Carnival Feather Friends Reunion

Carnival Feather Friends Reunion
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

We had a great time at the carnival showing off our feathered friend!

Carnival Foster Chick Parent Reunion

Carnival Foster Chick Parent Reunion
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Lemon visits her Foster parent at the carnival. "Wow have they grown!" These two expert "Foster Chick Parents" show how to hold and catch a chicken. Kids had a chance to pet a chicken and ask questions about the Foster Chick program.

Two White Leghorn Hens

Two White Leghorn Hens
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

These two hens were too hard to catch so they are staying with me. All the other chicks went to a farm in Southern Indiana.

I heard a story that you could tell a rooster from a hen by how quick they moved as chicks. The hens tend to run and hide while the rooster is more likely to be in the middle of the commotion. The comb grows slower on the hen's head and their legs may be shorter.

All the 2009 library chicks that I have (6) will attend the carnival on August 7th. See you there!

Three Hens and a Rooster

Three Hens and a Rooster
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

The chicks have grown a bit. It looks like one of the New Hamphire Bantams is a rooster. It has been quiet around the yard in the morning so he can add to the atmosphere when he learns to crow. He does not have any other rooster to compete with. It may take him a while to start crowing. The "peeps" have been replaced by a crackly murmur. It is a strange sound for a chicken. I think they are trying to find their grown up voice.

New Hampshire Bantams 4 Weeks

New Hampshire Bantams 4 Weeks
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Look at these sweet ones. They are still friendly and will let me hold them. The White Leghorns are flighty and do not like to be caught.

What have you been doing the last 4 weeks?

What have you been doing the last 4 weeks
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Since my favorite contact to take the chicks did not want them this year all the chicks came to our home.

A dozen did find their way to a former foster chick family. They loved this project so much they moved so they could raise chickens. ( just kidding... I am not sure why they moved but they did want to raise chickens now that they are able.)

I am still looking for a suitable home for the chicks. Until then they are happy in the hen house....but eating like crazy!

How are you doing?

How are you doing
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

All is well. We are growing new feathers and getting to know all the new chicks in the pen. We sleep in a great big pile. If a bug finds it's way into our box we capture it and run around like crazy.

Hope all is well with our foster families. When we finish growing most of our feathers we will head off to the farm.

Cuties in the Sunshine

Cuties in the Sunshine
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Fun in the sun!

The Chicks Return

34 Chicks
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

We had a nice reunion with the chicks and the their "chick mommies & daddies". We shared common joys and tears of this experience. One of the favorite activities was taking the chicks out in the sunshine to see the big wide world.

All the chicks return today!

Margie and Ginny Leghorn
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

The chicks will return today for the Reunion Party. Each foster "parent" will share special moments of their experience and show a poster that will be on display at the library for the next several weeks.

We have had some great times watching chicken behavior and bonding with the small dependent balls of fluff. We have had some sad times too. Two chicks died a few days after hatching with no apparent cause. Sometimes the chicks don't develop properly and can not grow. We talked about the possibility that not all chicks that hatch will survive. It is difficult when they become our little friends and we have to deal with loss. For those who have lost pets it is easy to understand the sadness and then acceptance of the reality of nature.

We will celebrate with fun pictures and stories of our fine feathered friends. We hope that our chicks grow into beautiful egg laying hens like Margie and Ginny! We will update you on the next farm they will go to.

Saturday Last Chick # 41

Saturday Last Chick # 41
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

100% Hatched! All 41 chicks seem to be doing fine.

Whitey and His Fowl Friends Visit the Library

Whitey and His Fowl Friends Visit the Library
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Just a great picture!

Friday Morning 4 chicks and 5 More to Go!

Friday Morning 4 chicks and 5 More to Go!
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Four chicks hatched over night. Stay tuned! The remaining five have cracks in them and will probably hatch by the end of the day.

Doug Akers and Whitey

Doug Akers and Whitey
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Doug Akers joined us tonight for a Chicken Question and Answer session. Whitey, the Bantam Leghorn rooster, is always the star of the show and anxious to take center stage by crowing in his pen.

The most popular question tonight was, "How do you know the difference between a male and female chicken?" or "How do you tell the difference between the boys and girls? or " What is the difference between a rooster and a hen?". Doug said one of the best ways to tell the difference is by looking at their feathers. The saddle feathers on a rooster will be pointy and the female hen saddle feathers will be more round.

We learned that most hens will lay one egg a day and that the eggs in the grocery store can not hatch into chicks. If an egg is layed by a hen in Whitey's family it will hatch in 21 days. But... chick development does not start until the egg reaches around 100 degrees F. It could sit at room temperature for a week before it starts to grow! Did you know that?

