Repeat Blip

Sorry still under the weather but looking better. Today just managed to do the musts - feed the horses, chickens, dogs & cats and a shortish walk with the dogs. This is the only photo I took - I was hoping to expand on yesterdays Blip or rather try to answer some of the questions.
The chicks are different colours, the mothers were either black, brown/white or white, the dads, brown/white or black. Interestingly all the brown/white and white hens brooded and a single black one but she abandoned her duty as soon as the 1st was born. The 1st hen brooded in an outside nest, followed a few days later by the others in the indoor nests. Then chaos ensued as the non brooding hens laid there eggs in the nests (allowing the brooders to go for a food & drink break) and so it went on for days. We were able to remove the eggs from the "farmyard" chickens but we gave up with trying to mark the Chabo eggs. Hence the eggs hatching at different times. The 4 white-white/brown hens always formed a small group but we were also suprised they seem to get on so well. I noticed today that they even change places on sitting on the remaining eggs. I think I counted 11 chicks today but didn't want to disturb them as it was a miserable cool day. It's due to get a bit warmer Wednesday so maybe I can round them up.
PS we would like to have some "farmyard" chicks but our hens just don't want to brood. We are not too sure if the Chabos can incubate the large eggs (weigh 3 times as much) successfully (warmth, humidity etc) and whether when they hatch, they would grow up "normally". We once made the mistake of letting a duck sit on a chickens egg. It never understood why it couldn't swim!