The final tally

I was kindly reminded yesterday that it had been a few days since I have updated. Thanks, Howard. :) We were up until 2:30 am on Sunday morning, and then Sunday was a huge day and so yesterday I basically crashed. In the sun with a book and the critters. Lovely day.

The hatching was pretty much finished on Saturday night. After several efforts to count the fuzzy little bundles in the pen, we think we may have 20 chicks. If they'd stop moving for a minute, we'd know for sure.

We were initially told to put twice as many eggs in the incubator as we wanted to hatch, because we'd lose half of them, which is pretty much what happened. About six of the chicks died in the process of hatching, one died shortly after, one died a day later and the rest of the eggs didn't hatch, either because they died somewhere in the midst of the development or because they were never fertilized.

The saddest thing was watching the chicks that had been trying to hatch all day grow weak and then die. We knew that we shouldn't help them out, and that was tough. In fact, late Saturday afternoon I was watching one that had been trying to hatch, and I did reach in and flick a bit of shell off for her. Later, Marc was watching her, and he confessed to me that he had helped her, too. She did eventually get out, but she was the one who died shortly after her birth. If they don't have the strength to get out of the egg, they won't be able to survive life outside the egg. Poor little things. We were disappointed that only one of the Americauna chicks hatched. She's a beauty, though. I say she because there is no way I can tell what sex they are yet, so I am alternating between he and she. I think we are going to try to get a few more Americauna eggs to hatch later.

After they had dried in the incubator, we popped them into the pen. Marc had made a plastic dome out of half a barrel, and threaded the heat lamp through it. He propped it up on bricks and the temperature in the dome is perfect for them. They can linger around the edge of it if it gets too warm for them, or go inside right under the heat light if it gets cool in the room. They started popping around almost immediately. They were like little Weebles, running around, wobbling and falling over and popping back up. They cheep incessantly, but usually it's a soft noise and not intrusive at all. Sometimes there's a bit of a tussle between a couple of the chicks and their voices will raise as they tell each other off, but nothing lasts too long.

Mini is interested in them, and peers over the top of the pen occasionally, especially when the cheeping is loud and they sound distressed. The kittens are also interested, but they can't get into the pen. They can hear the cheeping and pecking and think, "Play toys!!!"

I've been taking pictures,and will try to upload some to my Photobucket account and post links. I'm in a bladder flare, and am not feeling great, so I think today might be another crash day. I feel like I am wasting the sunny warm weather, but there no rule saying I can't crash outside, right?!

I've really enjoyed this whole experience, even if the hatching did happen on the busiest week-end we've had in ages. It was so exciting, and the babies are adorable. Now, the adventure of watching them grow begins. They already have wing feathers coming. I think, like all babies, this stage will pass quickly.

I wonder what teen-age chickens are like?

Yikes. ;)

Ten chicks overnight, and they're still coming...

I crawled into bed exhausted at around 12:30 a.m this morning, with six chicks under the heat lamp and two newly hatched in the incubator. Gracie had come home from the Glee Cabaret and there was lots of chatting about her evening and crooning over the fluffy black and yellow chicks.

We took the egg turner out of the incubator and lay the eggs on the mesh screen at the bottom, to prevent any of the other chicks getting caught between the wall of the incubator and the turner. It also made it easier for the newly hatched chicks to get around the incubator and to be comfortable as they waited for us to discover them in the morning.

I did a potty run just before 4:00 a.m, and there were 8 hatched chicks. At 6:00 a.m, when Marc got up and I followed to check the chicks again (and yes, for another potty run), there were 10. We were especially delighted to see that one of the blue Americauna eggs had hatched. We had gotten 5 Americauna eggs from a friend of ours, and they were quite a bit smaller than our eggs in the incubator. The little mottled black and yellow chick is also smaller than the others, and she has the most lovely eyes, lined in black, bright and alert. I think only one of the other Americauna eggs have holes pecked in them. I'm hoping we get at least a couple more. Americauna chickens are really pretty, with lovely plumage. We have one Americauna hen, and while she doesn't lay eggs, she is lovely, with gold fringed feathers. They also lay interesting eggs, of various colors. The eggs we have are robin blue, but Americauna eggs can range from lilac and chocolate brown to olive green and turquoise blue. Quite exotic, for chicken eggs.

