...before they're hatched! Literally.
Today is hatch day and though I don't expect too much action until around 10:30 tonight I'm sad to report that we only have 6 viable eggs that made it thus far. It might be a blessing in disguise (because seriously, who wants 14 chickens in their backyard?) but it was sad to see those 8 eggs go. I was, however, very thankful that when we opened them up they ALL seemed to be unfertilized.
If you happen to think about us today and tomorrow please keep our little baby chicks in mind. If any of these 6 don't hatch I don't think I can bear what we will find left behind since I know for a fact that each egg currently has a thriving chick. We shall see! And hopefully we'll catch it on video!
In other chicken news...we decided last week to pick up 2 day old chicks of a particularly strong and egg productive breed (
Australorp).
So, without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to Biscuit and Sheila! We've made them a comfortable home fully equipped with a barn, farmer, tractor and livestock. They've become acquainted with most of the family. And we've enjoyed getting to know their little personalities (Biscuit is the dominant one and Sheila the sweet one...but I think I like Biscuit's feisty spirit).
Now we're hoping that they won't be too much bigger than the new guys when they arrive. I have been amazed by how quickly chickens grow. Sheila and Biscuit already have most of their wing feathers in and they're just one week old today!
I hope to post soon with some exciting news about our hatch (fingers crossed). Hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous sunny winter day!
16 comments:
OH MY WORD. So cute! I really want chickens.
Dinner date, our house, mid-feb? Let's chat. :)
Why did the chicken cross the road? To stay in Australorp heaven (aka the Gough house). Sorry, fowl joke. These little guys really are eggcellent. Ahhhh
;)
Shauna, we're in! Would love to talk chickens ;)
That is so awesome, I wish I could see one of those little guys a hatchin!
So precious! I love these photos. :)
I agree...these photos (and chicks!) are so great. What fun to see them hatch and grow. That little chick hut is perfect!
Yay for chicks!! I love the photo of Evan holding the two chicks, with Kristen and Amelia's priceless expressions in the background. :) Good luck with the hatch tonight, can't wait to meet your new little friends!
thank you so much for including us in this whole process. we loved meeting biscuit and sheila (evan especially!) and can't wait to hear today how the hatching went/is going! so, so exciting!!
i think evan would be over-the-moon happy to care for your chickens if you all ever need someone to chicken-sit when you go out of town! :) thank you for letting all the kids be so hands-on with your chicks--what a special and memorable experience for them!
p.s. rachel trudelle's comment, above, is awesome.
another question, where will you put the chicks? Do you have a cool coup? Are you going to let them roam in the day?
adorable pics! So fun that all the kiddos got to play with the chicks. And it cracks me up that you have a toy barn in their box- is that just one of Wes'? I esp love the picture of Evan holding hte chicks & Amelia's face in the background! :)
I agree that I want to hear mmore about your coop :)
any news? :)
the only news to report is that one egg has a crack (I guess the chicks make an air hole and then rest before the big "push") and I have been hearing cheeping from INSIDE the eggs (not sure if it's only coming from the cracked one). We read that the hatching process can take from 8-24 hours so I think I was a little ambitious thinking they'd hatch yesterday. But I'm definitely worried about those eggs that don't have any cracks yet...keep up those positive thoughts!
Yes, Rachel's comment is awesome ;)
No, we haven't figured out the coop yet...but Jeff has been doing a lot of research. The chicks won't be going outside until mid to late March, so we've got time. But our plan is to have them in the backyard and to let them roam while we're outside. I'm also hoping to get a raised vegetable garden up and running this spring so it will be so much fun to spend time in the backyard!
oh, and mandy...that toy barn was a find from the SWAP- hooray!
I think it's cool that Sheila & Biscuit have their own personalities. Christine told me that when Marjorie was little she had a chicken that used to follow her around in the backyard. I had a pet duck when I was Wes' age.
what is cuter than adorable little kids and chicks? i mean come on, those pictures are ridiculously heart-melting! i'm so impressed with all that you do jenny!
These pictures are so cute! It was so fun to meet Sheila and Biscuit, and now that the others are hatched, we can't wait to meet them as well. Bryan has had the chick cam on his computer all morning and he's been typing a running commentary in the chat box.
Post a Comment