We have movement!

It's official! I just went out to do barn chores and took a heavy duty flashlight with me; and candled a couple eggs, again, only to find that we have movement! In at least three of the eggs I saw what I believe to be movement of the chick embryos! Soon, I should be announcing that we have chicks if everything continues as anticipated.

low tech ultrasound

I am the very definition of impatient, one of those people who when gifts are under the Christmas tree just has to pick them up and shake them, who cannot wait for the entire pot of coffee to brew with out helping myself to a cup, you know, impatient. (Drives Ron crazy.) So when I've got now two broody hens on nests I need to see what's happening inside the eggs. I read about candling online and had to try it. This was my second attempt and this time I remembered the camera! Maybe it's because I wanted to see something in the egg or maybe it was actually developing I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that in a couple eggs I did see the veining and dark spot that I read about! All I know is that I'm pretty excited about it and expect to have some chicks if all goes well soon! The other hen just started sitting on the nest yesterday so it'll be a while if she continues to sit, so we'll see how that goes.

Uh-oh!

Maybe I should have gotten two dozen! We went out to the barn for chores this morning and peeked in to see if Queen was still on the nest, she was not. But Rose, the golden laced wyandotte was! She looked equally as happy and contended as Queen!

"Well somebody has to keep them warm!"

poor confused little hen

This is Queen, Faith's chicken and she is confused. Why? Because she's sitting in the nesting box, (occasionally on some eggs even) hoping to become a mother hen. The confusion comes twofold; one being we don't have a rooster and two she's not been 'in a family way' to be able to become a mother hen. When I reach in to collect the eggs she proudly lifts herself up as if to say "see what a good job I'm doing" and genuinely looks sad when I take them away. Part of me actually feels guilty for doing that despite the fact I know they're not fertile, she apparently does not and thus the confusion. She must be thinking why would I do that to her? Don't get me wrong, if we still had a rooster I would absolutely encourage her to sit there and hatch them out. I would love for the kids to see that, especially since I had to explain what the rooster was doing to their girls last year. "Trying to become a daddy guys, that's all." I'm not ready for them to loose the rest of that most precious innocence yet. Too many have lost it far to early and it's a tragedy. Yes, I suppose I could get some hatching eggs and try that route, but then we'd have roosters again. Oh what a quandary!