I moved the last chick to the brooder this evening, which gives me 6. That computes to a 12% survival rate from my 50 eggs. Not good, but considering the ever-changing  and extreme conditions, I am glad to have any. Four of them are vigorous and perfect, one is a little spraddle-legged, but gets around well, and the new one has a bad leg. I will see how they are tomorrow before I decide what to do. I think the spraddle-legged one will straighten up, because I have seen this in chicks before. The other one though, I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve seen bad feet and toes straighten up before, but have never seen one with a bad leg…although there is drastic improvement since last night. When it hatched, one leg didn’t bend at all and stayed splayed out to the side and now it stays under with the other leg, it just doesn’t work right.

It is amazing to see them have “personalities” at only two days old. There is one that is darker than the rest and he is the boss, one has figured out the feeder and only eats from it, one runs around tending to the others’  doings, and one just sits around and watches the others contentedly. They are already exhibiting typical chicken behavior, in that when one shows interest in something, all the others come running and end up taking food from each other. Tonight a small moth got in the brooder and several of them were trying to catch it and that was very fun to watch.

Another hen has started setting, but has swapped nest with the first one. I am not sure yet how it will all go down…if there is too much inconsistency with either nest getting set on, I will have to make some changes. I may end up separating out the first hen with her original eggs. If this hatch goes right, it should only be a few more days til we have more chicks.