Day #1 of the Hatch

The Incubator                    copyright Shobe Biz Communications

I've never hatched an egg before. (Why does Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss keep popping up in my mind?) After having raised three rounds of day-old chicks over the past year-and-a-half,  I decided to venture out and try something different--incubating fertilized eggs.

First things first, I hatched a plan. I desired a flock that would lay a variety of multicolored eggs--eggs that were olive, and blue, and chocolate--eggs that would make great photos. I, then, began to research purveyors of fertilized eggs.

When I typed in olive eggers--a cross between the Black Copper Maran and Ameracauna, and fertilized eggs on my Google search, I was directed to Chicken Scratch Poultry, a online site that sells fertilized eggs or day-old chicks.

I emailed Angie, the very friendly owner at Chicken Scratch Poultry, and placed an order for twelve varied chicks: 4 Olive Eggers, 2 Welsummers, 2 blue egg Ameracaunas, 2 French Black Copper Marans, and 2 French Blue Copper Marans. Angie was very helpful and communicative and told me specifically when the package of fertilized eggs would arrive. And, that date was today, March 7.

To see a box with the words "fragile" inscribed on it at my front doorstep excited me to no end. Carefully packed inside the box was a split egg carton, with six wrapped and marked eggs on each side. 

I unwrapped the eggs from the carton and gently placed them into my Farm Innovators Pro 4200 Incubator that was on the island in my kitchen. The night before, after a delicious dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant, I had come home and set up the incubator. In about three hours, the temperature was within the suggested 99 to 100 degrees F and the humidity was within the suggested 55-60% (after adding a little bit of water into the bottom of the tray).

The soft hum of the incubator suggested that my baby chicks were beginning to "bake". I noticed that as my house cooled in the evening, the incubator needed a slight adjustment to maintain its temperature. What I didn't expect was an incubator sensitivity to any slight turn of its top dial. With a slight twist, the temperature quickly rose to 101 degrees. I took the top off for a few minutes to let the  temperature drop. By turning dial to the left just a bit, the temperature fell back into range.

I now have 12 potential fertilized eggs going through the process of being potential chicks. Research shows there is a 50-80% hatch rate and then, there is a 50% chance that the chick can be a rooster. So, if you're searching for hens who are good layers, you may have better luck purchasing day old chicks. Unfortunately, I am the adventurous kind and believe in testing my scientific luck.

I'll keep you posted as the days progress!

What to Do After the Chickens Hatch

The Broody Lady Rah Rah                         Credit: Shobe Biz Communications

My Farm Innovators Model 4200 Incubator just arrived! This is my first foray into hatching chicks in an incubator. The eggs will be shipped next week from Chicken Scratch Poultry and will be a mix of Olive Egger, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, French Black Copper Marans, and Welsummer fertilized eggs. I'm going for the different colored eggs this year for photographic and innovation reasons.

Since this is my first time incubating eggs, I thought I should bone up on some research. Travis Kellar of The Sentinel (Pennyslvania) wrote an informative article How to Raise Baby Chickens After Hatching. The Chickens should not be removed from the incubator until 48 hours after hatch. The brooder needs to be kept at 95 degrees and the temperature should be reduced five degrees for every successive week.

For the last several years, I have used a 250-watt heat lamp in the chicks brooder. For the brooder, I found a large wooden box and created a lid for it out of a wooden frame and avian wire.  In the chicks water, I put a few drops of apple cider vinegar and feed them yogurt to help them avoid pasty butt.

Who doesn't enjoy raising baby chicks? Now, it's time to try something new. I can't wait to see how the incubator works and how many chicks successfully peck their way into their new home!

A Free Webinar on February 28 About Raising Backyard Chickens

Lady Rah Rah Sitting Pretty                                         c.Shobe Biz Communications

Aw, c'mon. Don't even tell me that you forgot to mark the week of February 24 on your calendar as a special week; after all, it's Bird Health Awareness Week.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) posted on their blog that in recognition of this week, they are offering a special free webinar called, "Growing Chicks Into Healthy Chickens: Getting Ready for Spring."  It will air on Thursday, February 28, at 2 p.m. EST.

