Sunday, May 17, 2009

Incubator Born Baby Chickens

My homesteading neighbors, Nikki & Cody, have been incubating chicken eggs for the last few weeks which has been really exciting to wait for. The first birth and death have finally come along... both of which are fascinating. Two chicks began hatching, one made it out but in the pic below this chick couldn't get all the way out the egg before it seemed to have drowned in it's embryotic fluid. Terrible but true.
With the macabre news out of the way right off, now we can focus on the cute-tastic explosion pictured below that cracked out it's egg and is a fuzzy peeping ball of perfection. The red hue is from the heat lamp it's lounging under while it gets adjusted to being alive. These chickens are being bred mostly for their yummy organic & free roaming eggs. It's nice to see that baby born and not just in a frying pan for a change. :) I had to hold it and love on it, and since the weather actually got really cold here in the smokey mountains in the picture below I was breathing hot air into my hands so it would stay warm... possibly more for my own entertainment then anything. But oh, look how small it is, so soft it's like it has fur instead of feathers! Baby animals are magnetizing.
xoxo

4 comments:

JM said...

They are amazing! Can't wait to see them!

Peace Creek Dolls said...

Oh I love baby chicks they are soo amazing right! Your pictures are great and the truthful reality of their entrance. I think next spring I may incubate some of my own as well.. I am right now reading reading reading, in that phase. You will have to post their progress!xx

Miss Voodoo said...

Hey Mary :)
Will be cool to see how the transition from furrrrry cute to kinda big, regal and wee big fugly goes. Are you coming out here? Hopefully more will pop out this week!

Ruralmamma !-
I will totally take pics of them as they grow and do a progression blog post about it... i think with so many eggs, it's alot like seeds falling from a tree and not all of them can become something in the end. The world would be taken ova' by chickens!
Which books are you reading that are good?

Rock said...

Do your research first before investing in an incubator. There are a number on the market and the quality can vary so do look for feedback and reviews on them before buying. The tips and the ideas shared here regarding how to make an incubator are simply helpful.