Hatching Eggs Part Two

This post is way over due! The chicks that hatched from the eggs we incubated are now 5 1/2 weeks old! 6 out of the 12 eggs hatched. I've heard that 50% hatch rate isn't bad the first time around. The first chick hatched on April 11th and the last on April 13th. The last one to hatch needed some help. It took so long that it was actually partly stuck to it's shell when I finally got it out. Sadly, it also had a splayed leg. I attempted to band it to it's other leg but it's leg ended up over correcting itself and now crosses behind it's good leg. Despite this, it gets around very well. I've named all the chicks. I'm 100% sure Pearl and Ebony are girls. I'm 100% sure Stu is a boy. I think Marsala is a boy. I'm not sure about Mabel and Forrest. I'm definitely keeping Pearl. I feel especially close to Pearl since I watched her the most before she hatched and I got to watch her hatch. Ebony has a home with a local family who just recently lost all their hens to a dog once they rebuild. The others may be going back to live with the friend who gave us the eggs to hatch...Stu is for sure! For now, I'm waiting to see who's a roo and who's a pullet.

Now for the pictures!!

The following is pictures from the last time I candled egg K (who's now called Pearl) and her hatching.

Only a couple days old:
Stu and Ebony

Marsala and Mabel

Pearl and Forrest

About a week and a half old:
Mabel and Pearl

Ebony and Stu

Marsala and Forrest

There will be more about the chicks in my Urban Homesteading May Update coming in a few days.

© Mama Dani's Musings
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March 18th - April 14th in Pictures

Wow, I'm behind! This should be a month worth of pictures but I forgot to take pictures about 10 of those days. Oops!! Some of the days will just be teaser pictures b/c I took a lot of pictures that day. Be on the look out for posts about Maddy's 4th birthday, Sean starting soccer and our eggs hatching. Hopefully it won't take me long to finish those posts.

Now, on with the show!

March 18th

Someone found a lost marker...

March 19th

First time doing a word search

March 21st

Homeschooling/homework/drawing

March 24th

We live near train tracks but it's very rare for a steam engine to go by so we went to watch.

March 26th

Sleepy baby

March 27th

Sean's first time at soccer!

March 30th

First butterfly sighting of the year!!

April 1st

First over wintered butterfly to be released.

Lunch on the porch on a beautiful day!

April 4th

More soccer

April 6th

Birthday party teaser

April 7th

It's not child labor when they want to do it, right?

April 8th

Loving the beautiful weather we're having!

April 9th

A surprise litter. Cottontail turned out to be Mopsy's brother, not sister. She had 9 kits. None made it. We'll try again soon...except Peter will be the daddy.

April 10th

It's too nice out to do school inside.

April 11th

Day 20: first pip (there will be more in a later post)

April 12th

Day 21: another pip (there will be more in a later post)

April 13th

Up to 5 chicks!

April 14th

Our last chick to hatch. It had a splayed leg. This picture is after a day of having it braced to the other leg. It still needs to be braced but the fact that it's standing on it's own is a big improvement.

© Mama Dani's Musings
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