New chicks

As I write this, I was just about to turn off the incubator, but I’ve noticed another chick starting to hatch!

Chick number 1 hatched on Thursday morning, the day they were due to hatch. I was away so it was my brother Innes that was keeping an eye on things.

When I got home on Friday morning, No. 2 had just hatched.

I was worried that it was going to be a total disaster, and that I’d only get 2 chicks out of the 24 eggs. But last night, just as I was going to bed, another egg started hatching.

This morning, it had opened up quite a bit and another two had started too!

Chicks 1 & 2 are 24-48 hours old now, and they’re in my mothers kitchen until the rest hatch. Her cat Gizmo is just waiting to pounce!

Back in at mine, and the next chick was hatching.

I took this one out of the incubator for the final stages, so I could get a picture and a video. Amazing stuff. First time I’d watched it happen.

Now chicks 3/4/5 are back in the incubator to dry off and I’m waiting on the unexpected 6th to arrive!