Having given birth to two kids, you’d think I’d know how to wait patiently and gracefully for baby’s arrival.

Nope.

Our first home-grown silkie chick pipped (broke the shell) yesterday morning around 6:00am, but then proceeded to do absolutely nothing.  After many long hours of nothing–she rocked her egg a bit.  Then she started peeping distressingly, like she stuck and wouldn’t we please come help her out?  Here she is, peeping (you’ll have to imagine the sound) and doing nothing.

In true baby style, she chose the middle of the night to finally get to work.  I got up at 4:00am to check on her and found her mostly out but having trouble cause she’d spent so much time doing nothing that the membranes had dried to her feathers.  I squeezed a bit of warm water from a sponge over her back, and withing minutes she’d kicked her way free.  Graceful as any toddler ballerina, she flopped around the incubator and yelled at everyone else to get out of her way.

As she gained a little coordination, she discovered a new game–bowling her unhatched siblings around the bator.  Two points if they bonked each other, three if they hit one of the mugs.  By the time she was fluffed enough to move from the bator to the brooder, every egg in the bator was wide awake and most were peeping.  In fact, no less than six additional eggs have pipped–thanks to a little sibling encouragement!

Here she is giving the the camera a cranky look.  So rude!  She clearly hasn’t finished fluffing her down!

And here she is checking out the thermometer.  Someone promised her an ipad if she hatched first, and this isn’t it!

We’ve named her Prima, but I’m wondering if we might have to add ‘dona’ to her name!

Share, share away: