Say hello to the newest member of our flock

Yesterday evening the display on my little incubator counted down to "1". Only one day to go, but still no sign of any activity when I checked last night before I went to bed.

This morning when I woke up I thought I could hear a faint chirping sound coming from the spare bedroom..When I checked I saw that the egg shell was chipped and broken and I saw a tiny beak poking out from inside!

Within an hour or so the little chick was out of the egg and trying to stand up.

For the next few hours the chick clambered around inside the incubator, chirping away. I had the brooder at the ready and put in on to warm up After a few hours when he (or she?) had dried off and fluffed up I transferred him (or her?) to the brooder.

The brooder consisted of a large plastic storage box with a piece of wood in the bottom to make a solid flat base. I cut a few air holes in the sides and the lid, and lined the base with a piece of fleece blanket. My little EcoGlow heater fitted perfectly across the storage box and I cut a slot in the side of the box for the power lead to go through.

Since I only had the one chick to put in the brooder I decided to close off one side of the EcoGlow heater with a piece of foam insulation. This would provide a snug "nest" for the little chick to go into. I also provided water and food (chick crumbs) even though the little chick willl probably not start to eat or drink for at least 24 hours. Finally, I decided the little chick needed some company, so I put a little toy chick that my wife Maddy had made in under the heater with the chick.



So maybe it's not the most anatomically correct toy chick in the world, but at least it's something for our little chick to cuddle up to! Since putting the chick into the brooder he (or she?) has been very quiet (and camera shy), but I have heard some contented little chirping noises from time to time.

I also took the opportunity to have a quick look at the other eggs in the incubator, and the good news is that all six appear to be fertile. I added a seventh egg (to replace the one that hatched) and turned the automatic turning feature back on. Now I have six eggs due to hatch in 16 days, and another one due to hatch in 21 days. Let's hope thay all manage to hatch as easily as today's little chick!