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.

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Growing our flock: Hatching Eggs

About a week and a half we got a borrowed incubator from a friend. We got it all set up and let it run for a day to make sure it was in good working order. The plan was for this to be a homeschooling project along with growing our flock. However I might just be having more fun than the kids. ;) My friend Andrea, from Cluck Dynasty, gave us a dozen hatching eggs. Before introducing you to the eggs, I'd like to introduce the parents.

The mothers:

Rosie: not sure what her lineage is, Rhode Island Red cross??

Buffy: Red Star crossed with Ameraucana??

Midnight: Black Australorp/Ameraucana cross

The father:

Westly: Black Copper Maran

They have another rooster but there's hardly a chance he's the father of any. Too bad though b/c he's adorable!!

Cotton: Bantam Cochin Frizzle

The eggs:

Before setting the eggs I candled and marked the air cells. I also marked an X on one side of each egg and another letter for identification on the other side. 

The brown eggs are Rosie's, the grey-blue ones on the left are Midnight's and the blue ones on the right are Buffy.

At the end of day 2, I candled all the eggs again. Rosie's eggs are hard to see in but all the rest had this circle in the middle of the yolk. By then the eyes,head, ears and heart already started developing.

I candled the eggs again on day 4. Every one of them had veins!! It was difficult to photograph but so exciting to see! By then their noses, tongues, legs and wings all developed.

Today is day 9. By now, their genders have been determined. Their beaks and feathers have begun to form. And the digits on their legs and wings have become visible. As of today, the embryo has begun to look like a bird. Last night I candled all the eggs once again and marked the growth of the air sac. All air sacs are growing nicely. Some of the embryos were hard to see but the lighter eggs showed me something very exciting; movement!! I watched several little tiny embryos swimming around in their eggs.

12 (+/-) days until hatching! I'll update again before then.

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