Baby Chicks

Our son wanted to try hatching chicks this year. When Grandpa was alive he started a flock of chickens at the home of one of his children. Grandpa loved chickens. Our sister sent some eggs and Grandpa's incubator. The eggs were a beautiful mix of greenish blue, some light brown, others cream colored, and a couple eggs with spots. Our son felt a connection to Grandpa in trying to incubate eggs with his incubator and from the flock of chickens he started.

I wanted to share what we learned, some of it was surprisingly spiritual.

Chicken eggs take 21 days. We watched the eggs, carefully monitoring their temperature, humidity and turning the eggs every day. It took one gallon of distilled water to provide the right humidity in the incubator, a little water every day. That was a lot of water!  As day 21 approached, we bought chick feed and pine wood chips for bedding. As our son was preparing the the chick feeders, there was a mishap. He came running to us as we were working outside, "You have to come to the basement!" We went downstairs so see the theater room had flooded. One of our kids had turned on the outside water in winter- a month or two ago. The water in the pipes froze. With warmer spring weather, the break in the pipes melted and began spraying inside the basement wall. Water was soaking the carpet, baseboards and 2 walls of the theater room. We gathered all the towels in the house and started mopping things up- but it wasn't enough. Edward called a home restoration company, they came out a couple hours later and cut out the wet baseboards, dry wall, ceiling, and set up some fans and a dehumidifier. After it happened, I was surprised that this hasn't happened before with 8 kids. It was a crazy and exhausting Saturday, 2 days before the eggs hatched. Hopefully insurance will cover it.

 

Setting up the lamps, food and water for the chicks proved to be more a lot more work than we thought!

When day 21 came, we woke up to a few chirps. We were so excited to see the eggs wiggling and chirping coming from inside the eggs. We talked to the eggs, telling them how excited we were to see them. The chicks inside the eggs chirped back at us, as if we were having a conversation with them. The kids didn't go to school,  I had taken a day off work, we were all waiting for the chicks to be born. The little girls put on dresses in spring colors for the occassion. They came downstairs and we quietly and anxiously waited for the eggs to hatch. Maybe we thought it would be like a tea party. Then nothing happened, all day. The kids moved on to play somewhere else. The chicks quit moving and making noise. I was worried that no eggs would hatch and my kids would be heartbroken. I asked the kids to come and say a prayer with me for the chicks. We wondered if the chicks were still alive since they were so quiet. We held hands, making a circle around the incubator. We asked Heavenly Father to bless these chicks, to help them live, and thanked the Lord for the miracle that baby chicks growing inside eggs are. As we were praying, the chicks began chirping inside of the eggs. Our daughter reverently whispered, "That is the loveliest sound!" The thought came that a mother hen would not sit silently waiting for her chicks, like we were being quiet, but that she would encourage them, clucking a lot over them, and cheering them on in the fight for their lives. 

We started talking to the eggs, encouraging them. We could tell they were struggling and tired. "You can do it! Keep going, we want to see you! You're strong! Move those little legs and move that little head and beak! You're doing great and getting closer! We can't wait to see you!" One child said, "I want to hold you forever when you come out!" When we ran out of encouraging words to say, we started singing. We made up words to songs, with whatever might sound encouraging to baby chicks, to let them know we wanted them to keep fighting to break free of the egg shell. The chicks responded by chirping as we talked and sang to them. We told them it was a beautiful world with sunshine, blue skies and grass, and that they would like it out here. Breaking free of the small egg shell would be worth it! 

The thought came that our guardian angels probably encourage us like we were encouraging the chicks. We also have tough shells to shed and lots of growing to do. Some have said that our physical body is the veil that keeps us from seeing what is spiritual all around us. Most of us spend most of our time worrying about the physical world- food, health, homes, income- what we need to survive. Breaking free from what is physical and having a meaningful spiritual life and seeing what is from God around us is a struggle. Even if we can't see it, the Lord's love and care, and his angels are all around us! 

We took turns sitting by the eggs and talking to the eggs until we went to bed. We told the chicks that their chirping was so lovely, and that we so much wanted to see them. The eggs started wiggling and squirming again. But still no hatching that day. As night came on, I asked my family and a couple friends to pray for the chicks. Worried, I was up a lot that night, remembering when I was pregnant with one of my children and we didn't know if she would make it. Remembering how much the Lord took care of us helped!

The next morning we heard chirping again. We ran out to see the chicks, and 2 had hatched! They were clumsily trying to get up and walk in the incubator, tumbling around and pushing all the other eggs to the sides. They were soaking wet, and there were spots of blood on the egg shells and on their feathers. They looked more like baby dinosaurs than baby chicks. But their feathers soon dried and fluffed up, and they were adorable. There was more chirping and wiggling from the other eggs too. That was an exciting morning. The kids went to school a couple hours late because they watched several chicks hatch. Each time a chick hatched, we waited for it to dry inside the incubator. Then we put the chick in the warm brooder box we'd prepared, removed the empty, broken shell, and rearranged the eggs that had been pushed to the sides. We were so happy. We said a prayer thanking the Lord that at least a few of the chicks had made it! 

As chicks began to break out, a couple times the inside membrane remained sealed for a minute after the outer shell cracked. We could see the pulsating heart beat and the chick moving under the semi-clear membrane. What an amazing and precious treasure life is! Here are a couple videos of them breaking out of their shells.

