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Each hen lays an average of 5-8 eggs each clutch. They are laid every other day and usually the incubation starts after the third or fourth eggs is laid. They need to be incubated by the mom for 18 days before they will hatch.
24 hours before they hatch you can usually hear them chirping inside the egg as they work their way out! Each baby is born blind and naked except for a few down little feathers, and needs the heat from mom to stay warm. |
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The first food that they will get is often referred to as "crop milk". Each hen produces this for her newly hatched babies which has lots of nutrients and antibodies to protect the little chick until its own immune system can mature. |
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At 3 to 5 days old they start moving around more trying to get the best spot with their siblings to keep warm. Their eyes are still closed and their feathers are developing even though it can't be seen. |
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At 6-9 days their feathers start to come through and their eyes start to open. |
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By 10-12 days their feathers are coming in and you can start to see a little bit of the color they will be. Their mom spends less time in the nest box now since they are getting bigger and keep each other warm. |
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13-15 days the babies down feathers come in more, and the feathers on their back wings and chest start coming through. |
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16-19 days the sheaths on their feathers start to come off and the colors of their feathers start to show clearly. They are very active and start flapping their wings to strengthen their wing muscles. |
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20-23 days is when I take them from the nest box to start hand feeding them (3 weeks). The feathers on their head and face start to come out more. |
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24-28 days almost all of their feathers have come out and they are starting to try different foods and trying to crack some seeds. |
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By 40 days old they are fully feathered and eating lots of foods on their own! |
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