Enter: The Ma!

We've got a Broody Hen on our hands, she's known as The Ma around these parts. A name given to her by the boys. "The Ma" is what Nana is called by herself and occasionally by her children and Papa. Which made it the perfect name for a mama hen. The Ma has seven adorable chicks following her around everywhere. OMG are they cute! She and her brood sleep in Kitty's dog crate in the garage where it is dry and not as drafty as the outdoors. Soon her babies will be old enough to rough it with the big chickens in the run/coop area.

You're wondering how this could be, as we've got no roosters around here? Well, lucky for The Ma I'm clever. I took a ride to Watsonville and bought a dozen fertile chicken eggs from a farmer who's got roosters. (They were $12/doz! Sheesh!) Anyhow, I placed them into the nesting box, she sat - for 21 days! And, Presto! Seven baby chicks peeping out from underneath her. How darn cool is that? So far the only one with a name is the brown one in the front - Brownie. (We've already got a Hershey and a Fudge Face). I'm just hoping that at least one will be female. I won't be keeping the roos.