Baby Chicks!

I never really understood why people call them "baby chicks"; that's an oxymoron. "Chicks" are, in fact, infant chickens. So, a few weeks ago we got some fertile chicken eggs from a friend, and popped them into the incubator. Thereafter, for 21 days, I faithfully turned them morning and night by hand. They were supposed to hatch out on a Tuesday - and nothing happened. I was extremely dissapointed.

Then, on that Thursday morning, Kevin called me into the kithcen. There was a tone of excitement in his voice, so I knew he was not wanting to know what happened to his coffee filters! I ran to the kitchen like a kid on Christmas morning. "Listen", Kevin said. I stood there listening and then I heard it: small peeps and chirps coming from the eggs in the incubator! I had a styrofoam box of chirping eggs! Sucess, after all!! After several hours, I took this photo of the frist one: the tiniest egg hatched out first.

That evening, we had more. I was thrilled, because I thought I would get none from my first try! I had never seen a chick hatch out before, and I was as facninated as a kid doing a grade school science class experament. They are soooooo cute! My kithcn is cluttered with chick accessories and supplies, and the little blighters make a noisy racket when they hear someone. The cats are seriously disturbed, and I am grateful, as they seem to avoid the area entirely.

We left them in the incubator until they fully dried out and were fluffy. The other eggs continued to shake and chirp and little holes appeared on their surface. They continued to hatch out thrugh Sunday; and there are still a couple drying out in the incubator, waiting transport to the chick brooder set up in the kitchen. They are all so cute and fluffy. I feel like a true farm girl now! I hatched chicks!