And Now There Are Four!!!!

Little Ace taking a break.

Monday afternoon Bridget, Connor and I went to take a peek at the last 3 eggs in the coop.  Two of the chicks were pipping.  That means they had pecked a small hole through and the little chick was breathing through that hole. Little Ace had walked out of the coop and the eggs felt a little cool.  So we decided to take the 2 hatching eggs and put them under the lamp in the crate with the other chicks.  I researched on the internet how long it takes for a chick to actually get out of the egg.  There was information on how to help a chick that appears to be in trouble.  So I learned, it could take between 12 and 24 hours.  I could forget sitting there and videoing it.  Most information said it was very dangerous to help a chick because of the blood vessels attached to the shell and chick.  If you broke a vessel, the chick could bleed to death.  Also, many advised that if the chick is not strong enough to get out of the shell, then it will be a weak chicken and the others will pick on it and likely kill it.  All this lead me to believe that I would just sit back and let the process happen.  It did say that you can see the chick moving and hear it peeping.  Only one egg had a peeping and moving chick.  But being an optimist, I was hopeful for both eggs.  Then I saw the chicks pecking at the hatching eggs.  So I decided to return them to the hen in the coop, since she had returned and was sitting on the one left.

Sunny is the goldish hen.

Of course all night I dreamed and thought about those hatching chicks.



I really pretty well knew that one wouldn't make it.  When I put it back, there was no movement or sound. Anyway the next morning, the brown egg had hatched, but the one I was concerned about hadn't and it was a green egg.  I really wanted the green chicks because they have a better temperament than Omelet, the layer of the brown eggs. I brought the new chick in and put it in the crate with the others, so now I have 4 chicks.  3 are Omelet's and 1 is from Sunny the green egg layer. The older ones are not socializing very well with the baby, but they are not hurting it, so things will be okay.  Wednesday, Little Ace, pecked the other hatching egg open and it was for sure dead.  I had to clean out the nest.  So Wednesday and today Little Ace is waiting on one brown egg to hatch. I don't really know when to give up on it.  Maybe Little Ace will know and peck it open if it doesn't open.  We will see tomorrow. 

Kennedy wants a beak.