Day 21 of the latest Lampe incubation effort arrived Saturday, and there was not a single chick in the incubator. Just a bunch of eggs that looked the same as they had when they went into the comfy little styrofoam home.
It took some effort, but I stifled the slight sense of panic deep in my gut, since Day 21 is supposed to be when hatching starts. Fortunately, this was not my first effort to incubate eggs. Once upon a time, we hatched things regularly, once even baby snakes laid by our office mascot, Milky II (the mean one who bit everybody and ended the practice of snakes as pets).
Over the years I’ve learned hatching is as much art as science. Some chicks take longer to emerge. Some come out earlier than expected. Basically, whatever is least convenient is most likely to happen.
Maybe that explains the malaise that set in the past few years, during which time we relied on Farm King for chicks. It’s fun to go see the little birds in their red barn house and to pick out the strongest, cutest and most colorful birds.
But faced with COVID constraints, an ongoing puppy lockdown and a suddenly frigid winter, the incubator came out of storage. When there’s nothing to do, it’s wise to find something to do. Idle hands and all that.
Hatching chickens – and oak trees – has helped keep me sane, though it has still been a near thing of late. Given that, it was very good that the chickens did start hatching – at about 3:30 a.m. on Day 22. At last count, we had 29 in the brooder, one sent off to rehab with critter-fixer Lynne Breitbarth, one who managed to kill itself in the incubator and 10 eggs that look like they might be duds.
As these words are being typed, more chicks could be hatching. I must force myself not to rush home to check on the progress. No matter what happens, this hatch was a success, particularly compared to some past efforts.
I remember one young teacher asked to hatch birds a few years back. We supplied eggs and incubator. She supplied endless curiosity. Near as I can tell, she opened the incubator every few hours and candled the eggs almost as frequently.
“I see little birds inside, but none of them are hatching,” she said, baffled as to why only one gimpy chick had emerged when we pulled the plug. We named that chick “Miracle” since it survived the repeated loss of heat and humidity and overhandling. Leaving eggs alone and leaving the incubator closed is the key – so says every egg expert out there.
Even so, during the last three days of incubation – the so-called lockdown period – I move birds into the brooder box. The chaos that ensues with 10 chicks scrambling over eggs and other chicks inside the incubator is more than I can stand.
Plus, what really appeals to the inner kid in me is handling the downy little chicks at their cutest and most innocent. Chickens do not get kinder or cuter as they get older. Just tastier.
We will give the chicks away to good homes in the next few days. Call if you want a few, since people often back out when they stop to think about how much work chickens involve – and how bad they smell.
Work is fine by me, which is why we’re not done hatching up ways to stay sane. Next on the list are mallard ducks, then maybe pheasants or quail. Hearing a “peep” is my latest cure for the COVID blues.
• • •
Yes, yes, I was supposed to leave this space for others while I focused on sports. But a kind call from a reader who said they actually miss my column made me change to Plan B: Focus mostly on sports with an occasional scattershot in this space. … Speaking of kindness, it’s been gratifying to see all the tributes directed toward Bill Knight, one of the most prolific journalists I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Heck, Bill even came out of a five-day retirement to write “one last story” since Farmington finally made a decision on its city building. That’s the sign of a true pro. … Parting shot: Thanks also to the reader who saw our ad featuring Knight last week and said, “Congratulations on your retirement, but why are you holding a picture of Greg Allman in the ad?”
Contact Jeff Lampe at (309) 231-6040 or jeff@wklypost.com
7-25-24
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