Moving On

This is my first attempt at blogging, so please, bear with me! David has had a "show Jess how to blog" memo on his to-do list for weeks...so now he can cross it off!

The highlight of my last week was the hatching of our eggs. What a highly recommended experience! It's amazing to witness a life (or ten) being born. And realizing just how fragile it-life-can be. This is where the story of Sampson picks up:

One little guy was born still attached to his eggshell by his cord. He was my favorite because he was the first one to pop his beak out on Monday, but while that was so cute, it was very bad because chicks need their beaks to peck out of the egg. By Tuesday, 7 had hatched but he was still in his egg. I started helping him peel back the shell, but the membrane was still holding firm. It was soo pitiful because while the egg was half peeled off, the membrane looked very unbecoming due to dried blood spots and gooey stuff. It didn't look good for him. However, every time I opened the incubator to get a newly hatched chick out or just to check on him, he would chirp and struggle around inside the egg like he was really, really trying to get out. So finally by Wednesday, I felt so bad for the little guy that I continued to nervously peel back some of the membrane too, mind you I didn't want a flood of blood or other such liquid to come out. I helped him to the point where I could see his little shoulder and he kept struggling and stuggling. By Wednesday afternoon I finally felt brave enough (because I thought it was do or die for the little guy) to hatch him. I peeled back both the shell and the membrane and he popped right out! He looked so relieved to be free of those cramped quarters. However, he was still attached to the egg shell. I left him in the incubator overnight, hoping to dry out the cord. Next day, he was still attached, but the cord was considerably dried up. I held him and the eggshell while a parent cut the cord. I was sooooo happy for him and was glad I didn't listen to the farm people (I called them) who said to leave him alone. He was definitely the runt of the litter and a bit behind because he couldn't get a good first go at walking because he was still attached. I gave him chick therapy and he caught on very quickly! By the end, he was busting his way into the chick pile they loved to form and he'd nestle himself wherever he wanted! Too cute. Mom named him Sampson, like the strong man in the Bible, and the name suited him-perfectly! Needless to say, he added a lot to the hatching experience! Oh yes, 10 ended up hatching in all!