Beginner's Luck

The hatch of the chicks went very well. 10 eggs incubated, 10 eggs hatched, still 10 healthy chicks. This was our first time incubating eggs and I'm very pleased with the results. The chicks are a cross between Barred Rock hens and either a Barred Rock rooster or a white Leghorn rooster. The two roosters are constantly getting jiggy with the hens, so no telling "who's yer daddy".

We ended up with five black chicks and five yellow chicks. The five yellow chicks are definitely a Leghorn cross, but the black chicks could have gotten their color from mom and still be a Leghorn cross. The Barred Rock is a "dual purpose" breed, meaning that they lay well and are meaty enough to eat. The Leghorn is mainly just a laying breed, although some may disagree. I'll let ya know how the chicken and dumplings come out! :)

The little fellas (well, hopefully more ladies than fellas) are doing very well in the brooder box. Time now for me to clean up the incubator for some goose eggs!