The Funny Farm: Parenthood Chicken Style

If your interactions with your flock are mostly limited to tossing down scratch, filling up their water containers and collecting eggs then you’ve really missed out on getting to witness the nuances of chicken behaviour.

I’ve had birds for 15 years and I’m amazed when I’m still able to learn new things about them. Sure, there are some common instinctual behaviours but there are also individual idiosyncrasies. I encourage you to grab a coffee and a comfy seat, hang out with your birds and hope you get a peek into some chicken quirks. And if you’re lucky you’ll have a camera with you to document and share it.

The following behaviours are all about chickens and how they parent.

Deanne Sharp 

I have a broody girl who has suddenly decided that our blind, 11 year old hen is her ‘baby’. She clucks around her, protects her from the others and directs her to food and water. The geriatric girl loves it, nuzzles under her ‘mama’ and makes purring noises. It’s made my life easier since I don’t have to maneuver her from sunbeam to water each day.

---

Moriah Jean Bourgeault  

I had a hen who lost her one and only chick three days ago. On the first day she looked and called for him; the second and third days she seemed normal, roosting with the others and foraging about. I had eggs in my incubator hatch yesterday. This afternoon I was setting up a brooder box in my kitchen and heard a chicken going nuts. I stopped what I was doing and ran outside. My hen was trying to get into the house! She looked desperate to be a mom, so I put her in the brooder just to see what would happen and she took all five under her wing (literally).

I’ve read that she needs to be broody and still on the nest to adopt chicks. I honestly didn’t think that she would take them but here we are! They are all nestled under her for the night.

---

Romela Bocancea

I only used 24 hatching eggs from the 35 I bought since my broody hens were not broody enough and I couldn’t make them sit. I tried them first with fake eggs but after a week, I gave up.  I got my incubator out, but it only takes two dozen eggs. 17 hatched.

It’s the first time I’ve used this incubator since I bought it a few years ago. I prefer hen-raised chicks.  One of my other hens went broody just after the chicks hatched so I gave her the 17 chicks. They now have a mom that is taking care of them.

---

---

Kim Pollard

The playhouse is full of pool supplies and my grandson’s outdoor stuff. My hen collected them from within the playhouse, where she is nesting. I can’t wait for this sidewalk chalk to hatch.

---

Local Harvest Market

Yesterday, I was awakened by the frantic squawks of our bantam rooster. Rushing outside, I saw a massive bald eagle carrying away his mate, a lovely miniature hen. This predator soared high into the sky with her, leaving her chicks vulnerable and motherless. Watching powerlessly, I felt a surge of anger and concern for the chicks who had been tenderly cared for by their mother. She had not only provided them with food and warmth but also tried to protect them from danger.

By evening, the chicks huddled together in their usual spot under the shed, visibly missing their mother’s warmth. Though I was tempted to help, I knew bantams were hardy. To my surprise, by morning, they were already foraging independently.

Remarkably, the rooster stepped in as their new guardian. He guided the fluffy chicks around, diligently finding food and sheltering under trees and hedges. He even mimicked the nurturing clucks of his lost mate, a sound that quickly became a new call of affection.

As the day ended, the rooster gathered all the chicks under him. Checking on them just now, I noticed he had forsaken his usual roost for the shed, offering the chicks comfort under his wings. This poignant adaptation has brought a touching new dynamic to our backyard.

---

Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and photos.