As some of you may have seen on Instagram, we have new chicks! Our current hen population came to us from a couple of different hatcheries via the USPS. So exciting to get a box of chicks in the mail! I'm not sure the post office folks were that excited about it - a box of chicks is louder than you'd expect.
This spring, though, we decided to grow our own. We selected the best looking eggs and tucked them into the incubator. Eggs have no chance of hatching until heat is applied. 21 days at 100 degrees is the rule.
After 21 days of (sort of patiently) waiting, we see this little chip.
The little guys make a pip first - to get some air for heaven's sake - before they start unzipping. I love these terms.
This guy is unzipping. As soon as they get enough of the shell broken through, they start pressing their tiny legs and their tiny wings to break through. It's a tiny struggle.
When they first come out, they're are kind of sticky. Imagine you'd been swimming in egg for 3 weeks.
But they fluff up pretty quick and look less like tiny, drowned vultures.
They stay in the incubator - the chick sauna - for about 24 hours and then off they go to the brooder, a nice warm landing spot for the babies.
And one more chick pic for good measure.
Watch these kids grow up here on the blog! Thanks for reading.