Our first chicks born naturally in captivity!

What the Heck does that mean? Well, we have chosen to incubate all the fertilized eggs we want to hatch each year. Mostly because it's Nv a controlled environment, we can ensure they thrive once hatched, and all the nests can continue to be used for laying. Somehow, Pat got it in her head that we should leave a few eggs under an especially broody hen and see what happened. So we put 7 eggs from our favorite hens under her, marked them with an X, and left them alone. That was about 3 weeks ago. Early on, one somehow disappeared (?), so, on a daily basis, I slipped my hand under her and counted. If there were more than six, I pulled them out one or two at a time until I found the new addition. A few days ago, when I slipped my hand in, I felt little chicks! Yay! Of the remaining six, 4 hatched, 1 never developed, and 1 died trying to get out. We waited a few days, then slipped the little buttonhead that arrived 10 days ago with the meat birds. Mom tucked her right in with the others without blinking. She would've gotten trampled had she stayed any longer with the fatties! We're keeping an eye on them too see how they do. The last week so, the hen recruited a sister to help, so there's often 2 on the nest, and I guess they can take it in shifts. They keep those babies way in the back. I do hope they're feeding them! I know, trust nature.....