Apples is an unfit mother

It’s very disappointing.  I wanted her to pass on all her gentle characteristics.  But it seems she’s not interested in passing anything on.

This morning she was up, and there was a tiny chick!  White with some brown, I think a Silkie.  Since she was up, I moved them all to a chickery, but she was noticeably inattentive to her chick, not warming it (and it was a cold morning).  I repeatedly placed her on top of her chick and the remaining eggs in a box, and she’d just squawk.

A few minutes later, she was scritching around in her yard, and the chick was on its back a foot away, looking dead.  It wasn’t, it started peeping when I grabbed it up.  Apples was completely unresponsive to the peeping.

So I tucked the little chick in under Brown Bonnet, who isn’t quite due yet. 

Her head is up now.

She immediately started talking to it, purring, and the chick hasn’t been seen since.  Cozy.  I hope it survives that initial trauma.

I cleaned out Apples’ broody kennel, and put her back in it with her two unhatched eggs for a second chance, thinking maybe she’d settle back, but she’s not even setting well now.  She settled, eventually, but not on the eggs.  I’ve shoved them back under her a couple times.  They’re probably goners now too.

Bummer.

The greenhouse is a chick sanctuary now.  Ursa, Clever, Snowball and Feisty are all at large in there with their charges, and Chocolate should be but she’s hidden in the woods.  The young roosters were harassing them, which is really bad and doesn’t bode well for them.   Foxy’s chicks don’t need her any more so she can go back in with the Silkies.  The moms can just live in the greenhouse now, harassment free. 

It’s getting cold, and they can’t hurt anything.   Plenty to peck, and the scratching is excellent.