Sucessful Ixworth hatch

I left for work the morning, knowing that one of the Ixworth eggs under the broody hen had pipped.  But at no point did I believe when I returned this evening I would find four health fluffy chicks sat under mum.

The Wyandotte is a first time broody, so I had concerns about her sitting and turning the eggs.  But, Fear not, she has done a perfect job.  Ok I admit, the eggs were in the incubator until day 17/18 of incubation, but she has taken to looking after them like she has been sat on the same eggs for 21 days, amazing really. How do they know it's day 17/18 and that they should stop turning?
It's an amazing sight, and I never get bored of seeing white fluffy chicks underneath her, and whilst she still has to prove she is capable of teaching the chicks to eat and drink, she is my preferred broody over the reliable Treacle (a speckeldey).  Why when Treacle has proved her self again and again hatching but chicks and ducklings?  Well Treacle can only be describe as hormonal. She is so aggressive and causes so much damage to my hands even when charging water and food, it start to become unpleasant.  My newest recruit into the broody ranks is calm and placid.  Will let me stroke and touch her, she would even let my pick up the in hatched eggs and today reach in and get the chicks to check they are ok.  Not even a peck or a murmur.

This will make managing the cleaning, feeding, checking the chicks nice and easy and importantly, mean I can handle them to make sure they are used to humans.