Ended 2013 Easter Hatch-a-long "Short Story Contest!"

[Sally Sunshine]

 

[Quailgirlie]

Such beautiful stories from everyone!!!

 

[candyshopper11]

nice stories everyone!!!!!

 

[Maggizzle35]

Eggstatic Hatching!​

Have you ever cracked an egg open? Can you believe this slimy white goo surrounding a sunset colored yolk actually becomes a perfectly formed creature? There is an exciting, miraculous wonder for all ages to see when a chick hatches. With anticipation, you wait as little by little the shell begins to break open until the baby chick finally emerges. Behold, tired and wet, but fully formed and cheeping, a baby chick. A baby chick is the most adorable little ball of f

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luff you can lay your eyes on.

Does hatching your own eggs seem impossible? It’s not. Incubating your own eggs is fun, exciting and not as hard as you might think. With the use of the right equipment, anyone can be successful hatching their own eggs. I started with the crazy idea of hatching my own eggs the fall of 2010. This all started with the idea of, why pay for chicks when I could hatch my own. I knew I had fertilized eggs. I received a $50 Amazon gift card from a company for watching a demo. When I went on the website to see if they had incubators, I was pleasantly surprised. Incubator prices ranged from $20 to over $300. I found the Brinsea mini eco incubator and it was priced at $80. It will hold 8 regular chicken eggs easily. With this $50 gift card, I only had to pay about $35 so I thought why not give it a shot. Now I have 3 of them. October 2010 was the beginning of this new adventure.

It came before I got home from work. I guess my kids, Stephen and Julia, both in their 20’s, were as excited as I was because they set it up in the kitchen where everyone could see it and they put duck eggs in it. We knew the ducks were busy so there must be fertilized eggs. There is a multitude of great information on the web to glean from https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-howto.html.and http://www.purelypoultry.com, http://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/sects/duck/. This particular incubator was set to the right temperature, had a little reservoir for the right amount of water, was manual turn which meant I had to turn the eggs at least 3 times a day. Simple, I could do that.

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I came down to the kitchen to make my morning coffee and turn the eggs. Boy, about jumped out of my skin when I pulled off the lid, it was brown, fuzzy and moving. Not the egg I was expecting and I let out scream. I got really excited because it was our first baby duck. I'm surprised I didn't wake up the kids when I screamed, but I woke them and told them to come and see. With that hatch, we had 2 ducklings arrive. The other eggs were not any good. My education on incubating had begun. I started doing more research to obtain more information about what to look for.

If at first you don’t succeed, put more eggs in the incubator and try again. I put 8 more eggs in and they looked good when I candled them. I could see veins and see the little chick moving around inside. All but one egg hatched on December 17, 2010. I was so excited and delighted that I had such a good hatch rate. I was lucky enough to find an adoptive mom for the chicks. They took right to her and she let them by allowing them to cuddle under her. Having the hen adopt chicks was great for a couple reasons, I didn’t have to keep a heat lamp on them because the hen provided all the heat they needed, and she would teach and protect them.

The amazing thing about incubating your own eggs is even though you may have breed specific eggs in the incubator for example, Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers, or Silkies, it’s like a secret treasure, a surprise package in each egg. Even though you know what kind of chick/duck is in the egg, no two ever look the same. The other benefit of incubating your own eggs is being able to develop your flock with the breeds you desire or sell them to the community. If you are considering hatching your own eggs by incubating, I would encourage you to give it a try. It’s an exciting and rewarding experience. I have had great success and enjoyment from my efforts. I have gotten some beautiful chicks, ducks and recently geese. Happy hatching.

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[Maggizzle35]

yep that is so true and when you start incubating your own, it gets worse.

 

[BexChix]

"The Mother Hen Miracle"

Two years ago my favorite hen, Scarlett Johannson, (a buxom buff Orpington) went broody at the beginning of March. I braved three-foot drifts to prepare my doghouse-cum-coop, practically a luxury penthouse for my hatching hens. Thinking of my own discomfort and irritability when I’ve been “on the nest,” I can’t help but anthropomorphize . . . I want to give brooding hens every possible comfort.




I layered fresh straw into Scarlett’s raised box, installed a feeder kept full to the brim (though broody hens are notoriously peckish, pun intended), and trudged through deep Idaho snow every day, replacing frozen water with fresh, inwardly picturing the scores of husbands who have scraped icy windshields late at night, driving to grocery stores in heavy coats and thin pajamas to find the single, elusive food that will satisfy their pregnant wife’s cravings.

Scarlett was a steady sort when waiting for eggs to hatch—never ruffling her feathers when I changed her water or checked her food, but eyeing me with wearied resignation. She seemed to say, “It’s a thankless job, but we can do it, you and I.” March (and April . . . and often May) comes in like a lion when you live in the mountains of the Northwest—with snow, wind, rain, and more snow howling outside. But inside the coop, all was placid domesticity.




