After days of hatching despair, WE HAVE OUR FIRST PIP!!!!!!
Instead of heading straight to the bedroom to check the incubator after work, I cuddled a sad child and then had dinner with my family. I didn't make it into the bedroom until 7 o'clock to check on the temp and humidity.
When I looked in, Egg #8 looked "weird". It actually took me about 10 seconds of staring to figure it out. It had a hole in it! A hole with a little beak poking in and out! And so now the real obsessing starts!
I'll update as s/he makes progress. In the meantime, cross your fingers!
9:30 pm:
We have a CHICK! S/he pushed open the shell, took a wild run across every egg, knocking every single one of them. And landed in the corner. We're supposed to keep her in the incubator until she's dry and fluffy, but I think it might be time to get the brooder warmed up so she doesn't kill the other chicks before they get a chance to hatch.
I'll post pictures when I get a couple noteworthy ones.
11:10 pm: If I were allowed to name this chick, it would be Crash. S/he's not quite dry enough to take out of the incubator yet. And the destruction that is happening inside of the incubator is scaring me to death. I have spent 22 days treating these eggs as though they are made of glass....very thin, delicate glass. If anything survives the smashing and Crashing that's happening inside of my incubator right now it'll be a miracle! I actually (again) broke the rules and shoved a 1/2 egg carton in through one of the windows in an effort to keep the eggs away from this little rascal. The remaining 5 eggs are going to have to wait until s/he is out. I can't handle getting the top of my hand burnt by the heating element any more.
OMG!! SO fast!! Good luck getting some sleep!
ReplyDeleteRemember how much you got after Lizzie was born? That will seem like a lot in the morning! ; )
Congrats Momma!!
Yes Ann, It was insanely fast. It can take 24+ hours from pip to hatch. Not this one! I found the pip around 7. S/he was born by 8:30! Crazy!
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