Penelope Penguin hatches some eggs - update for 2011 at post 194!

Penelope_Penguin

We’ve kept hens in our garden for over 10 years. They’re great company, very amusing, and recycle a lot of our kitchen and garden waste. They turn slugs, snails, grass clippings and some weeds into eggs – great trick. The eggs are beautiful and yellow, and often still warm when we collect them.

Last year we borrowed an incubator, and successfully hatched 4 Buff Orpington chicks of our own. If you’re interested, much is recorded on this thread – Our baby ducks are here.

2 of them survived, and were named Ecochick and Billie. When they were big enough, they went into the garden to join our Rhode Island Red–Light Sussex crosses, Aurora and Rapunzel. They all lived happily (especially as the *pecking order* was turned upside down, as Billie and Eco became bigger than the older hens). They over-wintered in the polytunnel, helping to fertilise the soil in time for our crops this year. DH had enjoyed the experience so much, he had his own incubator and heat lamp (to keep the tiny chicks warm) for Christmas.

Sadly, last month, all 4 hens were taken one night, by a fox (or foxes), who got in by burrowing under the wire that we’d carefully buried to keep them out. There was no sign of them, save some feathers. We had lots of tears, and saved some feathers to remind us of them.

By coincidence, the next day, I was due to collect 6 eggs to hatch this year. I made a quick call, and upped the order to 12. I collected these from a farm near Thirsk, and they went into the incubator. Sadly, 10 of them grew to almost full size (2 proved to be infertile), but they died in their shell. We don’t know what happened, but think that temperature fluctuations were too much for them, and they failed to form properly.

So, undeterred, we bought a further dozen. They’ve been kept warm, in a moist atmosphere, and turned 3 times a day for the last 3 weeks. We stopped turning them on Thursday, upped the humidity, and now they’re ready to hatch.

Lunchtime today, the first one *pipped* (broke through the shell using its egg tooth). A second one pipped around 3pm, just in time for DD to spot it when she came home from school. The eggs are now rocking, we can see 2 tiny beaks poking through, and they’re making a racket, cheeping away!

Will keep you posted.

Penny. x

grannybroon

Hi PenelopeP

I remember the awful upset you had with the fox (or so we thought). So glad you are awaiting new arrivals - you must be so excited. Please keep us posted.

You will no doubt be aware we are awaiting an imminent arrival of the human kind!

Take care and love to your family. Good luck to you for Race for Life. My best friend's daughter is doing it in July and we have sponsored her good style. You have probably read my posts about close friends and the big C

Take care from an imminent Gran to an imminent 'Mum'

Love and hugs

GB xx

odds-n-sods

Good luck!!

LJD1_2

How exciting! I know how excited we were when we harvested our first home grown corgette on Sunday so hatching eggs must be fantastic. Looking forward to hearing more.

oops_a_daisy

aaahhhhhhh PP thats fantastic :j you must keep us updated of their progress. Fingers ( and toes ) crossed that they all survive.

dannahaz

cONGRATULATIONS Pen!

oops_a_daisy

found another one - oops didnt work



ooo and another cutie



last one



I lied

Pink.

Congratulations Pen Pen! :j I'm so pleased for you!

Pink

anniestar

Fantastic. CONGRATULATIONS.

Churchmouse

Congrats Pen-Pen!:j :T :j

But am I a mum yet? Has my surrogate daughter arrived? The kitchen is awash with steam, towels are at the ready and if the champers chills much more it'll be ice lollies:rotfl:

Hope they all turn out to be girls:D

CMxx

catznine

Wow! Baby chicks on the way! :j :j :j Will be checking in now for updates! Are you naming them after old style characters then Penny? Fingers crossed for you!