Saturday was also the 21st day that Henrietta had been sitting on her eggs (21 is supposedly the magic number for chicken gestation). A few days before, I tried to figure out if there was anything actually growing in there by pressing a flashlight against the back of each egg while I looked at it through a toilet paper tube. Most of each egg just seemed dark, and I couldn't tell if the shell was too thick to see through or if the darkness was actually a chick, but there seemed to be some spiderlike veins inside the smaller end. I felt hopeful that maybe they weren't all duds after all. Saturday came and went uneventfully. Yesterday morning while the kids were getting dressed for church, I climbed the ladder with tube and flashlight in hand to check for any changes, as Henny was off the nest to take her every-other-day binge, and found a pile of trembling, peeping eggs. I picked one up just as the first tiny beak started to break through the shell. Amazing! When we got home that afternoon, two had escaped their shells. Late this afternoon we were up to seven, maybe eight. It's hard to count as there are only 2 that look unique (“the yellow one” and “the darkest one” - the rest are tan and striped like chipmunks) and Henny keeps them all tucked under her most of the time. Isaac dug up some worms for them which got almost all of the babies out at once and I can't even begin to describe the cuteness that ensued. Good gracious, they are precious.
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LyssI plan to use this blog to keep track of ideas and information, to hold myself accountable to my goals, and to give others the opportunity to observe the challenges and triumphs that ensue. Archives
April 2016
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