Thank you Doug! You teach us something new every year about our fowl feathered friends!

Chick Hatching Wednesday 6

Chick Hatching Wednesday 6
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Funn and Funny were the last of the chicks to go home Wednesday. Funny has a few little black feathers, we wonder if they will continue to grow.

Chick Hatching Wednesday 5

Chick Hatching Wednesday 5
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Camile and James went on their new adventure with a very excited family. We are anxious to hear how the siblings enjoy their time in Zionsville.

Chick Hatching Wednesday 4

Chick Hatching Wednesday 4
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Chip and Cheep went home after an exciting day. Cheep gave her foster mom a little warm surprise while we were taking this picture. Fortunately, momma remained calm and waited for a tissue to clean up... this is just the beginning of a lot of clean ups;)

Chick Hatching Wednesday 3

Chick Hatching Wednesday 3
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Lemon and Cutie are in loving hands. They will have a fun time on Mother's Day in their new home.

Chick Hatching Wednesday 2

Chick Hatching Wednesday 2
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Fuzz and Mudbud arrived safe and sound to their new home. It appears they have a cozy spot in the family living room.

Chick Hatching Wednesday 1

Chick Hatching Wednesday 1
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Meet Fluffy and Yellow! They went home to some excited hands. The heavy rain this week in Indiana has caused soccor games and practices to be cancelled. This opened the schedule for the evening so Fluffy and Yellow could go home a day early!

Hello Wednesday

Hello Wednesday
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Phew! 20 eggs have hatched since Tuesday! We have been busy cleaning cages and getting the little ones ready to go to their new foster homes.

Tuesday 6

Tuesday 6
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Buttercup and Butterscotch were the last to leave tonight. They were a bit tired and maybe a bit confused after a long day at the library. They visited the Baby Chick classes today and had their little head patted by over 40 children. These little chicks are in great hands and will have nice company for the next 12 days.

Tuesday 5

Tuesday 5
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Fluffy and Rain have a loving home to go to tonight! We were a bit excited and almost forgot to name the chicks. We are going to keep a close eye on the egg tooth. We want to know when the chick's egg tooth falls off. It is sooooo tiny... I wonder if they will find it and put it under a pillow ;)

Tuesday 4

Tuesday 4
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Lee and Alex made a quick departure with their foster mom and family. We quickly washed hands, named the chicks, took pictures and learned how to keep the "vent" clean. They went out the door without their ususal big basket of books. I do hope they still will have time to read with all this baby chick care ahead!

Marg Visiting the Library Tuesday

Marg Visiting the Library Tuesday
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

What do you think Marg is thinking?

What do you think the children are saying?

Can you see the little suprise Marg had for us when we opened the curtain?

Marg hatched at the library last April. See how she has grown!

29 Eggs Added Tuesday

29 Eggs Added Tuesday
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Doug arrived around 10 AM with 29 eggs, and 1 chick that hatched early at his house. The brown eggs in the mix must have been laid by one of Doug Akers hens. All the white eggs are from the Purdue Extension Educators Program. They are White Leghorns and become great egg laying chickens. We will have to ask what type of chickens laid the brown eggs.

Eggs 11 and 12

Eggs 11 and 12
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

All 12 peeping eggs have hatched. Doug is on his way to the library with more peeping eggs this morning.

Egg Hatch Update:

Pam reported via email-
"I just got to watch Chick 11 hatch. At 10:39pm its head popped out of the egg and the chick finally got his feet out at 10:46pm. I just had to look one more time before bed and noticed a black spot... so I sat and watched the whole thing before my eyes! I love this!!"

An early morning inspection I noted (at 3:30 AM) egg # 12 remained. It hatched sometime before 6:30 AM.

Baby Chick Classes Today!

Egg Hatching Monday 3

Egg Hatching Monday 3
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Pip and Peep are the last to go home tonight. They both look happy for their new adventure together.

The chicks will be in their foster homes until May 17th.

Egg Hatching Update:

We had two more chicks hatch today making a total of nine chicks... only three more chicks are scheduled to hatch TOMORROW! They are all hatching a day early... but that is ok. The foster parents are more than ready for their excitement to begin!

The last chick hatched at 4:55 PM. It has been a busy afternoon at the library with a lot of little visitors.

Egg Hatching Monday 2

Egg Hatching Monday 2
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Fluff and Fluffy are heading to their new home tonight. They have an interesting box to travel in with many decorations to look at. Such excitement... our hands were shaking!

Egg Hatching Monday 1

Egg Hatching Monday 1
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

The day has finally arrived! Butterfinger and Vanilla are going to their new home tonight.

Don't we look EXCITED!

