Eggs!

We're also giving some eggs a try. We got 16 eggs from Jenny & Chris, along with a small brooder, last week. We set up the brooder, got the temperature right and added our eggs late last Friday afternoon.

The numbers are to help me keep track of how often I turn the eggs. They're supposed to be turned twice a day, so in the morning I put them all with the 1 showing; at evening, I turn them to the 2. The t-shirt is to keep them from rolling away and cracking (lost one the first day that way) while I turn them. I'm also hoping it will keep the temperature constant for them.

We've had some small challenges with the brooder -- for about an hour on Saturday the temp in the brooder dropped below 97 (tho the eggs still felt quite warm to the touch) and we worked to warm it up quickly. Now it's been in the 102 - 103 range consistently since then, so we're hoping for the best. Next Monday, after 10 days incubation, we'll be able to candle them to see if we have any baby chicks or just rotten eggs!

The plan is to keep two hens for our own egg production -- having them roost in a pet carrier indoors at night, and out in the garden at least part of each day -- and return any more we get to the farm.