Indian Game broody

The Indian Game broody has settled well and moving her from the yard to the ark in the garden doesn't appear to have disturbed her. Not that I thought it would, I don't think anything is going to. Tonight we will place a clutch of eggs under her, possibly 8 Indian Game crosses. I prefer to allow the broodies to decide, for themselves, when to leave the nest for food and drink. It's rare for them to never leave, but I am always reassured when I actually know they are doing so. This morning, just for a few minutes I saw her at the far end of the ark having a good feed and long drink, the first since Saturday.

Photo: Indian Game broody on nest



All the chicks are growing and feathering up at a rate that never fails to amaze me. The incubator chicks are now 2 weeks old and just beginning to show the start of their breast feathers. This year I used a Gold Duckwing Welsummer cockerel on the Partridge Welsummer hens and I think there may be several chicks showing the Gold Duckwing colouring, they are certainly attractive looking chicks. I am fascinated by the Indian Game cross chicks as to what their eventual colouring will be. A couple, for now, are mostly white and must be from the Ixworth cross, a couple more are showing Indian Game colouring, but the only other eggs hatched were an Australorp cross, which I had expected to be black. Maybe I mixed my eggs up, although the game eggs are very different and much smaller than either the Ixworth or Australorp.


Photo: 2 week old Indian Game cross chick, showing just the start of the breast feathers.