Hatching Day--June 25, 2011

After a few bumps in the road during Clucky’s incubation, hatching day arrived last Saturday. At about Day 13 I had come home to find her on the wrong nest box with her clutch exposed and cold on a 60-something degree day. I quickly got out the dog crate and set her up in there, but was now wondering if anything would hatch after about 4 or 5 hours of chilling. Rookie mistake not to pen her up with her own nest right away, but a survey on the Backyard Chickens site gave me hope, and I waited out the last week with fingers crossed.

The housing dilemma remained unresolved until the last possible moment. The spa is unfinished and the two A-frame coops I ordered the day I bought Clucky’s eggs have not yet arrived. Meanwhile, driving home from Marysville last weekend, we passed a most excellent dog kennel for sale by the side of the road. The price was right, so I now have another enclosure. It’s a monster at 10 x 10 x 6 ft., and once covered in hardware cloth, set up with an A-frame, and added to the run with another length of electric fencing it will be just the thing for broodies and babies. I can see it from here, but there’s a long way to go with it. Meanwhile, Zen has gone broody for sure and Rachel’s giving it serious thought....

Friday afternoon I got home from work and noticed Finn was not among the (diminishing) group of non-broody chickens that met me at the gate (as they do every day when I arrive anticipating the scratch I give them). He came barreling out of the coop when he realized I was there, but he’s usually right there to meet me. Found Clucky on her nest as usual, clucking softly. Hens and their chicks “talk” to each other right before hatch, so I was feeling hopeful. And after dark when I went to close them up, there was peeping!

Saturday morning, there was still peeping, but there was also a strong smell coming from underneath Clucky. I was afraid a chick had died, so in the afternoon I checked underneath her as well as I could since she was sitting in the back of the crate beyond my easy reach. I had to actually put my head and shoulders inside the crate and I seriously ruffled her feathers in the process. She was nice about it though and did not go for my head! I found her on 6 live chicks and two unhatched eggs leaving one unaccounted for (apparently hidden up under Clucky’s wing). One of the eggs was peeping madly, and I found no evidence of a dead chick or exploded egg so I removed the broken eggshells and quickly put everything else back under her. More waiting......

A stupid amount of mental and physical effort early Sunday resulted in a temporary enclosure attached to the inner compound where they will stay until they are big enough to handle the electric fence.

By Sunday morning there were seven.

We ended up with two lavender Orpingtons,

....one blue-laced red and one gold-laced (I think) Wyandotte,

...two Barnevelders and one speckled Sussex (Finn and Rachel’s baby). They’re all doing fine and are very cute. Clucky’s being a great mom, except for abandoning her chicks for the coop in a sudden rainstorm. She called them, but they couldn’t figure out the ramp, so I ran out and rescued them.

It’s a little stressful. My numbers have doubled in one fell swoop and I still have more broodies. Some of these babies will be boys (I can already make some guesses), so they will have to find new homes. But for the time being, all is well.