched.  So I gave her 9 that hatched from the incubator and they have been happy with "momma".  The odd thing is she only accepted the chicks that looked similar to the first one she hatched (black).    She didn't like the lav's and kept them away from the others so I replaced them with more blacks.  Accepted. 

[Suki]

  The odd thing is she only accepted the chicks that looked similar to the first one she hatched (black).    She didn't like the lav's and kept them away from the others so I replaced them with more blacks.  Accepted. 

I've had the same thing with a partridge Chantecler.  She loved her buff chicks, but I think its because she grew up with Buff Chanteclers and so thinks that's normal.  She totally rejected the Blacks and Lavenders too, so they got another Mumma and all is fine.  Yes flocks like a similar "look".

Sue
NePA