They Hatched!!

 I am so pleased to announce two new additions to our backyard flock: Flotsam and Jetsam!

 

 I thought I was smart to set my eggs to hatch on the 4th of July, AFTER our family-campout... but our chicks had other plans, and I noticed that one had pipped right before we were to leave. So of course, this being our first hatching, we couldn't just leave them to hatch by themselves!

Flotsam, hatched 7/3/2011

This little yellow ball of fluff was running around the incubator an entire day early! Hard to get a clear shot, as this chick is constantly in motion. We waited patiently throughout the Fourth of July for our second egg to hatch... but sadly, not even a pip. At the end of the day, we took our one chick, set it in the brooder with a stuffed chick pal (a surrogate hatch-mate if you will) and left the incubator running. I decided I was giving egg #2 until day 24 to hatch. I went into check on the chicks this morning when I was greeted by frantic chirping coming from the direction of the incubator! Aren't they handsome chicks?

Jetsam, hatched 7/5/2011

Noah and Moira watching Jetsam flop around the 'bator!

Oh! I wasn't ready for my close-up!

Gettin' Ready to Incubate!

Here is Noah, helping me monitor the temperature gauge inside our "Little Giant" incubator (thanks Tanya!)

Moira counts our hatching eggs while Noah figures out how many chicks we can expect with an overall hatching rate of 50%. Yes, I do make my 5 year old do consumer math;-)

I bet you didn't realize an analog thermometer could be this engrossing...


Preparing for the setting of our very first hatching eggs... which, if the temp in our incubator continues to hold steady at 99.5, will commence tomorrow morning.

We received four brown colored hatching eggs today (donated... thanks Britny!), chicks will be some kind of buff brahma or buff orpington and cornish/golden comet concoction. Kids are pretty excited!(Actually, Wade and I are just as excited...)

Did you know...Fresh fertile eggs can be stored (at 50-70 F) for up to 13 days before being set in an incubator? Hatching rates drop considerably for eggs stored longer than this.

Did you know...Chicken eggs have a 21 day incubation period and need to be turned about every 8 hours from days 2-18? You need to stop turning them on the 18th day so that the chick can position itself for hatching!