But for the constant warmth of Scarlett’s ample bosom, any egg laid by my flock of twenty-odd hens would be breakfast. Twenty-one days from egg to chick is much quicker and simpler than nine months from egg to baby. And yet . . . those three weeks dragged on for me as I anticipated the date circled on my calendar and the downy arrival of spring chicks. I wondered if they dragged for Scarlett, who left her nest only fifteen minutes a day to stretch, eat, drink, and relieve herself.

March twenty-first—the actual first day of Spring—that’s when seven of Scarlett’s eight eggs hatched! And though March would not go out like a lamb, the day was sunny and the sky was blue—a perfect way to begin the season.

I couldn’t wait for my kids to get home from school! We muddily galoshed through the yard to the coop, where Scarlett now raised her feathers to their full height and gave a throaty warning. But she allowed me to slip a hand under her warm body and gently extract a fluffy brown chick, who peeped distressingly as each of my own brood took careful turns cupping it and exclaiming how cute and soft it was.




This was our seventh or eighth batch of chicks, but my children were no less delighted than I was, all of us returning to the house with grins on our rosy cheeks. The kids rushed to be the first to tell Daddy the news when he came home—he acted surprised (though I had called him earlier to tell him myself).




Scarlett felt as light as paper-mache when I transferred her brood to the floor of the coop. I brought leftover spaghetti outside, thinking it a welcome treat for a hungry mother. To my surprise, she immediately began chooking excitedly to her chicks, then broke the spaghetti up with her beak, showing her peeping horde how to peck it up off the ground. They scrambled and stumbled and cheeped like crazy: seven spring babies. She never ate a bite.




When the chicks were only days old, I watched Scarlett lead them out of the coop to sit in the warm spring sun. One cheeky chick kept climbing on her back, then pecked at his mother’s eye when she turned to look at him. She bore this constant abuse with equanimity, a far cry from the defensive attitudes of grown hens in yonder coop, who viciously clawed and pecked and attacked any newcomers to the flock

Later than same day, I was forcibly reminded of Scarlett’s patience as my own ten-month-old baby attempted to rip my earrings from my ears each time I picked him up. I finally wised up and removed the earrings, but smiled when I thought of that cheeky chick.

People often ask me why I keep chickens. There are many reasons, and all of them good ones, but the reason I like best is seeing the transformation of, not an egg into a chick—but a hen into a mother.

It’s no less amazing than the miracle of birth.

 

[ozexpat]

The art, science and emotion of hatching eggs – and why I do it.

A few months ago I had a revelation. I had several chickens, a rooster, two and a half acres of beach front property for them to forage - and no eggs! Then I thought about it some more. I always saw pretty chicks around but I had never eaten a home grown chicken. I had to ask myself what was going on?



a local boy. Pretty and proud

Flash back in time – 1976 - I grew up on a farm. We had 1000 wool sheep, 100 plus beef cows, a few pigs, barnyard geese, turkeys, ducks and chickens. I had to milk cows, feed pigs and do a lot of fence repairs. I did not pay a lot of attention to the chooks. I just collected a few eggs each day, admired the odd chick and chased our nasty pit rooster away from my siblings every now and then.

Ok – so back to a few months ago. I decided that the best thing to do was to take all control of my chickens and simply collect the eggs and throw them in an incubator for the required amount of time and viola – chickens. My thought process then followed that if I had more chooks, then I would get more eggs. It was very logical to me.

So I went on line. Amazon.com. Incubators. Wow – there are a few. Read reviews. Picked one. Checked out. Prime delivery.Two days later I have a bator in my bedroom.

Then I found BYC. I started to read and it seemed like there was more to this than I initially thought.

I became fascinated. This was a science project!!

I added a fan. I added a turner. I researched. I spent all night reading threads in the forums. I Googled white papers to verify information. I bought books. I downloaded PDF files. Anything I do, I do with gusto. This was going to be one of the things I do.

So now, after thousands of hours of research and five hatches across two continents, I can now say I am a batorholic.



my bators with a view


Why do I like it so much? Hatching chicks is such a combination of art and science. You have to have just the right combination of precision and gut feeling. You need to know when to intervene and know when to keep your hands out. There is genetics, physics, biology, physiology, pharmacology wrapped up with a little psychology. The success of a hatch fills you with elation. Failures send you plummeting with disappointment.

Hatching eggs allows you to have breeds you could never think possible. Originally I had chicks that were closer to Jungle Fowl origin than the modern Western chicken. They laid few eggs and were constantly broody. Now I have layers, meaties and ornamentals. I have a spreadsheet of breeds that I want. I have discovered the heritage birds and fallen for them. Without hatching, the evolution would take a lifetime.

Hatching chicks alone is fun, but sharing the emotional roller-coaster with others is even more rewarding. I have found another thing to recharge and maintain maintain my matrimonial bonds as my wife and I take the time to share the trials and tribulations of my current hatch or she plans ways to procure photos of the chicks I hatched that are now 7500 miles from here. I have something to share with my young children as they are fascinated with and adore baby chicks. I have employees seeing a human side to me as I share my crazy chicken stories with laughter and disbelief. Additionally, through hatching, I have been to meet-ups with other chicken people, and met the most amazing people across the globe via the internet. Some of these will become lifelong friends.






