Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday to three new beautiful baby chickens.  The chicks were hatched throughout the day yesterday, the 20th day of incubation.  (I just didn't get a chance to post about it).  I don't know if there will be any more.  I incubated 18 eggs and 3 have hatched so far.  Hopefully they will continue to hatch, but if not, I won't love the ones I have already any less!  All three of the hatched eggs were laid on December 26, 2013.

Yesterday when I got up to go to work, there was already one hatched, dried off, and cheeping in the incubator.  I let him in there until I came home from work.  I figured the heat would do him some good until I had a chance to get the brooder set up last evening.  We think he is a cross between a brown chicken (the rooster is brown) and a white chicken.  He's definitely a mixed bird because there are ever so tiny spots of dark on his baby feathers.  Here is the baby photo of the first little chick to hatch.   (**Note: I have no idea what sex they are, so I'll just refer to them all as "him", haha).

The first to hatch! January 21, 2014, early morning

When I came home from work I had noticed that while is was gone, another one hatched.  I think this one is a cross between a Buff Orpingon (brown) and a Australorp (black).  He is beautiful.  Here is his baby photo:

The second to hatch! January 21, 2014, early afternoon

So then there were two.

My hubby, Brandon, and one of our dogs, Colby, with the first to hatch

Me with the second to hatch

Having their first meal

Having their first meal

We got them into the brooder for safekeeping.  Here they can also drink, eat, and take naps under the heat lamp.  They are so much fun to watch too.

Then later that night, the third one hatched and we could hear him peeping in the incubator.  We think he is a cross between a brown chicken and white chicken too, just different.  Here are his baby photos:

The third to hatch!  January 21, 2014, in the evening

The third to hatch!  January 21, 2014, in the evening

So then there were three.  They are all so cute.  Even though they were only born yesterday, they are all really active walking, eating, and peeping around the brooder.  They all seem to be really healthy too.  I've been cuddling them, kind of like their mommy would by covering them and tucking them into my hands and arms.  When I do that, they fall asleep and stop peeping.  I'm trying to handle them a lot, so when they are grown up, they will not be skiddish or afraid of me.  I hope I can get them to come when I go outside to see them or call them.  More like pets than just chickens.  Here are more fun photos:

I candled the duck eggs today as well.  They are all developing well and the embryo's even moved today.  It was almost like they kicked.  This means they are all still living.  So hopefully we will have 3 ducklings in about a week.  Their incubation period is a week longer than chickens.

So stay tuned.  Updates will come shortly about the new chicks (hopefully there are some more) and the new ducklings!