The chick project

[Shadowfire]

Hi everyone. I found an egg outside (the last three or so days have been warmish but it is December) from Luna, my white leghorn hen. It had something inside! A little blob of pink stuff in the center. I found another egg and it was more developed, with what looked like a little eye (black spot in the center), and right now they are in a 4-egg capacity incubator. Their names are going to be (assuming they hatch, and if I can win hide-and-seek-eggs two more times) Moonshine, Moon-pie, and Curiosity after Nasa's curiosity rover. The last would-be name is still undecided; got any names? The names all have to have something to do with the moon. Their mama, Luna, has a name that refers to the moon and I got her on the eve of a full moon so it would be interesting to name the chicks after that theme. Even though this is not my first hatch, I had a few questions:

1. How soon till I can take them out and to the brooder? Once they fluff?
2. I have a steady hand and if one can't get out of it's shell while pipping, is there anything I can do?
3. Names?

I know that December is not the best time to be hatching chicks, but the egg(s) already had babies inside and I couldn't let them sit out in the cold to die or be eaten by Plumps the cannibal chicken. So, here we are, in the midst of chickie chaos!


I have enough money to buy chick starter, but I had read something about feeding mashed-up-hard-boiled eggs instead. What do you guys think about that? Good first food for chicks?
I'll post updates every day.

Thanks!

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

How do you know what was inside?

 

[Shadowfire]

What do you mean?

 

[Cyprus]

Do you have a rooster?

 

[Shadowfire]

Yes, I do, but I didn't know he was capable of siring a chick as he is physically and mentally challenged. He has done it before but now without acceptable hens, he didn't seem that interested.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Yes, I do, but I didn't know he was capable of siring a chick as he is physically and mentally challenged. He has done it before but now without acceptable hens, he didn't seem that interested.

OK, I shouldn't laugh....... but that was funny. But that got me thinking, would the offspring inherit those shortcomings from their father? Would be interesting to find out if they successfully hatched.

 

[Matieus27]

Yes, I do, but I didn't know he was capable of siring a chick as he is physically and mentally challenged. He has done it before but now without acceptable hens, he didn't seem that interested.

This made me think of the chicken on the cartoon my kids love Moana.

 

[Shadowfire]

Actually, he was injured as a chick via a brutal hawk attack that left him unable to fly, see out of his right eye, and walk properly; and the one chick that his hen did hatch had no problems whatsoever. But he loves to cuddle and thinks he's a cocker spaniel puppy.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I meant did you candle the egg to see inside. You usually can't see in an egg well enough to see the eye. Just wondering.

 

[Matieus27]

I meant did you candle the egg to see inside. You usually can't see in an egg well enough to see the eye. Just wondering.

It does depend on the egg a white egg you can see the dark spot of the eye and I think OP said it was a leghorn