Chicken Chronicles
April 13th, 2011
It's early morning and I cannot sleep. I have always been an early bird anyway since having kids. Sleeping in until 6:30 would be a dream! But this morning, I awoke to a sad reality.
It was 4 am this morning due to, once again, my chickens. Oh, what I got myself into since we found those 6 baby chicks and hen way back when. Now I am up to 15. I may have to admit, I may be getting a little ahead of myself.
All day yesterday after running errands, I tended to yet another hen with her eggs. My youngest and I came home and checked on Chicken Little knowing she was due any day for her chicks to hatch. She nested in the woods, not in her pen. And boy are hens determined, they will starve to death before they get off their eggs. Average egg cycle is 21 days. But I made sure she was well taken care of with plenty of food and water.
As we approached the woods, all we could hear were babies chirping. Such a sweet sound. The eggs begun to hatch and Chicken Little had two under her looking healthy but I could see we were stressing her out. I video taped what I could get at that moment and left.
Just a few short hours later, all began to hatch. Four lay under her looking pretty healthy and four others tossed aside about 6 inches from her nest, three of which were dead and covered in black ants. That fourth was breathing so I grabbed it along with the remaining nest of chicks, chirping eggs and Chicken Little. I moved her into the chicken coop away from all the ants.
Now she was all set, comfy and cozy. I brought in the one she tossed aside and placed it under a heat lamp. I know now, hens toss ones aside that are weak, leaving them to die. But I can't let anything die.
With all the kids home from school now, my house gets a little hectic. A young lady who I care for after school named the weak chick, Hope, a perfect name. Hope was very weak but kept up on the chirping, keeping everyone's attention on her.
By later afternoon, getting homework done, starting dinner, chicken of all things, realizing this as I type and the irony of it, I had three neighbor girls stuffing Easter eggs for me with their mouths full of candy, boys in the backyard playing baseball, myself cooking and trying to maintain all of the chickens with my continued path back and forth from house to chicken pen, keeping a close eye on the remaining birthing eggs.
At the dinner table, the boys and I discussed the chickens and how we were going to handle this as my oldest was looking guilty. The first thing I said to him." You broke my camera, didn't you?" The answer, "Yes".
Earlier, just before dinner as mayhem continued, my oldest asked to use my precious camera to film himself and younger brother doing jumps next door on their motorcycles. I agreed to it because he is getting older and I trusted him. Well, I didn't know he was going to duct tape the camera to the motorcycle and jump with it! Unreal. The answer I received on how it was broken was, "Watch the video and you will find out". Brats! Though another word came to mind. I have yet to watch the video and I just hope the warranty comes through.
By now, dinner is done, the pool looking easy for the boys nightly showers,thankfully. Hey, look at the water I am saving!
With baby chick Hope under the heat lamp, I read about the other three partially hatched out in the coop and decided they were unable to get out on their own. I brought them in under the lamp as they continued to chirp, hoping I could save their lives. By 8:30, two died instantly within the hour. Maybe it was the noise, maybe I should have taken their heads out quicker? I don't know. All I know is you are supposed to let them try to break out on their own after so many hours but carefully remove enough shell for them to breathe. They can literally live in that shell for up to 48 hours with the egg sac attached. The last one in the egg I pulled the head out and lay it down next it Hope with the remaining shell attached. I was doing the best I could at this point, feeding Hope every two hours with some bird formula I had on spare.
With keeping a close eye on them all night, lastly getting up again at 4am to feed, both Hope and the other died, my heart sank. I almost think I cooked them to death with the heat lamp. Couldn't sleep after that. I wonder about myself sometimes and all of this effort and what I continue to do wrong. Should I have left those three almost hatched with Mom? Should I have not had the lamp so close? How close is too close? This will go on all day, that's why I sit here, I can release it all onto you.
Hopefully, Chicken Little remains with four healthy chicks and one egg to go. And soon, with hopes from my readers, I can find interest in a rooster. I have one too many and one needs to go! Or the way I'm going, maybe they both need to go.
