StiltChickens
In the Brooder
i recently lost my beloved Serama rooster Fitz. He was the sweetest bird ever, and was really pretty with vivid red and black splashes over a pure white base. I was heartbroken. His mate, Molly, laid an egg the same day and I decided to incubate it with the Polish eggs I had set. The result: a perky little silver polish chick named Zara, and Alba, a little 9-gram scrap of a thing whose existence was touch-and-go before she even hatched. Alba pipped in the wrong spot, resulting in her being unable to hatch without assistance. In my first attempt, I accidentally nicked a blood vessel and Alba nearly bled out. If she was any less stubborn, she might well have died right then and there. I waited for the membrane to dry, and tried again. This time, I was successful. Unfortunately, by Saturday morning, other problems became clear. For one, rambunctious 43-gram Zara would toss Alba around, step on her, and try to eat her toes. For another, Alba had no notion of normal chick behaviors. She couldn't figure out how to eat or drink, and had to be force fed, and will just kind of fold, then settle herself instead of lying down normally. She's adorable, and I'm thankful for her. 
