In Praise of a Good Mother

Mamma goose hatched her babies! Last year and this year she was a champion and sat on a nest full of her eggs, hatching 5 last year and 9 this year. There are still three eggs to go, so tomorrow will tell if they are viable or not. She has not thrown them out of the nest yet and has returned to it. The mother goose listens for signs of life, pecking and peeping inside the shell and knows if the egg is good or not. The gander and the other geese were very protective of the newly hatched brood and the whole flock, or gaggle, will watch the babies and guard them with their lives. The little ones were outside with mamma goose today, but they could not get back into the barrel nest so I put them in one by one and only suffered one bite from mamma goose doing so. It was well worth it though. 

Mamma turkey also hatched 5 poults and one chick about 5 days before her own babies. A chicken laid an egg in her nest and she did not abandon the nest, but stayed to hatch the rest. Two eggs did not hatch, and she too has returned to the nest to see if they will be good or not. Two baby turkeys died today though, one getting stuck and cold and the other simply expired due to failure to thrive. The rest are robust and healthy, but it is always difficult for the mothers to keep the babies alive with the dogs, cats and ravens about. There are not enough shelters for all the newly hatched birds and if forced to live together, one goose may kill the other babies. It is best to let nature take its course some times. 

Mamma turkeys, geese and chickens are awesome.Thank you mammas!

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