It is a Miracle!

When the Avian flu wiped out chicken hatcheries and farms, the price of eggs wasn't the only thing affected. If no chicks are hatching, then there are no chickens. What's a fake farmer to do??  Well, I discovered I could either wait until July for 12 new chicks at $5.00 a piece, or I could just pay for the $60 incubator. 

Tax Day we have PAY OFF! Twelve brand new little chickie babies entered our world, starting the evening before. What a rush - 12 eggs, 12 babies! The chicken experts are saying 100% hatch is amazing!!  

Apparently, our rooster is doing his job!

You know, I can best describe my hatchery knowledge with a phrase my mom used, "You know just enough to be dangerous." So, so true.  I read the "book," stalked my social media chicken groups, and followed the written directions. It really isn't complicated. 

The mechanics are interesting, though. The incubator provides humidity (which I didn't know was needed) and rotates the eggs every 120 minutes. The temperature stays between 98-100*. The directions laid out which days to candle. That means to shine a bright light through an egg to determine if a chick is growing. The light on the incubator sucks, but I discovered the flashlight on my phone worked fine. At the Day 7 mark, I could see veins and a very dark spot. Day 14, I wasn't sure about any of it, and allowed myself to be discouraged.  Then on Day 19, I removed the rotating tray, sprayed the eggs for additional humidity, and candled again. This time, the air bubbles in all the eggs were at the wide end. I saw movement in two eggs, like the chicks were startled by the light. And then, we waited.

Monday evening, I saw pip marks in seven eggs. I was pretty happy, but it takes hours to progress from the little four cornered crack to full release from the shells. At bedtime, there were no chickies. At 4:40 am, there were six, and at 6:15 am there were three more. Over the course of the day, the last three worked their way into the world, with the last one rolling out at 5:20 pm.  Last one to hatch!

The chicks are about as ugly as you can imagine, but within minutes, they are dry, fluffy and noisily looking for a way to get out. I moved them to a heated box after each was dry and watered each by dipping their beaks (We learned this from the hatchery three years ago).They weren't fed for 24 hours...something about absorbing the yolk that is in their bellies. 

We have four breeds of chickens, but only have one Rhode Island Red rooster. Our chicks will all be crosses.  Barred Rock/RIR = Black sex link. Buff Orpingtons/RIR = lighter red than RIR. Leghorns/RIR = Golden Comet. And of course Rhode Island Reds (with little red strips from tip to tail). Don't know a significant cross with our Wyandottes.

Of course now the real waiting begins. In four to six months they will begin to lay eggs. They get worried over and fed well (freeloaders) while we wait for those first tiny butt nuggets!

It is spring, and there is nothing cuter than a baby. This experience was more important for me than hatching eggs for our chicken operation, such as it is. It reminded me that I can still follow directions and have a successful outcome, honestly, beyond my wildest imagination. I can still be amazed by the miracle of creation and birth. 

Happy Easter everyone!