Birthday Chicks

Chick Momma

Although her birthday is not until July, Evelyn has been talking about getting chicks for her birthday and having a chickie party. Since we were all stuck at home together, we decided to get chicks sooner rather than later to "free up" summer (at the time we had no clue these restrictions would last so long). But all the mail-order hatcheries were sold out for months, The Grange had canceled all chick sales for the year, and the smaller feed stores were sold out too! So what's one to do but hatch chicks oneself!?!?

Our incubator was finally delivered on May 5th and we had 6 eggs in it that very day! We waited...

The kids talked about the eggs often. We candled them and saw development. Burns was sure we would have 2 chickies and one lizard...I guess he thought the last three eggs were duds. 

Finally, on Monday morning we came downstairs to the sound of peeping!! One chick had hatched! The whole day was filled with checking the incubator! We watched the progression as the other eggs went from chirping to having tiny cracks called "pips", to lots of tapping all the way around, to wet floppy chicks pushing the shell apart into two perfect pieces! Within 12 hours of hatch the floppy wet chicks were active little puff balls. SUCH a fun experience!

A little ugly at first

Doesn't get cuter than this though!

We spent all day here

4 hatched, 2 to go!

Like I said, all day

Now the chicks are outside in their brooder box. They're doing well and have lots of opportunities to go on "field trips" to the grass or around the porch with the kids.  

Ev asked me to hold one so she could take a picture