My chicks are doing great!

[Alan]

I'm really glad I've had such good luck with these chicks, exspecially considering they are the first batch that I have ever hatched. Out of 24 that hatched 20 are alive and thriving. Not bad for just letting the bantys hatch the eggs and take care of the chicks. What good mothers they are!

[swisscharrd]

Isn't it fun? I have both bought them from a Hatchery and had them hatch out and like the hatching out Hen Mommies the best. Now see this is over a month ago, how are they doing now? We had a batch of 25 and lost about 3 (from a hathchery this year) but the Racoons taught us our pen we thought was safe wasn't and lost a lot to them! Stupid critters - eating them when they were small and not waiting until big - I guess when you are hungry you don't think things out...............oh that's it Racoons don't think things out anyway - tummy's rule.

[Alan]

It is a lot of fun! I really enjoy it, but you just can't beat a good broody chicken mama! Not even the best incubator in the world can keep up with a good broody! The chicks hatched earlier in the year have thrived. We lost two from being crushed a few weeks after they hatched and one did drown, but that's not bad for being left with the mother in the coop to do what they do, the others are getting big. My new chicks (Easter Eggers are going into their second week in the brooder and are growing like crazy. I have guinea eggs getting ready to hatch (if all goes right) in the next two days!

[flowerpower]

Nice going, Alan! My neighbor always finds a baby chick or 2 hidden in the barn. And they always do well with the mother.

One thing coons are not- is stupid. Since they got a meal once at ur house, I bet they have been back looking for more. Birds are one of their fav meals. They really don't care how big the bird is. The only birds they will avoid are raptors (coon would be a meal) and vultures(stink like carrion).