It was interesting seeing the different ways chicks broke out of their shells. Each chick was unlike any other chick in its way of breaking the egg shell. It made me think of how we all progress and grow so differently. Shedding what keeps us from growing (like the egg shell) is difficult and messy for most.

One chick chipped a perfectly symmetrical line around the circumference of the egg, and then popped out. That was the only one that did that. Two chicks popped out almost at the same time- within just a few minutes- both of them had dark feathers. They seemed to be connected like siblings! They were the only ones that came at the same time. 

For most of the chicks, breaking free of the egg was very individual and exhausting work. This was no tea party, this was the fight for their lives! They had to take many breaks to regain their energy.  A couple of the chicks had a hard time straightening their heads, their heads had been pressed against their chests for so long. After several minutes they learned to lift their heads. The kids said, "I can't believe that the chicks used to fit inside the egg! They look so much bigger now!" 

When the chicks broke free from the egg shell, their uncoordinated and awkward attempts to walk often landed them back into the egg shell they'd been trying to shed. They sat with their heads or tails back inside the egg shell resting before making more attempts at walking. For us, falling back into old patterns or habits, like the chicks fell back into their egg shells, is something we struggle with.

One special chick made a tiny hole that it kept sticking its beak out of. It responded to our words through it's miniature window, shaking its beak at us and peeping when we talked to it. 

We kept encouraging that chick, it had been many hours and it hadn't progressed at all. Finally around 10 pm, 12 hours after it had started, that chick broke free from it's shell. It was so exhausted, it barely made it out! 

When the chick began moving and lurching around, it was dragging its egg shell behind it. After several minutes, we intervened and found that there was a cord wrapped around its leg, connecting it to the egg shell. We removed the cord with scissors. That chick probably had the cord wrapped around its leg when it was developing, because it had a hard time walking. It also has a hard time eating. We have been feeding it with a dropper. It still responds to our encouragement and seems to be doing a little better, but is more sleepy and smaller than the others. When I see it poop, I am happy that at least some food is getting through!  

If chickens who only take 21 days to develop, are so responsive to encouragement when they are still inside the egg, how much more receptive a human baby must be to the feelings and sounds of its mother when it is within the womb for 9 months! What a precious gift unborn life is!

Over the next couple days, 11 chicks hatched. There were still 9 eggs in the incubator. It had been 24 hours without any more movement from the remaining eggs, and I thought it was time to turn off the incubator. Our son insisted on opening each egg, in case any of them were alive and needed help to get out before we turned the incubator off. We cracked a hole in each egg very slowly and carefully in case they were still alive. Three eggs didn't develop at all. Six eggs developed into mature chicks, but were unable to break out of the thick shell. They died before we opened them. It was sobering and difficult to see how close they had come to making it out. We didn't know what to do with the eggs that had full grown chicks in them. If we buried them outside, an animal like a cat or dog would dig them up, so we put them in the garbage can- not a very dignified burial. We said a prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for the life that had developed in these chicks, and for the gift that they were from Grandpa. We asked if Grandpa in Heaven could take care of the chicks that died. Our son was crying, he almost never cries. We returned our focus to the living chicks, and to being happy they survived.

We have constant chirping inside the house now with chicks inside our kitchen. It is relaxing and calming to hold them, to watch them eat and sleep. When we reach our hand down to pick one up, they all gather around, as if they want to be picked up. They will put themselves in the palm of your hand. These chicks seem more happy and content than other chicks we've had before. Even when I leave the house, I can still hear the chirping. I hear chirping when I'm driving, at work, and on walks. I hear birds chirping more everywhere. Kind of like when a mother hears a child call "Mom!" at the grocery store and without thinking you turn around to look, in case it's one of your children. 

Our son says his goal is to have each chick fall asleep in his hands every day, so that they will learn to trust him. I don't know where he comes up with these things! It made me think of Jesus falling asleep in the boat during a storm, He knew whose care he was in and fully trusted in our Heavenly Father. 

So what has incubating chicks taught me? Growing is more like a long battle than a tea party. It is really hard and each person progresses in their own way. Encouragement makes a big difference, and a lot of cheering and love helps. Sometimes there are valid reasons that someone's progress is different or slower than expected, be patient with them as they struggle.  Life is so precious. God answers prayers! 

Since I've been thinking about chicks and eggs, I noticed on a walk the theme of rebirth all around me. Leaf buds closed tightly over winter open in spring. Flowers buds closed tightly open into beautiful flowers. Eggs- chicks are held in a tight space then break free to grow. Jumping, flying, swimming- all come after breaking free from the egg shell. Caterpillars become cocoons before butterflies. Butterflies can fly longer distances than a caterpillar could ever crawl. So many themes of rebirth and new life in nature. The old life is not much like the new life- it is an entirely new thing.  

Jesus also talked about being born again, and that we must all be born again in Him.  Jesus told Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3-7 NLT

Jesus changes our lives and makes us new, as we turn to him to be our Wonderful Counselor, our Friend, Healer, and Savior.

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

If you or I am like the chick working to be free of the constraints of the egg shell, what is the next step? How do we break free of physical worries and constraints and enter more fully into a real spiritual life with Jesus? Is it making prayer a higher priority? Is it forgiving someone? Is it putting away something? The Spirit will tell you if you listen. It is a battle, but the Lord will give you strength! Don't give up!