Monday, August 13, 2012

Chick-less...

I thought that we would have some chicks hatching (from the eggs we set when Ryan was here) over the weekend. I thought for sure by Monday, some would peep, pip, and get ready to join this world. I went into lock down on Friday and waited. I waited all day Saturday. I waited all day Sunday. And, after a 14-hour work day at the McDonald's Heroes Hope Healing Golf Classic today, I couldn't wait to see if some had obliged us by pipping in our absence.

Checking for chicks was one of the first things to claim my attention when I walked in the door. I approached the incubator and peered hopefully into the plexiglass windows on the top of it. Nothing. I lifted the lid and carefully checked each egg for signs of pips or sounds of peeps. Nope. Nada. Nyet. Hmmm... This is troubling. I am concerned that this batch did not survive to hatching, but I am not without hope. While the temperature remained constant for this hatch, it did not get up to 100 degrees for a couple of days- which could make today really only day 20-21 and therefore, hatching might be coming tomorrow... Maybe.

Even though it is past 10pm, part of me wants to candle the eggs to check for signs of life tonight. I am so tired, I am barely coherent and certainly not thinking clearly. The spirit is willing but the flesh will wait until tomorrow- after a good night's rest to reset my frazzled brain.

Tomorrow will be a good time to see if I can smuggle a few eggs from under the broodies in the nest boxes and see how they are faring, too. Broody-Barred Rock is sitting on 10 eggs; these seem to be days ahead in development compared to the other nest. Broody-Wyandotte has 8 eggs under her wings; I removed 2 eggs when I last candled her eggs. One of them was not fertilized; the other was not viable. I'll take some pictures and post an update in the afternoon.

Thanks for stopping in, friends.
Good night.
Sonja ♥

1 comment: