Eggs - Day 22: Sad endings and fluffy beginnings

Well, it is past the due date for my last two eggs, and. . . Nope. This story has a sad ending. Not too long ago, some days ago infact, I had a several hour temperature spike that really really upset me. It was the day I got my Ameraucanas - I was pretty sure at that point the eggs would be goners. Indeed they were. One, Goldenrod's, had died before the fetus even grew claws or down or anything - But Yellow's sadly died from the temp spike. When I opened her egg, inside was a dead chick who hadn't even taken in its yolk. For curious people, I did indeed take photos but will post them later. They're graphic as a warning, but rather educational. RIP, unborn babies.

As for my "prehatched" chicks, I finally got my Black Copper Marans! I only got 4, which is 8 less than I expected, but that's fine for now. I'm pretty sure one, the lightest and smallest, is a girl - And the older, larger one is a boy. Today I finally did the photo-journal I said I'd do. I took the biggest Marans chick, one of the blue Ameraucanas, and my prize black cockerel in for photo shoots. ( Well, actually, there is a shelf next to the brooder that I set up for their photoshoot, so all I do is pick up a chick, place it there, put a light near it and take some photos. )



This is one of the three black Ameraucanas - This guy sticks out like a sore thumb, and I'm pretty sure it is a boy. His bloodlines go back to Cree Farms, where the black cockerels are the most beautiful examples of Ameraucana roosters I have ever seen! I surely hope he grows up to be a shining jewel like them!



This is one of the blue Ameraucanas - And as you can see from her lovely, upright posture, she took very well to the photoshoot. She'd stand perfectly upward, look around, and then walk off scene to look at whatever struck her curiosity. She was very quiet and easygoing.



This is one of the new Marans chicks - They're 3 days old now, and still sort of new to this. We got them on Sunday, introduced them to the Ameraucanas, and they're doing quite fine - But when I put this little tyke up on the cloth, it started peeping in fear. I did the photoshoot quickly, and put it back down to safety. The marans are still pretty young and unsure, while the Ameraucanas are very outgoing. Today, they are 11 days old.

Tomorrow we're getting some yak babies, so expect some fuzzy looking creatures here pretty soon!!