Ceredwin of the Golden Cape (and beautiful brown eggs)

Well done to Ceredwin, our broody hen, who has been safely delivered of five strong (and noisy) chicks! She is such a proud mum, a bit protective, but finally brought them out for this photoshoot when we offered them mini mealworms, which the chicks loved. The story starts 21 days ago when our smallholding friend Jane from   up the road brought us a clutch of six eggs from her chickens, who are lucky enough (!) to be getting chicken-nooky from Jane's not inconsiderable number of cocks.                          

 Ceredwin (of the golden cape) didn't seem to mind in the least that these were not her own eggs. She took to looking after them like a duck to....well, like a hen to a brood nest, actually. She sat on them for more than 23 hours a day, coming off only when I made her, taking a quick drink of water and a peck at some corn - and a quick poo as she kept the nest spick and span at all times - before rushing back to her babies.
She also liked making clucking noises off the nest, in practice for when the babies arrived, and she did a lot of running backwards, stretching her wings wide, again a signal, I think, for the babies to understand.

She grew feathers on her feet, to aid the warmth and cosiness of the nest, but lost all her breast feathers, which helped line the nest, and created a 'hotspot' for the eggs.

All we had to do was check she was okay - she did the rest by herself.
So we set to and made a run for them, to keep them safe from predators; magpies, polecats and even, until they're a little bigger, the other hens.

Then 21 days later, I came out to find two eggs hatched and two, very wet and bedraggled little chicks under my hen. I'd lifted her in the usual way, but she ran back quickly without even drinking, knowing the other eggs were hatching still.

 Finally, five out of the six were hatched, and are showing their breeds, which might be Orpington and Bluebell and we have definitely got one 'naked neck' bird, an unusual cross-breed. (see picture on right)

But our lack of experience showed with egg number six. I saw Ceredwin pecking at it, but left her to sit on it; I should have actually helped her get the chick out of the egg. Five out of six is apparently a good ratio though, and although we couldn't possibly be as proud of our chicks as Ceredwin is, we think they are the most gorgeous things in the world right now.

If you want to see them, come quick; they'll be gaining their grown-up feathers in 6 or so weeks time.