Peep, peep...the muffled sound of a 20 day old chick taking its first breath is heard through the styrofoam incubator. Eggs aren't supposed to make noise...or move on their own... I continue to be amazed at the hatching process. I am a person that likes predictability...and like clockwork, with no reminders needed, the chicks begin the process of entering the world on day 21.


First, it breaks into the air sac (located at the blunt end of the egg) and starts to breath. This is when you begin to hear peep sounds. Then, as the 21st day progresses, the little one uses its egg-tooth to "pip" through the shell. I wonder if the phrase "pip-squeak" came from watching this process? Anyway, it must be exhausting work, because the chick often rests for several hours after it pips...then it begins to crack the shell in a circular pattern, then finally, it kicks out of its "safe-house" and enters the real world! Wet and tired, with a face only a mother could love! Thankfully when kept at 90-95 degrees, the downy feathers fluff up quickly, providing insulation for the chick, and a much "cuter" look for the creature!

We are pleased that we had 35/42 eggs hatch. That's an 83% hatch rate....math is so much more fun for my children, when it is practical...percentages of hatch, ratio of fertile/unfertile eggs, $$ value of live chicks if we were to sell or if we were to purchase from a commercial hatchery...I love math anyway, but apparently, this is not a trait which is automatically passed on to children!

We used to buy our chicks from a hatchery. Prior to hatching, the yolk of the egg is absorbed into the chick's body. It provides enough nutrients for the first 72 hours of life. Hatcheries pack up chicks in vented boxes and ship them out to customers.Hopefully they will arrive at their new home within 72 hours. Survival rates depend on how hard the trip is on the chicks. Now that we are hatching at home and watching the chicks thrive as they eat and drink within 1-2 hours of hatching, it almost seems cruel to put the little ones through the hardship of the US Postal system...We are pleased with our new system...it makes us happy to be providing for our animals in the best way possible. We take the responsibility of having "dominion" over the animals seriously!

Today, something crazy happened. We were sitting on the back porch. It was very warm, so we kept open the door to the brooder-house, which houses the 1 month-old chicks. A couple of them had ventured out eating bugs/worms/seeds...suddenly, out of no-where, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped down, only 5 feet away from us, and grabbed a plump little chick! Thankfully our good friend Todd yelled..."Look out!!!!"...and the hawk realized that he was caught! He dropped the chick, unscathed, and flew up into the big maple tree! Quite impressive! This chick had been named "Lucky" because we helped him hatch...he wouldn't have made it without the help...thankfully he "lived" up to his name today!