steelnut

Calico Casserole
 
24 oz frozen mixed veg
1 box stove top stuffing
1 cup each chopped onion and celery
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1cup mayo ( miracle whip or hellmans
 
Mix together and put in greased/pamed casserole dish
Melt one stick of butter/margarine in 1 cup of water
Pour margarine/water mix over stuffing/veg mixture
Bake 45 minutes at 350'

They seem to be very comfortable.  My last chicks slept all huddled up in a ball.  These kids just stretch out and go to sleep.

I have been accused of far more insidious motives here

I just got their bracelets this morning and I need a hand to get them ready for their pictures.  Hubby is away at a VFW meeting and I'm waiting for his help.  Be patient although they are cute as bugs.

So it all comes down to this...it seems all you're after are "chick pics". BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Petee, all of DooBwa and part of upstate SC are waiting to see your chicks. I'll give you until tomorrow to produce, or I'll start posting pics of their brothers and sisters

Here you go Pettee ...
 
Final Tally of eggs.....
 
Egg sizes 52017.pdf
 
 

Gotta say, my personal favorite is DooBwa. Has a certain je ne c'est quois

Well, if you're going the heritage route, then you gotta add Sue. Landy Sue, redneck hen of DooBwaAnd they will, quite literally, have red necks

Sorry my man, I'm voting with Bon.
Let's face it - you gotta remember where you've been before you can figure out where you're going.

I started to ask if you were going to do eggtopsies, but didn't want you to feel obliged. Of my 5 that didn't hatch, 2 were mottled, 3 smooth. 3 fully formed, 2 early quitters. Thats a tough thing to do, but it does help with future hatches, thanks for the info.Now for the good news. You can tell a lot about quality when they hatch, and this is my first batch off this rooster. These are the best looking chicks I've ever hatched. Plenty of white without being overly white. You don't want them too dark, either. You want the hens to have some copper, but not so much that it looks brassy, and usually chicks colored like this grow out just right. The roosters you have will make excellent breeders if you know anyone interested

Landy - Landfillguy

Petee, When you figure out who the girls are that you are keeping, I vote to name one of them DooBwa and a second one FluffyButt!

Those Davis birds will keep those fluffy bottoms. They are pretty fluffy underneath even as adults. Are they not the sweetest, most docile chicks ever? By far the most calm of all my breeds

In my defense, that offer was made before I joined the debate forum

Well, in his defense, he was a kid at the time.    You're right, no fan.
 
I'm impressed that you sent the eggs!  Thank you.

Another thing people should realize, and I'm not bragging about my equipment, but I have a $400 incubator. All the bells and whistles, digital temp and humidity control, automatic turning, insulated ABS plastic shell, highly advanced air distribution, etc... plug it in and walk away.
Petee is using styrofoam with a simple element. She may not even have a fan to more evenly distribute the heat. She has to measure, set, and monitor her temperature. She has to measure her own humidity. She has to hand turn the eggs several times per day. When she lifts the lid then puts it back on, it takes a while to stabilize. Mine returns to temperature in 30 seconds. I do this every 10 days, she is using an incubator that her adult son tried to eat the last time she had it out.
I'm very impressed

This is how they look right after hatch

 

Ok, just one picture to show all three stages of hatching. I found this one in my old pictures, and they are blue Ameraucana eggs, so you guys have to wait for Petee for the black coppers. This is what she is watching and waiting on right now. Today is day 21, so I expect she will have quite a few more chicks when she posts again.
 

 
See the egg to the left, with the small outward crack? That is what we mean when we say pip. The first thing to happen is a chick punches a hole in the egg and draws it's first breaths of air from the outside world. They expend a lot of energy hatching, so they will work a little, then rest for long periods of time. The first time you hatch, it drives you crazy, because you would think they would just pop out. For me, it's usually at least 12 hours from pip to hatch.
The egg to the right of that one has begun "zipping". After the chick rests, it starts turning in the shell, pecking a line all the way around. Most of the time you can see this line forming, and it looks much like a zipper. This is the process that takes so long, and this is probably when Petee heard the loud cheeping. They will work a little, rest for a while, then go back to work. They start cheeping a lot after they rest.
When the egg is about 3/4 zipped, the chick will start kicking the egg with it's feet. This is usually 10-30 minutes before the hatch. You can see the egg pushing apart then squeezing back together as the chick tries to stretch its legs out. When the shell finally gives, a soaking wet, exhausted chick pops out. It takes them a bit to get on their feet, but once they do, the soccer game begins
 
 
 
 

That's so great. I was so worried about them hatching. You waited so long for the eggs, and I know you passed on the Rural King chicks, so I was going to feel really bad if there weren't any hatchers

I'm going to lay off my pictures now, I have tons. I can't wait to see yours Make sure you call all of them "she" and "her". I always do that until they prove me wrong
I had a few pips this morning, no zippers yet

My son and I tried to get pictures this evening but the plastic windows are very yellowed from age.  Just as soon as I can safely remove them from the incubator I will take pictures and post them.  

We want pictures of  "OUR  GoDubois chicks".

There are now two chicks and several eggs have pipped.  Hopefully they don't mind peeping Petees with flashlights in their portholes.

It popped out of the shell about 5:30 and immediately made its way to the front of the incubator where there's a little light.  It's knocking all of the other eggs around and I think it's egg #2.  I forgot that I had set them in order in the incubator.