Peep Peep
Commitment levels will vary from person to person depending on a number of things. The classic example is the dedication of the chicken and the pig in making your bacon and egg breakfast. I think in childbirth the blood, sweat, and tears spent by the father cannot possibly equal those of the mother. Men, are generally relieved by this fact. In this particular hatching Sally and our Brother in Law Joe invested their time. They set alarms to turn the eggs four times daily starting at 5am.
I was allowed to watch, without commitment, because I was redundant. The parents were also redundant. These eggs were all found on the ground ouutside the chickenhouse. There were two choices. Eat them for breakfast or break out the incubator and replenish the egg laying stock. If I remember correctly we started out with 7 eggs and you will see the results belowl
I was allowed to watch, without commitment, because I was redundant. The parents were also redundant. These eggs were all found on the ground ouutside the chickenhouse. There were two choices. Eat them for breakfast or break out the incubator and replenish the egg laying stock. If I remember correctly we started out with 7 eggs and you will see the results belowl
When you think about hatching a chick or a duckling you probably think the hard part is the mother laying the egg. I’m certain I thought that but not any more. I know that hatching is different than a live birth but you surely agree that there are commonalities. One tends to think of a hatchling’s development as being under a mothers tutelage and I think that’s fair. Certainly not required but preferred.
Absolutely the best cases has happened at our place have been when a mother has played a part. That would be when a mother duck raises ducklings, a mother hen raises chicks, or, in one case a mother duck raises 7 chicks. Even though it is not normal in any of our species it could even be a father (see Penguins for example).
This little guy just broke free of his egg. Just looking at him and at it, you have to wonder how he ever fit inside. He certainly had not grown more although his feathers did puff out. I have never seen a chicken or a duck appear to be this exhausted. Looks dead, doesn’t he? What happened next was what really made me question what I thought I knew about animals.
After a catnap he struggled over to the next egg to be hatched and started peeping at it. Evidently not satisfied with its’ progress he attempted to peck at the hole his sibling had started. This behavior when he was about 2 hours old.
Absolutely the best cases has happened at our place have been when a mother has played a part. That would be when a mother duck raises ducklings, a mother hen raises chicks, or, in one case a mother duck raises 7 chicks. Even though it is not normal in any of our species it could even be a father (see Penguins for example).
This little guy just broke free of his egg. Just looking at him and at it, you have to wonder how he ever fit inside. He certainly had not grown more although his feathers did puff out. I have never seen a chicken or a duck appear to be this exhausted. Looks dead, doesn’t he? What happened next was what really made me question what I thought I knew about animals.
After a catnap he struggled over to the next egg to be hatched and started peeping at it. Evidently not satisfied with its’ progress he attempted to peck at the hole his sibling had started. This behavior when he was about 2 hours old.
Here you see the action after two of them had broken free. They both seemed to lay across the unhatched eggs peeping for their siblings to break free. They even pulled at exposed body parts trying to pull them out. During the whole process the unhatched eggs were peeping back at them. Getting together and out of the egg seemed to be cause for great celebration. I know that a biologist or a human behaviorist would accuse me of anthropomorphism and I don’t mind. If you spend too much time in a book and not enough watching animals growing with their own kind thats exactly the opinion you will have.
We wound up with four. Can’t tell you the difference between the first and the fourth (hatched the next day). Couldn’t tell by the time they were 24 hours old. One (foreground) has a tuft on the back of his head. Don’t know the male and female breakdown yet. All I know is that I have four normal little ducks who appear incapable of doing anything extraordinary. Glad I don’t need to make a living predicting what all these critters will do next.