this is great. reminds me of the time someone unplugged the incubator to vacuum the biology class. I was devastated, but remained hopeful, and after being unplugged for at least 14 hours, I plugged it back in and two weeks later got seven out of twelve eggs hatched! of course, being the nerd I am, I named one Hedwig.
Awesome article, made me smile and giggle and I'm certain your experience will come in handy once I start on my own chick's next spring. Can't wait I also appreciated the imagery and how thorough your descriptions were.
Well... don't kick yourself for that now in hind sight- but in the future I'd wait until at least Day 24 before you toss it out and only after you candle.
Totally enjoyable, well written, entertaining and informative. Anyone who has had chickens any length of time and dealt with a broody hen or two has gone through this. The funny thing is, the next time Snowflake goes broody you will rant and fuss at her about what an undependable broody she is and how the hot place will freeze over before you ever give her an egg to sit on. You will rant for days....then give her 3 eggs again, hoping against hope that she will see the job through THIS time.
Keep the incubator handy.......just in case.
Thanks for the well presented, well written article.
Well written in story format. I love the cute pictures to illustrate the story. I like your commentary about what you were thinking as things progressed. Thanks for sharing your story with us.