The Chicks are here!

All last year, Noah asked for an incubator. He got one for Chanukah! I’m not sure why that is funny, but it is. For three weeks we watched eggs in the incubator, wondering whether baby chicks were growing.

Waiting….

Auracana breed are known for their uniquely colored eggs–blue, green or pink. We love the blue-green eggs we get from our Auracana hens. We have an Auracana rooster now, so our hens’ eggs are fertilized and include this heritage. All our different varieties will create Auracana crosses, which are called Americana’s, or sometimes Rainbow Layers. Each cross-breed hen will lay eggs in one of the following colors–light or dark brown, white, or maybe the unusual and exciting light green, blue or pink.

On the 21st day, sure enough, the eggs began to crack. We were amazed! A pipp hole to begin, and then a line of holes around, until crack! Out pops a soggy limp chick. In no time, it is up wobbling around. When it is dry and fluffy, it goes out of the incubator into a cage with a warming light, ground grain, and water.

 16 chicks by the end of the weekend.

See the one with a bare neck? Yep, its called a Naked Neck. Ugly as can be, but a hardy breed.

True love, eh? This one is Jonah’s favorite. He named it Max and says we are not selling this one…

I believe the chick on the right is the Auracana pure-breed. It came from the blue egg, so both its mother and father are Auracana’s. We hatched two of them.  One is going to Philadelphia with us, a gift for Noah’s friends, Hannah and Nora, who already have three chickens in a backyard coop. The other will be for Noah’s first customer, Phil’s coworker Larry.  I think there are still some chicks for sale, but you would have to ask Noah.

Observation.

Check out the nifty chick waterer–add marbles to a jar top so the babes don’t drown in their water.