All 10 chicks have been moved from the incubator to the heat-lit dome, and there is quite a bit of cheeping coming from the other eggs in the incubator. Basically, we had expected to get half the chicks for the eggs that we had put in, so anything over 21 chicks is a bonus. If all the chicks that have poked holes through their egg shells get out, we'll have many more than 21.

The kittens have caught on to the fact that there is something small, noisy and interesting-smelling in the corner of the kitchen. The temporary pen is made of cardboard, and the kittens love to scratch around at the bottom. They can't get in, yet, but we're not taking chances. We put them both in the bathroom last night, and will need to make sure they aren't left alone with the pen when we aren't here. I am also endeavoring to teach them to leave the pen alone, with the judicial application of the flyswatter and ample amounts of kitty treats as rewards for obedience.

Mini likes to look over the top, and is especially interested when the cheeping sounds distressed, as it does whenever we pick one of the chicks up. I think she wants to make sure that they are okay. She's such a great dog.

So, it looks like Hatching Day is going to be Hatching Week-end.

Cool.

Things are moving slowly, but still moving...

We have six chicks hatched, and almost all of the eggs have holes in them. I think many will hatch overnight. One of the hatched chicks got stuck between the wall of the incubator and the automatic turner, and needed help to get out. I'm pretty sure she would have died if left too long. Something tells me I'm not going to get a lot of sleep tonight. I didn't fall asleep when I went to nap, either. I just kept listening to the cheeping, and hoping that everything was okay. Of course, everything was okay.

I probably shouldn't be hovering like this, but it's hard not to. It's funny, I was just about to write that I felt I might be neglecting the rest of the animals, and even Gracie who is in the Cabaret show at CVR tonight. Then Sawyer, one of the kittens, trotted by with a huge turd stuck to his bum, and I pushed the computer aside to chase Mr. Stinky-butt with a kleenex. Guess I'm not missing everything. And I have been praying all night for Gracie. I can't wait to hear about it, or to see the show tomorrow night!

So, many if not all of those little holes in those little eggs will turn into cracks that let loose our chickies. As for Mr. Stinky-butt, he took off when he saw me coming, and when I finally caught him, he was sans turd. Brat. He did make a pass over the shoes in front of the door. I looked and looked, but...let's just say someone may find a surprise in their shoe tomorrow! And it won't be a chick!

Muahahahahahahaha!

As for me, I'm going to be wearing sandals. :)

Two chicks so far, fast and fluffy!

There have been two chicks out for most of the day. The others are slowly making their way out, peck by peck. I had a lovely lunch out with my friends, Karen and Sandy, and I am proud to report that I was able to talk about something else besides the chicks. Or kittens. So yeah. Yay me. ;)

One of the eggs is actually rocking back and forth. The egg that we initially saw with a hole in it is still not hatched. The hole has only been enlarged a bit. I guess the chicks vary in strength and stamina. Some of them will most likely have died, and some will not make it through the hatching, which is sad but reality. Some may not even make it through the week in our kitchen, although we do plan to do our best. The two that have hatched are fluffy and gold, and will grow up to be red/brown. They have bright yellow beaks and feet. Like many young animals, their feet are freakishly large.

The pen is prepared, with a plastic dome over the bedding. A heat lamp is installed in the dome, and Marc has been adjusting the height of the dome until the temperature is right. It needs to be 100F for the first week, and I think 5 degrees less per week. The feeder and water dispenser are ready as well. There is almost a constant cheeping coming from the incubator, not just from the hatched chicks but from within the other eggs. Several little yellow beaks are poked through hard-earned holes, announcing their tiny but significant presence to the world.

I'm heading up for a nap. All of this birthing stuff is exhausting!

It's Starting...!

It's 6:16 am and there is a hole in one of the eggs! I woke up early, and was lying on the couch with Marc when I joked about hearing cheeping from the incubator. Then, we DID hear cheeping! It's early for the chick, too, as they aren't due until tonight! There's a tiny little beak peeking out of the broken egg shell, and every once in a while it cheeps. Oh my goodness, it is beyond adorable!!!

Marc is hovering over the incubator (ah, so this is why it's called The HovaBator), and thinks the first chick hatched should be named Adam or Eve. Fitting. Actually, we found another egg that has a bigger hole on the side of it that we hadn't noticed before. Marc wants to put a little dab of food dye on the head of the first chick hatched, so we can see how he/she does.