I have had a lucky life in many ways. I have experienced many places and cultures. I have been on many fun and often wild adventures and I have always embraced and taken on new things. I never expected to take on hatching but now that I have, my life is more complete. I am truly grateful to those local chickens that have no interest in giving me breakfast.

 

[kimslack]

My copy of WORD says this is 749 words exactly!! Hope you all enjoy it. Kim

Little Chick Wakes Up​

A hen sat looking out at the frost covered pasture from her nest inside the barn. She had been sitting patiently on four little brown eggs for many days. She fluffed herself impatiently and carefully rolled each of the eggs beneath her feathers.

From deep within one of the eggs, she suddenly heard a little ‘pip, pip’.

‘Chuck uckk, chuck uck uck” she replied to her eggs.
‘Chee cheeeee’ cried a little voice within the egg.

The old hen reached her head down to see the little bump on the side of the egg. She watched as the egg rocked ever so slightly. Again a little ‘Cheeep!’ came from within the egg and then wondrously, the little bump grew bigger.

“I will have chicks soon” thought the old hen and she gazed out from the barn and thought of the days ahead when she would lead them in a little procession through the grass and look for tasty little bugs to eat.

Throughout the next hours the sounds from the eggs under the old hen became more frequent. Cracks began to appear on the sides of the eggs as the chicks slowly pecked away the egg shell that covered them. Her chicks were all busy hatching underneath the old hen.

All but one egg that is. One small brown egg remained quiet and no bumps or cracks appeared on its side.

The old hen settled herself comfortably on the nest as she waited to greet her chicks. One by one, the eggs broke in two and a little mass of wet fluff peered out from the opening. The hen looked down and was surprised to see the one egg that remained unbroken in her nest. She leaned her head against the egg and listened. From within the egg she could hear the chick’s contented snores.

“Wake up Little Chick” cried the old hen. “You must come out and play with your brothers and sisters!” But Little Chick remained within her warm bed inside her eggshell. She pulled the thick bedcovers over her head and shut her eyes tight.

The other chicks breathed in the fresh spring air. They gathered around Little Chick’s egg and cried, “Wake up Little Chick! There are bugs and worms to catch. Join us Little Chick”.

But the egg remained still and Little Chick stayed inside her little bed.

“Well” said the old hen, drawing a long breath and fluffing herself one more time on the nest. “We must all be ready to go to the pasture to scratch for worms and delicious bugs. Get up Little Chick and come outside with us right now”!

Little Chick paid no attention to the old hen and sipped her tea inside the porcelain walls of her egg room.

The morning clouds slowly began to disappear as the sun rose higher in the sky and covered the pasture with splashes of sunlight. The old hen got off the nest and began to show her chicks how to scratch the ground nearby. They all surrounded her and watched attentively as she examined the ground carefully for anything good to eat.
From within her egg, Little Chick began to feel the sun’s warmth on her face. The sun began to call Little Chick. “Wake up Little Chick!” called the sun. Your sisters and brothers are waiting for you to accompany them out to the pasture!”

But it takes time to rouse a sleepy chick from her cozy room. The sun began to shine itself on the egg and the brilliant light made Little Chick rub her eyes. As the sun warmed Little Chick’s egg, it became stuffy and so unbearable. She began to think how wonderful the sun would feel against her feathers. She wanted suddenly to play with the other chicks in the morning sun. “I think I would like to scratch for bugs now” she thought to herself.

Little Chick got out of bed and began to peck her egg room apart. “I really must be going” she thought as she pushed against the egg wall.

The hen and her chicks looked up at the nest and began to cheer Little Chick as she broke apart her beautiful little room.

The egg suddenly broke and Little Chick looked out at the others around her. “Good morning Little Chick!” they called to her.
Little Chick peeped joyously and hopped out of the nest to join them as they paraded out into the morning sun.

 

[Breshcandra]

His nose twitched as he looked through the small plastic window. He could barely see the strange oddly shaped round things that were sitting still. He did not know why she was so interested in them but she opened the box two times a day. When the sun first comes through the window and again when the sun no longer shines.

He had been able to sniff them just moments before when the lid came off. Some of them smelled weird and he could hear a faint heartbeat. He grew bored and decided to take a nap on top of the warm box.

It was several days later and She had not opened the box. Even stranger she even put water into it. The box was still warm and that was all that matter.

He was startled awake by a small peeping sound. It was coming from inside the box. He tried to peer inside but it was just to dark so he settled back down and soon fell asleep amongst the soft peeping noise.

The sun had barley come streaming through the window when she came into the room acting excited. She peered into the box for a long time. He stretched and yawned before he too looked into the box.

Inside was the strangest creature he had ever seen. It only had to legs and the feet had three toes. It was covered in a soft fluffy down and when it opened its beak it made a loud peep sound. So that’s what that noise was.

She kept the box closed all that day, even though she came a looked inside frequently and into the night. The next morning she opened the box and He finally got to meet the things that had woken him up that night.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Great job!!! Keep them coming!!