Here's what they say you'll learn:

      1. How to get your birds and equipment ready for spring
      2. What to look for when buying chicks to start or build your flock.
      3. What are the best or most popular breeds.
      4. How to keep your flock safe from predators and disease.
      5. What are the signs of infectious disease.
      6. Where to find resources to help you.

Three poultry experts will be on the show including:

      Andy Schneider, "The Chicken Whisperer"
      Dr. Martin Smeltzer, USDA poultry veterinarian
      Dr. Claudia Dunkley, University of Georgia poultry scientist.

Pre-registration is required. For more information, check out the USDA's blog page.

Minaret's First Egg

Minaret's First Egg                          Photo Courtesy of Eve

Minaret, a lovely local Ameracauna who is relatively "new" onto the scene, just laid her first egg--an egg with a lovely bluish tint--for her "mother", Eve. (To everyone's surprise, Minaret didn't end up being a rooster!)

As we Chicken Women all know, there's nothing quite like a hen's first egg. When I came home last spring from a vacation to a local rural valley, I discovered my hen's first egg on the floor of the coop. I was so thrilled that I immediately began taking pictures. And, then, my girl Coachie, as if obeying some celestial clock, decided to lay her second egg for me while I was standing there...ah, there's nothing like "birth"!

A hen's first egg (oeuf) is definitely a cause for celebration. Eve seems to know how to celebrate in style--with a "pop" of the cork from a yummy bottle of champagne and a toast in honor of the young "gal.". Congratulations, Eve and Minaret!

Eve is the newbie owner of four lovely hens and a talented writer, photographer and foodie. She spends a good deal of her time whipping up delicious yummies both locally and in France and writes a wonderful foodie blog called Blue Moon. (Check it out. I just may have to whip up her delicious recipe on homemade Potstickers as an appetizer for Valentine's Day!) And, her mother, Tana, is proud to say that she is the great-grandmother of this new egg--although, as she said in her email, "it will get eaten!"


Here's a link to the story I wrote last spring about my Coachie's first egg: The First Egg.

Which Came First--The Chicken or The Egg?

Are you a member of Team Chicken or Team Egg?

Egg-traordinary Facts

Eggs from Chicken Women's Girls          Photo credit: Shobe Biz Communications

Crack open a fresh-from-the-farm egg and what's the first reaction? The yolk is orange. Orange yolks mean that the eggs are higher in carotenoids, which usually means the egg has higher amounts of Vitamin A and Omega-3. 

The Stir  at CafeMom.com has twelve surprise facts about eggs. Some of their other fun facts include:

1.  Vitamin D is all in the yolk of an egg.

2.  Those yucky little blood spots in the eggs (that we all try to avoid because it grosses us out) are when a blood vessel ruptures when the egg forms. They are not from fertilization.

3.  The freshest eggs sometimes have cloudy whites.

4.  A bad egg floats. My neighbor told me this one. Just think if all the human "bad eggs" floated??

5.  An egg takes 24-26 hours to form and the large end comes out first (I guess we can liken it to the head of baby). The average hen lays 250-270 eggs a year (ouch!). 

6.  To clean up egg off of the floor? Sprinkle salt on it.

Read the article for more amazing facts.

Here are some past Chicken Women posts that relate to eggs:

Cracking the Shell & Exposing the Heart - what makes hard-boiled eggs easy to peel & much more

Eggs are Excellent for Runners - it's true. They are.

All the Eggs in One Basket - A story about NOT putting all of your eggs in one basket...or maybe it is putting them in one basket, a basket at a time.

The Eggshell Sculptor - extraordinary eggshell art for the nimble of hand.

A Hatching Chick

There's nothing like watching a chicken being born. Here's a Rhode Island Red coming out of its shell. As the video reminds us, do not attempt to help a hatching chicken because interference usually results in the death of a chicken.

If you order your chicks through a feed store or hatchery, it's time to place your orders for new chicks. You don't have to order "your average bears." There are some really unusual chickens out there. I absolutely love some of my unusual breeds and the eggs they lay.

Greenfire Farms in Midway, Florida specializes in selling unusual breeds. They are priced $19 to $999 ($999 for a Bielefelder chick). Imagine, $999 for one chick. Chicks at local hatcheries and feed stores are usually much less, around $3 or so per chick.


"Some people talk to animals. Not many listen, though. That's the problem." - A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.