Twins!

Last night.... no, let me back up a tad....

Appalonia hatched her poults then moved to another nest box with eggs and a hen sitting on them. She just joined in... The little ones are happily growing in a brooder. I'm slowly having to break the broody cycle in the flock because we have no eggs! Broody hens don't lay eggs...

Presley, my other turkey hen, has faithfully sat on her clutch leaving once or twice a day for food and water. She's in a medium size igloo dog house on the patio. One or two hens regularly lay their eggs in with hers. A couple of weeks ago I caught her off the nest. I candled her eggs and removed the chicken eggs to my incubator. They started hatching last week one or two a day...

So, I feel the need to explain here...

You may jump to the next paragraph if you know about hatching eggs ~ Fowl will lay an egg almost every day. Once they are happy with the number they will go broody and set on them. Going broody means their body temperature will increase and some will pluck their chest feathers to expose the skin. Then they sit until their eggs hatch leaving the nest for food, water, elimination (yes, it's huge), and fiercely guarding their young. Some breeds brood more frequently than others with or without eggs. Those eggs will wait until she starts to brood to begin developing. So, the first laid egg will hatch about the same time as the last laid egg. Chickens hatch in 21 days. Turkeys and guineas in 28.

When it's time the chick uses its beak to break through the egg shell. It usually goes all the way around then comes out the top through the hole it has made. Sometimes the cap falls back into place making the egg appear whole again. Well, sort of, at a glance maybe...

Now, back to Presley...

She's due to start hatching this Friday. I grabbed the extra chicken eggs and candled hers again this morning. Five of her six eggs are good. One more may, or may not, be a day late. The seventh isn't. Writing this I realize I probably should've removed it too... oh, well. The chicken eggs laid in her nest immediately started to develop, rather than waiting, because Presley was providing the proper environment. This explains why they were hatching daily in the incubator - because they were laid daily.

Forward to where I began...

Last night I checked and saw a foot poked out of the pipped hole of an egg.  I was excited because I was wondering what was in that large egg. Generally breeders don't help a chick because if the chick can't get out it's probably not strong enough to live on the outside. I'm not a breeder but I stopped spending so much time and effort on a weak or sickly chick months ago because I'd rather the time and energy go into my healthy flock. After consulting with my chicken angel (yes, she's the best) I decided to take off a tiny bit more shell.

This morning I check on the brooder and see the little chick calmly sitting in an egg cup (the cup that holds the egg in the correct position - pointed end down while the incubator automatically "turns" them). Yay, it made it! I turn to check on the other newbies in the brooder on the floor. All's well so I open the bator to take out the newest, love on it, and add it to the others. I see a shell with two legs sticking straight up. (Remember it's morning and this is the first thing I do after getting dressed.) I look back at the chick, then back at the legs. First thing I think is that last night's chick didn't make it and the little yellow newbie was from a different egg. The legs had folded down and started chirping! Such carrying on! I grabbed the egg and carried it to the sink to get a better look. I didn't hesitate. The egg was over half gone. The chick was just upside down and had stated pipping from the other end. The little one looked just like any other freshly hatched chick - a bit tired, wet, and glad to be out. So, I carry it back, grab the other newborn and put them under the heat lamp in the brooder.

Time to remove the shell.......... there is no shell..... Where's the second shell? I check every egg. Twice. Then I check the one I'd just helped the upside down chick out of. Oh! I get it! It was the big egg. I'd just help successfully hatch a double yolk egg! Twins!

No, they aren't really twins. One is black and one is white. But they shared an egg. It's cool! They're doing well and I'm hoping they live a long time. It's a good story 😊

I named them Ebony and Ivory.