Yet another nervous first-timer

[AmyLynn2374]

WE HAVE CHIRPING!

I couldn't stand it anymore, had to check air cells, look for movement. I picked up one of those impossible green eggs and it chirped at me! It's a wonder I didn't drop the poor thing I was so shocked.

I continued to check, and I heard definite chirping from six of the green eggies. I couldn't resist, while I was marking what little I could see of the air cell boundaries, I marked the chirpy ones with names. Peep, Tweety, Chirpo... Those are just their egg names, I am sure they will earn new ones as they grow.

I now have sponges in my water reservoirs, to help keep the humidity more even hopefully.

When I went to pick up my teenage son from work, I told him. He was understandably excited, when we got home he wanted to hear. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more awesome...
I picked up the egg, and I felt it flutter. As I held it to my ear, not only did I hear peeping, I heard very distinct pecking sounds! Someone is working on a pip in there. My son heard it too. The look on his face was priceless. It seems to take more to impress a 17 year old, but his face was like a 7 year old on Christmas morning.

That's so awesome!

 

[Drewnkat]

It's HATCH DAY!

Woke up this morning to three pips! Hooray!
Went to make breakfast...

The first chick was already zipping! And I mean, quick. Rocking, rolling, pieces of shell popping off all over the place.

I played AmyLynn's favorite day old chick video. Man that works great.

Well, I had to leave to take my 9 year old to her testing today. Halfway there my phone rang, it was my daughter "MOM! THE FIRST CHICK JUST HATCHED!"

Yep. Totally missed it. Oh well, there are now three others pipped, the little wet baby is in there singing to the rest, telling them to get a move on. The brooder box is warm and dry, ready for babies.

 

[WVduckchick]

It's HATCH DAY!

Woke up this morning to three pips! Hooray!
Went to make breakfast...

The first chick was already zipping! And I mean, quick. Rocking, rolling, pieces of shell popping off all over the place.

I played AmyLynn's favorite day old chick video. Man that works great.

Well, I had to leave to take my 9 year old to her testing today. Halfway there my phone rang, it was my daughter "MOM! THE FIRST CHICK JUST HATCHED!"

Yep. Totally missed it. Oh well, there are now three others pipped, the little wet baby is in there singing to the rest, telling them to get a move on. The brooder box is warm and dry, ready for babies.

Woooohoooo! Wait... if you "woke up"... then that means you slept! How in the world? LOL j/k

Congratulations!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

It's HATCH DAY!

Woke up this morning to three pips! Hooray!
Went to make breakfast...

The first chick was already zipping! And I mean, quick. Rocking, rolling, pieces of shell popping off all over the place.

I played AmyLynn's favorite day old chick video. Man that works great.

Well, I had to leave to take my 9 year old to her testing today. Halfway there my phone rang, it was my daughter "MOM! THE FIRST CHICK JUST HATCHED!"

Yep. Totally missed it. Oh well, there are now three others pipped, the little wet baby is in there singing to the rest, telling them to get a move on. The brooder box is warm and dry, ready for babies.

Cool! Congrats!! I tell you, that video always works for me...lol

 

[Drewnkat]

Woooohoooo! Wait... if you "woke up"... then that means you slept! How in the world? LOL j/k

Congratulations!!

Yeah, seriously I didn't get much sleep, but I had to try. Too much to do today!

 

[Drewnkat]

Well, baby chick #2 also waited until I had left the house to hatch! Lil stinker. My oldest got a great video on his iphone though.

Baby #3 just hatched a couple minutes ago. This time I got to watch, it was fabulous. I played the chicks peeping, and every time, you could actually see the baby chick increase the effort to get out. The head popped out first, and then it just sat there blinking like "Whoa, dude! That was intense!" Then the rest of the shell was kicked off. This time, there was a tiny string of... I guess the umbilicus? Anyways it didn't seem to bother anything, and it just popped loose after a minute. The three of them are crashing into each other, the other eggs, the empty shells, causing all kinds of ruckus. It's fantastic.

ETA: Pic

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Well, baby chick #2 also waited until I had left the house to hatch! Lil stinker. My oldest got a great video on his iphone though.

Baby #3 just hatched a couple minutes ago. This time I got to watch, it was fabulous. I played the chicks peeping, and every time, you could actually see the baby chick increase the effort to get out. The head popped out first, and then it just sat there blinking like "Whoa, dude! That was intense!" Then the rest of the shell was kicked off. This time, there was a tiny string of... I guess the umbilicus? Anyways it didn't seem to bother anything, and it just popped loose after a minute. The three of them are crashing into each other, the other eggs, the empty shells, causing all kinds of ruckus. It's fantastic.

ETA: Pic

LOL Great!!! Sometimes chicks still have the string of egg goo (and poo) attached when they break free. Usually when the chicks starts moving he pulls it off. Congrats!

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, baby chick #2 also waited until I had left the house to hatch! Lil stinker. My oldest got a great video on his iphone though.

Baby #3 just hatched a couple minutes ago. This time I got to watch, it was fabulous. I played the chicks peeping, and every time, you could actually see the baby chick increase the effort to get out. The head popped out first, and then it just sat there blinking like "Whoa, dude! That was intense!" Then the rest of the shell was kicked off. This time, there was a tiny string of... I guess the umbilicus? Anyways it didn't seem to bother anything, and it just popped loose after a minute. The three of them are crashing into each other, the other eggs, the empty shells, causing all kinds of ruckus. It's fantastic.

ETA: Pic

 

[Drewnkat]

I had to take a break. It looks like the 4th one is about to start zipping, but my neck was getting sore from standing over the incubator straining my eyes.

There's also definitely chirping coming from some of the blue eggs. Hopefully by tomorrow we will have some babies from the blue eggs.

Seeing those three precious and apparently healthy/happy chickens warming up in the brooder is just delightful.
The big chickens outside are singing the egg song to each other, I'm in here going "Yeah you laid eggs, then you walked off and forgot about them. Guess what I just HATCHED THEM you lazy birds!" I'm just playin though I love my "big birds" too.

My kids were telling everyone at the testing site "Our baby chicks hatched today! They're hatching! They're awesome!"

 

[Drewnkat]

Current tally:
100% success rate on the green eggs! This is actually beyond my expectations, and the fact that those impossible green eggs ALL HATCHED and before any of the blue ones? Miraculous.

Several of the babies are in the brooder box resting. A few are still waiting on their cords or whatever to finish drying up. I don't wanna pull on anything or cause a problem that way, so I'm waiting.

No hatches from any of the blue eggs yet, but four decent sized pips, and one who looks like zipping is about to happen any second. I can see the beak, and hear lots of vigorous chirping.

If these pipped ones all hatch out successfully, that will be a total of eleven out of 13. I certainly don't expect 100% hatch for my first try. The fact I've been blessed with better than 50% is already amazing. So far they all look perfect. No spraddled legs, no curled toes, no scissor beaks. Happy, healthy, chirpy little fuzzballs. I'm trying not to get attached, my friend still has first pick of the two girls she likes best! I told her husband we'd draw up adoption papers.

She claims she's a crazy chicken lady and he just puts up with it, but I have my suspicions he likes the fluffy little things too.