The miracle of birth......

Meet Pipsqueak....our firstborn.

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By 9.30 last night the first chick was drying out and cheeping away to itself. After a brief look at her we left the incubator alone, we thought better to keep the room dark and not disturb them too much.....but it was SO hard to peel myself away.

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I went to check on them at first light after seeing to all the other animals, we are in a frosty wonderland here on the farm today and frustratingly all the troughs and feeders had to be thawed out, meaning I got to my little babies much later than I would have liked.

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But there was Pipsqueak all dried out and fluffy, and amazingly when I called 'chook, chook, chook' she clambered over the other eggs and dividers to get to my hand and jumped on.....I truly am Mummy!

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Then I witnessed the birth of the second chick, all the noise me and Pipsqueak were making triggered a monumental effort on the part of chick number two.......

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...and she heaved herself out of her shell and draped herself over the divider....

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...thrashing backwards and forwards in exhaustion....

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...with her little heart visably pounding in her chest, she got her bearings.

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I gently placed her over the divider in the larger space with Pipsqueak...

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...and left her curled up in the corner to re-cuperate from her tremendous effort. Next to her is her little sister which as I type this is now almost ready to pop out completely. ~

Pipsqueak showed lots of interest in her new little sibling and cheeped for all she was worth.

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The next stage is for them to move into this box with the heat lamp set on the tripod over it to keep them cosy for their first couple of days, then it will be into the brooder cage. But for now they are all still in the incubator, it keeps them nice and warm and their cheeping encourages the others to begin the long journey into this frosty world.

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Back with another update and more photos tomorrow.

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Hello Big Wide World!

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Sue xx