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How did this start?

My class was hatching chicken eggs that came from Tyson. We put the eggs in the incubator. The teacher told us to put the eggs pointy-side down. Every day from February 29th until March 2nd and 3rd, the incubator turned them so they would be healthy.

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February 29th –

The eggs have cracks in them! Each chick uses its horn tooth to crack out of its egg.

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March 1st and 2nd –

Guess what! They hatched! :D But now, we had to take care of them. One egg hatched late, but it loved me. She followed me around while she was in the incubator. My teacher saw what happened and told me it was mine.

We took care of the chicks for a few days, then our teacher said, “If you want to take them home, you need to have the following:

A large, cardboard box, a good feeder, a container with a little or a shallow amount of water, a hot lamp, thermometer, feed, and bedding.

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March 4th –

I got two yellow chicks from school. Granny and Gramps bought six more chicks from Atwoods, and we named them all.

We got a striped one who looks like a chipmunk. Its name is Chippy.

We got two orange ones. They are Buff Orpingtons. We got their names - Greta and Scooby.

We got two black ones: Zippy and Chloe.

We got one we think is a White Leghorn, and she is the boss. And yes, that’s what we named her.

And my two chicks from school are Fluffy and Thelma.

We have a total of eight cute, adorable baby chicks.

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Facts on Chloe and Zippy –
A) They dig too much.
B) They are hard to tell apart.
C) They’re both sweet.

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March 5th -

The black chicks are continuing to dig.

Some of the chicks are mischievous.

The chicks like to be in places where it’s warm.

Fluffy – my chick who thinks I am its mother, flaps her wings like she’s trying to fly, but she falls down. She’s all right, though. She pecks at the thermometer.

When Chippy was running, I said, “Chippy, run, run, run like the wind.”

The chicks talk to me. They say, “Chirp! Chirp!” and I chirp-chirp back to them. You might think that is weird, but I’m trying to keep them company.

Chippy’s features – Wings like a snake design – cool. A chipmunk design down her back. Your heart will melt when you meet her. She’s a sweet little baby with a cute design. She’s sweeter than candy – oh, yes! But I need your opinion. What do you think?

[We finally got a good picture of Chippy on March 7th. See that entry.]

In the meantime, here is a picture of Bossy and Fluffy - March 5th

Facts about chicks –
***Chicks like to dig, scratch, and kick the bedding all over the place.
***Chicks are jealous of each other.
***Chicks like to jump up on things.

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March 6th -

Boss continues to show her dominance in the group. She can be rather aggressive, but mostly just watches over everyone from her perch on top of the feed dish.

If someone falls asleep in front of the feeder, she'll run over and pull on their leg to wake them up. They can stay there, but must stay away and eat, if they do.

If a fight breaks out, she's there in a hurry to break it up. Her feathers seem to be coming in much quicker than anyone else's. She is the smallest of the three yellow chicks. The other two came from the school project.

Boss's call is three loud whistles. Silence. Three loud whistles. If I call back a time or two, she will stop. If she wants my attention for some reason, she will continue until I show up. She is aware of our presence and watches over the top of the box for us, although the others seem to be focused on what is directly in front of or below them.

Chippy is doing much better, today. The past couple of days have been tough for her. She was often beat up or stomped on. When that happened, I held her a bit on the first day, but by the second day, I had constructed a carrying pocket that held her against my chest. She could stay there for up to 30 minutes, or so, but I wouldn't hold her longer. Today, she seems to know she is important and looks like she feels much better. She is also building social connections and running all over the place. Her little whistle says, "Chippy-Chip-Chip-Chip."

Greta is continuing her gossipy, bossy ways. She is cute, but I sometimes have to intervene. She gets a bit carried away with her biting and pecking. Tonight, she entertained the whole bunch by pecking on the box. Every time she started up, the whole bunch came running to see what she was pecking about. It was fun to watch. They were following her all over the place.

Zippy and Chloe almost "skip" over other chicks, the feed dish, or whatever is in their way. It's funny to watch.

Scooby is still mellow as can be. She's adorable, but I doubt she knows it, yet.

Fluffy and Thelma are doing great. They are much bigger than the rest of the chicks. The others seem to have noticed they are much warmer, so they stay near them, if they want to be warm.

I have noticed that when a chick's feathers start to grow into the wings, they cry a lot. It must be fairly painful, or at least confusing. Boss naturally preens her feathers like she's done all this before. Some of the others just walk around and cry. Greta was having a tough day most of today. I finally opened her wings and very gently pulled/rubbed her feathers. She quit crying after that, which pretty much confirmed what I had been thinking it seemed like. Zippy was bothered by her feathers coming in today, also.

I'm a germ nut, so I wash my hands a lot. They are so dry they are about to split open. I have been using otion on them.

We have cleaned the bedding at least once every day, and we've put out clean water and food, too. I need to get these girls some toys. Does anyone have any suggestions? If so, please email us with them. Thanks!

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March 7th -

The chicks are growing feathers and testing their flying ability.

Here's that picture of Chippy's colors and her wing feathers that are starting to come in.

Tonight, Granny put a pink egg in with the chicks. It had three jingle bells inside. When the egg first "landed," all the chicks backed up and remained extremely still for a long time. After a little bit of testing and tapping, this is what happened.

Granny said she will try using eggs of different colors, tomorrow.

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