Stay tuned...I think this will be a busy day here in The Chicken Diaries. I'll be home most of the day, hovering (See? See?) over the incubator, oohing and aw'ing. I am going out for lunch with friends, and I am making a pledge right now not to spend the whole time talking about my chicks. Seriously. Okay, I'll at least try...

I'll let you know when the first chick has achieved freedom from his/her egg.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Seven days to The Hatching!

Tonight it will be seven days until The Hatching. Yesterday, I got a 5 lb bag of chick started food in the mail. I went to the local feed mill, and asked for prices. I can get a 40 kg bag of chick starter for a little over $10.00. But 40 kg??? My chicks will be eating chick starter for years! It kind of defeats the whole starter part of the Chick Starter.

I've still no idea how many chicks we'll get. I swing between expecting them all to hatch (eeep!) and fearing that none will hatch.(double eeep!) Life will, mostly likely, meet me somewhere in the middle.

We found a nest of about 10 eggs in the shed, behind some boards. We've been collecting 5 or 6 eggs a day, and the fact that there is a stockpile means that more of the hens are laying than we thought. We have 7 hens. One, Uhura, we've just never expected anything from, egg-wise. She has always been a bit fragile, shy, scruffy, sort of like the snot-nosed kid in grade school that always gets bullied and hangs out in the library at lunch time. Last summer, I used treats and coaxing to get her to come out of the coop, and she is pretty much as free-range as the rest now. She has special privileges, though. When I'm giving the chickens bread, she sits right by me and gets hers hand fed to her. Sometimes she'll sit on my lap for treats while the others scramble to grab the bits I throw out to them. When Uhura was more timid and bully bait, she didn't do well in the melee for treats. Now she probably could hold her own, but she's a pampered princess and doesn't need to anymore. She has only started laying eggs this spring, which is good news.

When we were choosing eggs to go in the incubator, Marc and I both wanted to make sure that we had some of Uhura's eggs to add in. It's a bit odd, as she is not the finest specimen of chicken-hood. But she was needy and a bit weak and so we put more effort into her and so she's special. We want to see her chicks. High tech geneticists, we're not.

If the chicks hatch next week-end, we'll be in the midst of the busiest week-end that we've had in a long time. It figures. It will all work out, though. I love new experiences. Especially when they involve fluffy, wobbly new creatures.

Mini, as dog of the family, protector and on-duty big sister, will most likely be adopting a permanent air of martyrdom. It's going take a lot of Scooby snacks to make up for kittens AND chicks....

Countdown to the Hatching ...10 days to go!

So as far as I can tell, we are on day 11 with the incubated eggs. Ten days to go. Woot! I have to tell you, waiting for the eggs to develop and hatch is a pretty boring endeavor. I had grand plans of posting every day about the adventures of nurturing this little group of eggs into full-blown chick fluffiness. I'm actually grateful we haven't had many adventures with this. Last week, we had a serious snowfall that cut power in some places, but not here. Thankfully. Even last night, friends I know had lost their power, probably due to thunder and wind storms. We have remained plugged in and on-line and I am glad.

This is not to say that there have not been other sorts of adventures. The kittens are a going concern, even now as the kitten-squirts have subsided (otherwise known in classier circles as diarrhea). So many rules, so few brain cells. I shouldn't be so hard on them. They are very young, only 8 weeks now. They are also unspeakably cute. I took Sheldon with me for a walk down the lane last night. Well, partly down the lane. Let's say he lacks focus. I ended up carrying him much of the way, but he's so small and sweet, it was a pleasure.

I figure at first, I'll have to take them one at a time. Otherwise, they'll just wrestle and tumble in the middle of the lane while I go nuts trying to coax them to follow me. Someone is going to get tossed into the water-filled ditch, I just know it. Probably Sheldon. Sawyer is turning out to be a bit of a bully. There's a fine line between the squealing, whining and complaining that they both do when wrestling and gnawing on each other, and the desperate wailing that happens when brother has a tooth 'n' claw grip on some vital body part and is going for broke. Ouch. The humans in the family all have claw marks and scratches up both arms and legs. One wonders what the babies look like under all that fur...

