KYfreerange
Chirping
I grew up around chickens. My mother always kept a flock. She always let her hens control the flock #'s. Naturally. Never incubated. She got her first flock from my grandparents. Mom sang bluegrass and had an Angel's voice. She had this call she made to the chickens. Same as grandma did but better. I got out of high school and naturally moved away and started my own family. No chickens. I wish I'd have learned a lil more when I had the chance but I reckon we all can say things like that regarding hindsight. 20 years later me and my family are back at the farm. With the chickens. When Mom passed last year I got the flock with the property and coop etc.. Free range birds but the #'s could use an infusion. Bought this incubator and started with 15 eggs. One blew up about 8 days in. Lucky didnt cover the other eggs. 2 others were bad I threw out 4 days ago at my last candeling. No growth in them. The 12 I have left I just candled and went into lockdown 5 min ago. All have movement in them with good looking air sacs according to research I've done. There were 4 of them that I watched for a minute as the chick was clearly pushing on the air sac or liner or what have ya. Is the pushing up a regular everyday occurence once they reach the fill up the egg stage ya know just stretching out or is that a sign that they are about to or trying pip through? I'm so excited about this. I haven't candled very much so this is a first for me but I'm pumped. Also this may sound weird but I'm a nerd like that but I been figuring that I need to find a way to see if my chicks recognize the call I make once they are here. I hear tell that hens talk to their eggs and babies know the mommas cluck already when they hatch. So the past 18 days on my way out the door to go to work I lift the corner of incubator lid up for 30 seconds or so and I make moms call(well. The best I can anyhow considering I'm a man and sound like Darth Vader lol).
keep doing it. 
and 
They'll come out when they're ready.
