My very first hatching project, years ago, was a 4-H unit I did with my kids. We had 2 mini-incubators that held about 3 eggs each, so 6 eggs. We did the 4-H egg unit, and candled at various times to see the progress.
During the 3 weeks of waiting (about a week into it I think), the kids in their enthusiasm managed to knock the shelf down that the incubators were sitting on...of the 6 eggs, 4 went splat and were hopelessly lost. On physical reflex I made a wild grab for the incubators and caught one of the domed lids as it was going down which fantastically also had one egg caught in it which literally went "wuh a wuh a wuh wob wob wob" as it spun around the lid curvature to settle into the well of the inverted dome. Another egg appeared uncracked in the other incubator on the floor.
Thinking it was pretty well a lost cause, but thinking what have we got to lose now, I reset the incubators with those 2 last eggs. We waited it out on the 2 eggs, and amazingly they showed development, but only 1 hatched...and you guessed it...it was the one that I had caught in the lid and had thoroughly spun cycled. (I''m telling you...I am repeatedly amazed at how hardy the embryos can be).
This little chick had nothing but 3 adoring children as his or her companions, and we raised it inside a cardboard box with heat lamp inside the schoolroom (we homeschooled) until it was about 4 weeks old, and getting too big for our cramped quarters, at which time we re-homed him or her to a farm since at the time we weren't keeping chickens (yet). It adjusted just fine to farm life, and became a happy little rooster (if I remember right) who was the delight of the farmer's daughter as it was such a friendly little chicken. (Apparently having all cantankerousness rattled out of it.)
And that ends my tale of being a single chick mother.
Lady of McCamley