It's early morning and I cannot sleep. I have always been an early bird anyway since having kids. Sleeping in until 6:30 would be a dream! But this morning, I awoke to a sad reality.
It was 4 am this morning due to, once again, my chickens. Oh, what I got myself into since we found those 6 baby chicks and hen way back when. Now I am up to 15. I may have to admit, I may be getting a little ahead of myself.
All day yesterday after running errands, I tended to yet another hen with her eggs. My youngest and I came home and checked on Chicken Little knowing she was due any day for her chicks to hatch. She nested in the woods, not in her pen. And boy are hens determined, they will starve to death before they get off their eggs. Average egg cycle is 21 days. But I made sure she was well taken care of with plenty of food and water.
As we approached the woods, all we could hear were babies chirping. Such a sweet sound. The eggs begun to hatch and Chicken Little had two under her looking healthy but I could see we were stressing her out. I video taped what I could get at that moment and left.
Just a few short hours later, all began to hatch. Four lay under her looking pretty healthy and four others tossed aside about 6 inches from her nest, three of which were dead and covered in black ants. That fourth was breathing so I grabbed it along with the remaining nest of chicks, chirping eggs and Chicken Little. I moved her into the chicken coop away from all the ants.
Now she was all set, comfy and cozy. I brought in the one she tossed aside and placed it under a heat lamp. I know now, hens toss ones aside that are weak, leaving them to die. But I can't let anything die.
With all the kids home from school now, my house gets a little hectic. A young lady who I care for after school named the weak chick, Hope, a perfect name. Hope was very weak but kept up on the chirping, keeping everyone's attention on her.
By later afternoon, getting homework done, starting dinner, chicken of all things, realizing this as I type and the irony of it, I had three neighbor girls stuffing Easter eggs for me with their mouths full of candy, boys in the backyard playing baseball, myself cooking and trying to maintain all of the chickens with my continued path back and forth from house to chicken pen, keeping a close eye on the remaining birthing eggs.
At the dinner table, the boys and I discussed the chickens and how we were going to handle this as my oldest was looking guilty. The first thing I said to him." You broke my camera, didn't you?" The answer, "Yes".
Earlier, just before dinner as mayhem continued, my oldest asked to use my precious camera to film himself and younger brother doing jumps next door on their motorcycles. I agreed to it because he is getting older and I trusted him. Well, I didn't know he was going to duct tape the camera to the motorcycle and jump with it! Unreal. The answer I received on how it was broken was, "Watch the video and you will find out". Brats! Though another word came to mind. I have yet to watch the video and I just hope the warranty comes through.
By now, dinner is done, the pool looking easy for the boys nightly showers,thankfully. Hey, look at the water I am saving!
With baby chick Hope under the heat lamp, I read about the other three partially hatched out in the coop and decided they were unable to get out on their own. I brought them in under the lamp as they continued to chirp, hoping I could save their lives. By 8:30, two died instantly within the hour. Maybe it was the noise, maybe I should have taken their heads out quicker? I don't know. All I know is you are supposed to let them try to break out on their own after so many hours but carefully remove enough shell for them to breathe. They can literally live in that shell for up to 48 hours with the egg sac attached. The last one in the egg I pulled the head out and lay it down next it Hope with the remaining shell attached. I was doing the best I could at this point, feeding Hope every two hours with some bird formula I had on spare.
With keeping a close eye on them all night, lastly getting up again at 4am to feed, both Hope and the other died, my heart sank. I almost think I cooked them to death with the heat lamp. Couldn't sleep after that. I wonder about myself sometimes and all of this effort and what I continue to do wrong. Should I have left those three almost hatched with Mom? Should I have not had the lamp so close? How close is too close? This will go on all day, that's why I sit here, I can release it all onto you.
Hopefully, Chicken Little remains with four healthy chicks and one egg to go. And soon, with hopes from my readers, I can find interest in a rooster. I have one too many and one needs to go! Or the way I'm going, maybe they both need to go.
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