Starting Friday afternoon, the chicks started hatching. An ordinary miracle, happening in my house, with the first ever chicks from my own chickens...I'm just so excited about it, I can hardly stand it. As of Saturday evening, a total of five chicks have hatched. I've been keeping them in the incubator for a day so that they completely dry off and get that cute fuzzy-frizzy look that all chicks should have. Once they are dry and fuzzed out, they've been happy to move into the brooder bin. I'm so happy with the EcoGlow 20 heater that I ordered from Brinsea. It was rather expensive ($90 including shipping), but I am so relieved to not have a heat lamp burning away. Last year, I nearly had roasted chicks when a heat lamp fell apart but stayed lit and landed on shavings...and since these little creatures are in my house, I'm happy not to run the risk of burning up myself along with them. They seem very calm and content to hang out under the heater so far, which is fine by me. They are only about 24 hours old so far, and aren't too interested in eating or drinking yet, so I'm happy for them to snooze under their nice warm spot. Later on today, I'll get a little more serious about introducing them to food. I haven't met a chick yet that didn't become a walking appetite on stick legs, so I'm sure they'll pick it up in no time.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
They've Hatched!
Starting Friday afternoon, the chicks started hatching. An ordinary miracle, happening in my house, with the first ever chicks from my own chickens...I'm just so excited about it, I can hardly stand it. As of Saturday evening, a total of five chicks have hatched. I've been keeping them in the incubator for a day so that they completely dry off and get that cute fuzzy-frizzy look that all chicks should have. Once they are dry and fuzzed out, they've been happy to move into the brooder bin. I'm so happy with the EcoGlow 20 heater that I ordered from Brinsea. It was rather expensive ($90 including shipping), but I am so relieved to not have a heat lamp burning away. Last year, I nearly had roasted chicks when a heat lamp fell apart but stayed lit and landed on shavings...and since these little creatures are in my house, I'm happy not to run the risk of burning up myself along with them. They seem very calm and content to hang out under the heater so far, which is fine by me. They are only about 24 hours old so far, and aren't too interested in eating or drinking yet, so I'm happy for them to snooze under their nice warm spot. Later on today, I'll get a little more serious about introducing them to food. I haven't met a chick yet that didn't become a walking appetite on stick legs, so I'm sure they'll pick it up in no time.
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Yay, baby chicks!
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