#hatching chicks

Miriam’s doing good work. The eggs are all forming lil hearts now. Candling then every few days let’s you see their progress (it’s unfortunately hard to photograph though). Every one I have checked is forming, I’m going to be drowning in a sea of chickies.

Way back in 2023, at the beginning of my chicken hatching journey I knew I needed a hatching incubator for the babies to dry off and/or complete hatching. (This was because I set eggs at different times and there were eggs in various stages of incubation in my actual hatching incubators.)

I REALLY didn’t want to buy one because finding one cheap was pretty tough (right in the middle of the spring hatching craze that happens yearly). I was saved in the form of my best friend having one that she had forgotten about in storage. Unfortunately it had had an accident and was broken in a few places.

My handy husband to the rescue with his lovely case knife and plethora of skills. He cut new foam pieces and glued them in place and even carved the outside to match!

This incubator has worked fantastically for a nursery incubator and to keep my babies in for the first few days until they are stable enough to go into a bigger brooder. I’ve lost count of the chickies I’ve hatched out in here and I’m so pleased with it.

Photo below of some babies hatching for tax.

Find below my Amazon links to products used. Please click the links and shop around as even if you do not purchase my linked items it still helps me out and will cost you nothing extra!

Incubator

Styrofoam glue (I couldn't find the exact brand we used but this should work fine)

Case Knife (My husband prefers a carbon steel blade over a Chrome vanadium one but both are better than stainless for holding an edge. And carbon steel is getting much harder to find.)

Which Came First, The Chicken or the Egg?

This setup has an incubator and a brooder side by side. It’s not a bad system for just a handful of chicks. On my homestead, the answer to that question was the chicken. However, hatching eggs is part of the perpetual equation. On July 9, 2020, my chicks arrived from The Cackle Hatchery of Lebanon, Missouri. I chose The Cackle Hatchery because I listened to some advice Dad gave me some advice…

And Baby Makes Four

Occasionally when I go to the coop to be with my chickens, I have the opportunity to witness one of my hens laying their eggs.  Such was the case three weeks ago when I witnessed my sweet, inquisitive Maicey laying her egg.

I had a broody hen (Briar Rose) whom I intended to give eggs to that night, so I picked up Maicey’s egg and tucked it away so it would not get mixed in with the other eggs. …

I went down to the coop this morning and found this little chick peeking out from under Briar.

Isn’t cutie?

She had two mkre as well…

There are two more eggs to hatch and I hope they do. Today is actual Hatch Day so there is still plenty of time for them to join us in the big wide world.

Day 19 and Briar Rose is anxiously awaiting for the hatch of her first little ones. One egg was pipped this morning before I left for work. I returned at Noon to two pips and the sounds of cheeps.

And also to Ashley sitting on them because she is still trying to borrow Briar’s nest.

So we removed Ashley and gave Briar back her babies… and then put four eggs under Ashley. I’ll talk about that…