333. Don't count your chicks and all that . . .

Hatching weekend. Incredibly exciting and it's still going on. Up during the night to check and to worry. Just like the real thing!

I'll take you through it.

Saturday, day 21
9am, chirping. Sarah thought it was in the chimney, then in the hall. But (!) it was the eggs and even before any pipping.

Mid-morning - pipping started. 2 chicks started to make holes in their eggs.

8pm, 2 chicks appear


Sunday, day 22
8am, Sarah comes into the gym to tell me that 2 more are on the way, then a 5th and a 6th start to make holes

9am, 3 more hatch . . . 5!

 

8pm, No 6 still no more progress, just a hole and a beak popping out every now and then.

We decide to get No 6 out of the 'bator and help! So Sarah gets out her best tweezers and starts to pick away the shell in a line around the middle of the egg. I dab with a cotton bud. Call me 'House.' We put her back.


9pm, still not out. We do some more picking and dabbing.

 
10.30pm, still not out. I remove the 2 pieces of shell. She's out. Alive but we're not overly hopeful.

Monday, day 23
4.30 am, No 6 is alive.
6am, she's still alive, fluffed up and running around with her umbilical cord between her legs.

8pm, we move the 6 chicks to the brooder. V exciting. We then check the last 3 eggs. One more is trying to come out. She's also stuck (if they don't come out quite quickly, they get too dry and it's too hard for them to break out.)

10pm, we get No 7 out. She doesn't look good.


Tuesday, day 24 (TODAY!)
4.30am, No 7 is still alive but lying down.
6am, still alive
9am, her legs are not working properly. I'm trying to read websites about what to do. Some suggest holding her up, trying to get her to use her legs - I've done a bit of this. I'm trying to make a sort of wheelchair out of an eggbox. She's very alive, squeaking away. Cross that she can't stand up. Really tragic.

The 6 in the incubator are looking good.

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