New Chicks!

We decided that we would take advantage of having a this beautiful Rhode Island Red Rooster named Rosie (remember, we were expecting a hen)

Well, he did his job and about 21 days later we have new chicks.

We only saw three out of six actually hatch. 

The first three popped out of their eggs very early in the morning.

 Here this little one is unzipping her egg....notice I am hopeful that it is a hen.

Our first one was a rooster we named George. At least he won't grow up with gender issues having a girly name all his life.

 I have always wanted to hatch our own eggs, since I was in 

Kindergarten when I got to bring home a dozen chicks for the weekend. 

I was in love.

 We named this little gal Rita. Her mother is a Leghorn named Henrietta.

Yes, we name our chickens. Not very common around here but we love our pets.

 The first four did amazingly well. The last two weren't very good hatchers. They had pipped but not unzipped their eggs. They needed a little help after 30+ hours of being pipped.

 These are the two little ones that had the hardest time. Mary and Hattie. 

They are very pretty and didn't have much gumption to spring out of their eggs like the others.

They always say to not interfere but when they only have a pip hole to breath and the other only partially unzipped it was time to intervene. One of their membranes was getting dried out and was stuck to the poor little chick. I think if I hadn't been watching them closely they would have died.

So for now they are doing wonderful.

The little brown ones have a Golden Wyandotte for a mama named Hortense.

 George, the one with the white spot on his head, was all alone for a day and a half before he got a sister to brood with so we put Mother Goose in the brooder box with him. He immediately nuzzled under one of the wings. It was amazing to watch his instinct kick in. Now they all crowd around it and cuddle with the goose. 

These two have an Australorp for a mama.

 Gertie and Greta. Greta has one black foot and one yellow foot.

Little miss Rita looks all nice and fluffy now. 

Hopefully George is the only rooster....which I heard him attempt to crow this morning. 

It sounded like a wire on glass. I thought he would be too young to do that but I guess not.

We might have to give him away. We'll see. So for now he is already ruling the brooder box showing us what he is made of.