Sunday, June 17

Farm Photo 6/17/07: One Happy Mama Hen


Whitey and one of her baby chicks on June 6th

Mother Goose has nothing on Whitey. She's no spring chicken, but this old girl has taken to her new role like a duck to water. According to my research, Whitey, who is over seven years old, should technically be dead. Instead she's having the time of her life raising seven darling baby chicks.



Whitey with seven chicks showing on June 6th

At two weeks of age, her inquisitive brood has become quite a handful, and they're growing up faster than you can say "Oh my god are they cute!" The last few days they've been taking flying lessons. I've caught a couple of them stretching out their new little wings in a "Hey! Look what I've got!" way.

We've had baby chicks on the farm before, but they arrived by mail without a mother hen in sight, so this is a whole new experience for us, too. My friend was thoughtful enough to bring Whitey a variety of eggs to hatch out, and it looks like we ended up with six different types of chickens, including an adorable little black one.



One day old and keeping close to Mom

There are lots more photos and baby chick tidbits to share. In the meantime, cross your fingers that they don't all turn out to be roosters!

Just tuning in? Catch up here:
Farm Photo: 6/1/07: Whitey Gets Her Wish
Farm Photo 6/3/07: Waiting With Whitey
6/4/07: Peep!Peep!Peep!
Farm Photo 6/4/07: We All Need A Little Shuteye
Farm Photo: 6/5/07: I'm Just Waitin' On A Friend

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the peep peep peeping foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares photos & stories of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

34 comments:

  1. They are some kinda cute..I really like the one that looks just like Whitey. The black one is amazing. Thanks for the pics!!!

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  2. They are all so cute. What happened to the white eggs? Were they Whitey's and did they hatch?
    jean

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  3. De-lurking here to say how much your blog inspires and moves me. You're one of the reason I started my own little blog.

    And I'm obsessed with chickens, so Whitey's story and pix are just killing me!

    Cheers,
    Sherri

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  4. "Oh my G*d are they cuuuuuute!"
    (couldn't resist).

    this story is just so enthralling. which one is Whitey's? Any resolution to the mystery of the White Eggs?

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  5. oh by the way, how is Cary doing???

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  6. Oh what little cuties! Maybe just one rooster so you can have even more babies!

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  7. What an amazing tale. She is quite a gal, that Whitey! I guess it will always be a mystery as to what got into her!

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  8. Seven chicks...are you going to name them after the Seven Dwarfs??

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  9. Awwwwwww! Now I wish my Myrtle Mae had maternal instinct; crazy thing's still eating her own eggs. I guess she's ruined for life. But at least she's still eating slugs.

    That Whitey is amazing. Who knows what's next?

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  10. Okay, so you get someone to make a little stuffed animal version of each chick-each different,very detailed, yet soft and fluffy, and, of couse, a nice big cuddly Whitey, to go with The Book.

    Why am I obsessed with turning your life into toys and storybooks?-I can't help myself...I see you as a Beatrix Potter for the new millenium.

    When can we tell if these little guys are hens or roosters? I guess you need to check this before naming them? I understand that more than one adult rooster is Asking for Trouble?

    I'm still brooding over the possibilities for the urban goat and chickens.

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  11. They're super cute and beautiful too!

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  12. Hmmm...I think my favorite is the one with the racetrack down it's back! (Oooh, "Racetrack" - that's a cool name!)

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  13. Hey - they showed how to sex chickens on Dirty Jobs. LOL You just make them poop and look for a bump or no bump.

    Of course, you're skeered to get pecked so I reckon you might not try it. (Grin)

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  14. Adorable. Simply adorable. I think I need to swear off KFC for life now.

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  15. Go Whitey! I love this story - long long dreams of motherhood and family realized by a kindly act. Now all her ferociousness can be channeled into taking care of the chicks. And they are, indeed, adorable.

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  16. I have to tell ya that Whitney & her Mixed Bag of Children make the loveliest picture I've seen a long time...

    the only thing that would make this better is if they lived with me :)

    but then I would get absolutely nothing done because I would always be checkin' on Mama Whitney & Babes...

    well...you were due for some warm fuzzies & I think you've gotten them in spades!

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  17. I've never much thought about chickens, one way or the other, until now. Thanks for sharing the story of Whitey and her chicks with me. The photos are great!

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  18. That is the cutest variety pack I've ever seen.

    Frito-Lay has nothing on Whitey and her brood.

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  19. The black one is so pretty. I'm so happy for Whitey and glad it is all working out for her.

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  20. Aw, what fun for the elderly Mrs. Whitey.

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  21. Lindy is right - little stuffed animal line is JUST what we need. AND Racetrack is an excellent name - golly - Susan you have the smartest visitors! Of course - you knew that. Thanks for the chicken update - and yes - what happened to the white eggs?
    Whew - this is fun. Especially since it isn't me with those chickens! (possums around here are too fond of kiling poultry).

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  22. kiling poultry isn't a Texas thing - it is a misspelled thing! Killing or to render chickens dead is the correct word - mea culpa!

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  23. Women are having babies later in age now!

    Whitey just seems to be following the trends.

    Very adorable. How's Cary been? Jane

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  24. sharing these pictures with my 6 and 8 year olds is great! They ooh and aahh better than I do!

    Thank you for sharing and for adding a bit of happiness to our days - I hope these cute little things have helped add some sweetness to your days too!

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  25. Oh... so jealous. They're adorable, and all so different.

    Whitey, you go chick!

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  26. This is just what Whitey needed after losing her coop-mate. Congrats to Whitey for her new found skill and happiness!

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  27. I swear those are the cutest damn pictures I've ever seen!

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  28. very cute - they're making me want some of my own!

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  29. Whitey looks like she is bonding well with the group. Glad to see them doing well.
    Sara from farmingfriends

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  30. Oh my goodness, they are sooo adorable. Don't you just want to squeeze them up? (Like.. a hug, not a deathly squeeze =P)

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  31. These little chicks are so cute. My dad raises chickens but they are meat birds. He has sheep on his farm. I love everything about farming.

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  32. wow, that is so neat to see, yep, am a city girl

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  33. how is whitey and her brood these days? how are you?

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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