One Chick, Two Chick, Three Chick..... More!

So, I've alluded to our Pastured Poultry operation here at Lucky Farm. Perhaps you wondered just what, exactly, a Pastured Poultry operation entails but I am guessing that you knew it involved poultry, right? Lots and lots of poultry actually - from birth to butcher, we will raise over 500 chicks this Summer. Most people buy their chicks from hatchery sites that incubate, hatch, and ship tens of thousands of day old chicks all around the US. Depending on how many chicks you purchase (generally in multiples of 25 as that number fits best in a shipping carton), each chick costs between $1.50 and $2.00. That was a big chunk of change to commit to, especially when we've been watching our home flock hatch and raise their own babies for years. "I think that I'll keep the best birds from the flock this year and breed our own next year," Jeff tells me one golden Autumn evening. "Okay baby," I answer, "I trust you."

Autumn turned to Winter and Winter brought the idiocy of tax season to our household wherein I hold back the rising tide of numbers threatening to completely bury me. Meanwhile, Jeff showed me pictures and read me the history of the redwood Leahy Incubator which he was sure that his Dad would loan to us. "Why, that is just lovely!" I dutifully exclaimed, "and it holds 416 eggs too - that is fascinating." Jeff beamed and continued the Lucky Farm Pastured Poultry Program development. In my defense, tax law is really really really complex -- especially for someone who is HELLO - an artist, farmer, English Major!!! I didn't mean to ignore the ramifications of 416 eggs at a time. Nor did I mean to underestimate the power of watching 75 eggs being placed in the incubator each Sunday for 4 weeks. It was the numbers I tell you, the numbers (whose primary syllable is NUMB I must point out) were just too much and I couldn't take it all in.

On the fourth Sunday of placing the eggs in the incubator rather than the fridge or egg cartons for our friends, Jeff and our girls packed for a trip to his parents' house. Leaving me in charge of all those potential fluffy cutie babies. "WHAT - WAIT - No, I didn't understand. Did I agree to this? I can't do this - all those eggs - all those potential babies - What if I mess up?????" Jeff smiled gently, "It's okay baby, I trust you."

Is he nuts?????? I am the type of farmer that digs up potato plants starting in June, just to see if they are really making potatoes under there! Finally, I convinced him that I'm really not that responsible, really I'm not. Rae took pity on me and stayed home to care for the potential fluffy cutie babies. Three times a day, at precisely 8 hour intervals, she carefully tilted each of those eggs. Lest you think I was overreacting about this responsibility, here is the explanation for the importance of such tilting from "A Guide to Better Hatching" by Janet Stromberg: "Turning reduces the tendencies of the embryo to stick to the shell membranes. Developing embryos will readily adhere to the surrounding membranes if the eggs remain in the same position too long." Oh my gosh, I shudder to imagine. This stuff makes an IRS audit look easy.

Jeff and Zoe returned home on Thursday night - three days before the first of the little eggs was due to hatch (on April first - who plans to birth potential fluffy cutie babies on April Fool's day I ask you??) Jeff resumed the tilting and recording of temperature, humidity, environmental temperature, and averages. And today, on this glorious April first, I lie in my bed, grateful for a morning that I don't have to rush out to another day in the office, ducking the hordes of numbers, reveling in the peep-peep-peeping sound of Spring finally on its way.

Peep.

Peep.

Peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep peep.

JEFF!!!!!!!!! You have fluffy cutie babies. Real ones! They are so wonderful and so alive. I knew we could do it.