Meet Mo.

We adopted Mo & her Light Brahma companion Abigail when they were 10 months old from a nice family who hand raised them from day old chicks bought at a feed store. They were being rehomed because Abigail was too noisy for the neighborhood. Since Mo was her sidekick she came with her but it was Mo we had been searching for on Craigslist as one of our sons wanted a silkie & I wanted to make sure we got a girl. It was the perfect match. Mo & Abigail were at the bottom of the pecking order at their old home with three Buff Orpingtons ranking higher. They mostly kept to themselves. When they arrived here they felt a bit out of place for a couple days until Abigail realized the six 4 month old pullets were afraid of her. She had become the top of the pecking order overnight & she knew how to put that fear to good use. They still pretty much stayed to themselves except when Abigail made time to remind the others who was the bigger boss. They settled into their new life nicely. But less than a month later Mo decided to go broody as silkies are known to do. She looked so sweet brooding over pine shavings for 2 days that I decided to give the kids another learning experience & reward the potential momma-to-be by running out & buying her six fertile Swedish Flower Hen eggs to sit on.

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So Mo Sat.
She Sat & Sat.
She didn't get up to eat, or drink, or anything else that we saw for a week.

Abigail wanted to help Mo out so she sat right on top of her to ensure Mo was keeping those eggs warm & would maybe find room for hers as well!

Well, Mo decided that she definitely needed a break so she got up & left sitting and being sat on for a quick stroll in the sunshine with some scratching & sustenance whole Abigail happily kept Mo's eggs warm & added her own to the clutch.

So Mo came back & had to tell her friend to take a hike so she could get back to work.

So I moved the eggs under her on the left side.

And Abigail discovered there was a new game plan as well!

So on Day 26 as I had given up all hope on the eggs I decided to mess with them. To my surprise there were peeps and taps inside 3 of them! All day long I held them up to kids' ears as we had a theater rehearsal at our house. At nightime I couldn't take it anymore & I carried the nesting box inside the house & put the whole thing in my brooder kiddie pool. Mo looked at me like "what in the world are you doing now!" but she stayed on the eggs.

But her dear friend, Abigail was a bit jealous, or maybe supportive. We're not sure which. So even though there are multiple nesting boxes for her to lay her egg in everyday. The one Mo was sitting in was THE best one!

This went on for several days with the two of them. But then Mo did something strange. She came back to the nesting box and after sitting on the eggs for 2 weeks on the right side box & even protesting when I tried switching the boxes so she would have fresh bedding (she went back to the old box even though I had moved the eggs and new box to the right side) she decided upon her return she would sit on the left side box even though there were no eggs in there.

And sat right back on Mo on the left side, made no difference to her!

FINALLY! Day 27-Two chicks hatched, waiting for more.....