insy winsy and mama coffee

Happy Chinese New Year!  We have our first baby chick born, and we have given her a baby  name (we hope it’s a ‘she’) “Insy Winsy”…She is the tiniest weeniest little chick imaginable, probably no bigger than my thumb.  Already covered in a soft coat of black down she peeping loudly when Mama gets off the box to go feed.   Coffee seems thrilled.  She came running out of the coop squawking with excitement to break the news.   Now Sugar, her sister  and she, spend their day still brooding on the remaining eggs and keeping Insy Winsy warm under their wings.

I tried to take a peek earlier today but they hid her from site, but I could hear her peeping.    We relocated the brooding box up into the penthouse coop at dusk last night to keep them away from the large hens while the chick grows a bit more.  I’ve read that you don’t really have to do much if there’s a mama hen.  She does all the work like showing them how to feed and drink, and we just get to enjoy the cuteness if all goes well.   Three more possible chicks to come over the next week.  We hope so anyway. We are thrilled!  What a great start to the Chinese New Year.    More soon!   Meanwhile, here’s a day old photo – look down below Mama Coffee’s breast and find that baby eye!

on the fly