Babies Are Here

The chicks started pipping yesterday and most were born in the wee hours of the morning during a terrific storm.  I wish we could have gotten video.

It's still too dark to see what the storm left us, but the chicks weathered power failure just fine.

Aren't they cute? There is nothing more inspiring than birth.

We'll leave them in the hatcher until tomorrow and then move them to the giant brooder box where they'll get their first meal and drink of water.

We had one near fatality the day we moved them to the hatcher! As we transferred eggs from incubator to hatcher, we I missed one. The egg was hidden behind an opaque divider that had shifted to an angle and I never noticed him even as I swung the tray to the ground and laid it against a wall. I left it there for a couple of hours until I went back to check on progress. 

The tray was in my way so I moved it again. This time a little egg (one of the smallest in the batch) fell to the floor, cracking it.

Greg and I were horrified that we had left him. I quickly scooped him up and put him in the hatcher. The shell, though cracked was still intact and the chick inside was moving.

We named him Oopsie and hoped for the best. I am happy to report, Oopsie is alive and well. 

Thank God, Mother Nature is smarter than I am.

Oopsie is the little blond chick on the left. I know because he's right next to his marked shell. Only one other chick had hatched at this point.

If this happens again, I'm going to call him, Oy!


Update: The storm last night was very bad. I think a tornado raked through us. Off to inspect for damage. Wish us luck.