The New Family

This is my very first attempt at You Tube. This has been such a gratifying experience I just wanted to share it.

I have been taking other short videos. I will try to get them up as well. Upon checking on the new family I was pleasantly surprised to see two new faces.
A couple of hours after I took this video I checked on the new mom and her new family to find all of them out of the planter and running around the little pen I had set up for them. I counted not three but four; one yellow with black spots, one golden brown, two black!
I had not thought they leave the nest so quickly. Eight eggs were left without a mom. I scooped them up and ran into the house. I am not sure when I last moved so quickly. I covered them with a towel, ran out to my toy store and grabbed a small box, brought it inside, lined it with aluminum foil, ran upstairs,, grabbed a lamp, ran into the toy room, grabbed some books, then set up the whole affair on top of the dryer. Now the nest is empty except for the remains of the eggshells.
Within 2 hours following this mad dash, one of the eggs had a little hole pecked out.
I spent most of the rest of the night checking on my new little hatchling. I finally went to bed at midnight with not much progress made in the hatching process. Around 6 am I woke up to the sound of very excited chirping!
What a glow to my heart.
Footnote: while I made all those checks two other eggs showed movement. Who knows they may hatch as well. It all depends.

Hatch Day!!

Today was supposed to be the day the eggs hatched.
I was a little less than optimistic at the chance of hatchlings, but as I walked by Luna today a little yellow head was poking out from under her wing. Judging by the dryness of its feathers and how active it was it may have hatched yesterday.

Here is mama and her new baby.

There was one point that Luna stood for a couple of seconds and I saw another chick! This one was a fresh hatchling, still quite wet. I have not seen it since. Until tomorrow I will just have to be happy with these pics.
It is hard to see in the pic but the egg tooth is right on the tip of the little chicks beak. If you click on the picture you can see it better.
This sweetie hatched from one of Luna's eggs, but she bears the markings of not being a pure White Leghorn chick, she has little black speckles on her back.
I bought a little incubator in case Luna leaves the nest before all the eggs hatch. She is sitting on the last eggs that Lady laid before she died and I would like to see if they will hatch.

Luna is stoic!

The other day Lady decided she needed to lay an egg where Luna is sitting. I did not actually see her do it, but I walked by and there was a white egg on top of Luna. At first I was puzzled as to how one of her eggs got there, but when I picked it up to tuck it back under her I noticed there were no markings.
She left the nest a little later for a drink and a quick bite to eat. If you look at the picture you will notice that her tail feathers are quite fanned. she has only done that since she started sitting. They are fanned and she walks around scolding everyone until she gets back on the nest.While she was gone I took the opportunity to check the eggs, now there are nine. I think Lady must have laid another egg between the last time I was able to check the eggs and now.
Luna has steadfastly stayed on the nest throughout all the rain and wind we have been having. Poor thing she looked so pathetic, wet cold. I have her protected the best I could, but she chose a really odd place to lay and there isn't a lot I can do with it that wouldn't disturb her.

Eight Eggs!

Luna left the nest for a short while. So I stole a moment to count, gather and try to candle the eggs. She had eight in the nest. I quickly scooped them up, brought them inside and tried to candle them the best I could based on a web site I had found a while back. I marked the three that I do not think are good and I mark the other five that I thought were. Took them back and carefully placed them in the nest. It was not much longer after that she came around the corner clucking under her breath with her feathers all in a ruffle. She went back tho the nest and settled in.
Now we wait. I calculate Feb 21. We shall see.