Mini lost her temper with bunny twice yesterday. There's the growling, brief bit of snarling that says, "Get away from my bum, you perv!" And then there's the out-of-control ferocious snarl that is, in no uncertain terms, a definite effort to solve the irritating bunny problem once and for all. She is always very remorseful afterward. I feel for her. I have, on occasion, had my "little bit of patience" meet up with "a whole lotta crazy" and have had close to the same reaction. But no matter how maddeningly irritating someone is, one cannot grab them by the neck and shake them until their teeth fall out and their knees go weak. Or so I've been told...

Anyway, in 10 days, the fun really starts!

My Mysterious Mini

Well, all is hunky dory on the incubator front. We check the temperature several times a day, and last night we checked the humidity to find it just right. We are on day 4, with 17 left to go.

As I type this, I have the kittens in my lap. Sawyer is especially intrigued by the sound and movement of my typing. He is chewing on my fingers at this very moment. This may be a short entry. Of course I could kick them off, but I probably won't.

Do you want to know one thing that I just cannot figure out? I love my animals and try hard to understand how to best care for them, as well as how they see and interact with the world and what is going on in their heads. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why my dog, Mini, has started tipping her food dish over since the kittens arrived. Mini always has food available to her. I keep her dish full at all times. In fact, if it is empty, she will bring it to me and drop it at my feet, even if she just finished it and has no intention of eating any more.

After the kittens came last week, she started tipping her dish over so the food spills out onto the floor. Now, she shows no signs of liking the kittens. In fact, her demeanor of choice lately has bordered on tortured martyrdom. She has sniffed a few bums and licked a few faces, but mostly she tries to avoid them and growls when they get too close. So, why the dish tipping? It's as if she is making it easy for them to get into her food. We had an issue before with a kitten that sniffed at her food while she was eating, that began with her attacking the kitten and ended with a severe reprimand and time in the corner on her own. She learned the lesson, and later became close friends with the cat, even sharing her yummiest snacks with him happily. She doesn't get upset with the babies when they come near her while she is eating. In fact, they will often hang out at the water dish when she is at the food dish, watching her and pushing each others' faces into the water. It really is a mystery.

And we're off....

Well, the countdown has begun! Actually, it began two days ago, but that seemed a bit anti-climatic. It took a bit of time to get the temperature right in the incubator. Apparently the temperature and humidity levels have to be pretty specific consistently in order for the eggs to develop well and hatch. Which begs the question, how do creatures that spent hours yesterday staring at our new rock garden wondering where the dirt went, actually get this egg hatching thing right? Perfect temperature, perfect humidity for 21 days. I just don't know...

We put 42 eggs into the incubator. I'm not sure if this means that we are being optimistic, or expecting disaster and hoping to salvage at least a few. If we're being optimistic, we're also being insane. Say, we lose 12 eggs. That means 30 chicks. It's possible half will be roosters, but really, who knows? I overheard Marc telling someone that the roosters will be soup. **sigh** I dread the thought of it, but at the same time, I am convinced that if I keep them from the hens and feed them lots and lots, we might be able to actually get some meat from them. I think I am a little conflicted.

In any case, it is possible to get at least 15 new hens, which is manageable with a few extra laying boxes in the hen house. What if, though, we end up with 20 hens? Or more? We're talking major renovations for the hen house. Ah, the thrill of living dangerously.


The other night I had a flash of inspiration. For the past few years I have been digging and expanding a little plot by the shed to plant herbs in. Last year, the hens killed or ate everything in it and used it for a dust bath. Every day I would find several hens sprawled in the dirt, flipping dust over themselves in a most luxurious fashion. They do this to deal with lice, who apparently aren't into dirt. This year, that plot is the saddest, scruffiest bit of garden I have ever seen. So, the plan is to officially turn it into a chicken bath, complete with a sign on the shed, hooks for bath brush and puffs, maybe a few flowers (they'll probably have to be plastic) around the perimeter. I may be able to get morning glories to grow up the shed wall, if I shield them from the chickens until they are high enough. I ordered some lice dust, and if the label says it's okay, it might even be a good idea to sprinkle a bit of that in the dirt. I figure, if I can't stop them, I might as well have some fun with it. I can't wait to start working on it.

So, today is day 3 in the quest for chicks. All is in order. Marc keeps saying he hears peeping when he checks on the eggs. He's funny.