Sleeping in the Food

Sleeping in the Food
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

These two chicks have not started eating yet. They have found the food bowl a nice place to sleep. One of the chicks has started to peck at the food but they will not really need food for a while.

Who knows why the chicks do not eat right after hatching?

While we were cleaning out the brood box Kellie called to report the 7th chick hatched at 9:03 AM.

Two More Chicks

Two More Chicks
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Sara and Pam reported one of these chicks hatched at 9:06 PM. I woke up at 3 AM and could not help but check the camera. Another chick had hatched between 10PM-3AM. Six more to go of this batch. 12 more eggs will be added soon that will be due to hatch the rest of the week.

Four Chicks Settle In

Four Chicks Settle In
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

We left the chicks to manage the library for the night. By morning they will be standing tall and ready to welcome everyone to the library. Their legs are still stretching out after being crunched up in the eggshell for all those days!

We will also have a cage to clean before the others join them.

Dipping The Beak For Water

Dipping the beak for first taste of water
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Next, each chick had to take a taste of water so that they will know where to find it when they get thirsty. They really do not need anything to eat or drink for the first day. They just need to be warm and dry.

If you look really closely you will be able to see the very small "egg tooth". It will stay on for a while. If you can find out how long a baby chick keeps it's egg tooth, email me the answer with the source of your information.

Transferring Chicks to Brood Box

Transferring Chicks to Brood Box
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

It was fun moving the four chicks to their brood box. It was a rush to get everything set up with a lamp, water, litter, and chick food before the library closed at 5PM. Their little feet are soft and warm and they do not weigh much at all. They felt like warm cotton balls with soft baby feet.

We took the eggshells out of the hatcher and changed the water in the hatcher to keep the humidity up. Two of the shells have pips (cracks) in them. It can take up to a day before they are fully out of their shell. We shall see what will happen tonight!

What a Surprise! 4 Chicks on Sunday!

What a Surprise! 4 Chicks on Sunday!
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

When I looked early this morning everything looked quiet. I thought we were on schedule for Monday. When I checked at 3PM four chicks had hatched and another is on its way! If you watched them hatch please send me the time? I am sure we have some excited Foster Chick Parents ready to go!

Next, they will have to go to a brood box until they are strong on their legs and eating and drinking a bit! I will make a few calls for pick up tomorrow for sure!

Still Having Trouble Viewing the Web Cam?

screen 2
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

If you have a Firewall turned on it may prevent you from viewing it.


When everyone views the camera at the same time it takes a lot of bandwidth. It is programmed so that you can watch it for 15 minutes, then you will be logged off. You may log back on when there is not too much traffic.

On Monday the eggs will start hatching! It could very busy!

Are You Having Trouble Viewing the Web Camera

screen 1
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

If you are having trouble viewing the web camera it could be a couple things. You must have Java enabled on your computer and you must "trust" the web site.

12 eggs peeping!

12 eggs
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

We can hear one of the chicks peeping aready!

Foster Chick Care Class

Foster Chick Care Class (1)
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Hailey instructed 12 new Foster Chick Parents how to prepare for their new arrivals. Everyone is very excited! As the eggs hatch the chicks will go with a brother or sister to their foster home until mid May.

Egg Hatching 2009

Egg Hatching 2009 (2)
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Come to the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library in Zionsville and watch our eggs hatch! It should be very exciting each day as six eggs are scheduled to hatch beginning Monday, May 4th.

The Hatcher Set Up

The hatcher set up
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

The heater is set to maintain a temperature of 98°-99° F. A bowl of water is in the hatcher to create a humid environment essential for the development of the chicks.

Doug Akers Adding the Eggs

Doug Adding the eggs
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Doug arrived at noon on April 30th with 12 eggs in an egg cartoon. They have been in an incubator since April 15th & 16th. They have moved to our hatcher at the library for their last few days of incubation.

Laura's Chicken Run 2009

The Coop 2009
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

This is where Laura's chickens spend most of their time. We only let them out to run around the yard at the end of the day when we are around because of the hawks. We lost 6 chickens and a duck to predators this spring.

Queeny Wins Showmanship 2001

Queeny Wins Showmanship 2001-2585_IMG
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

Queeny is such a tame chicken it helped my son win Beginner Showmanship at the 2001 4-H Fair.

Queeny

Queeny And Jill
Originally uploaded by librarian.laura

This is Queeny. She is a Bantam White Crested Polish hatched in 2000... that makes her nine years old! She no longer lays eggs but helps keep the insects under control. Queeny has survived several raccoon, owl and hawk attacks and is the oldest chicken I have ever raised.

Egg Hatching at the Library

Welcome to Egg Hatching at the Library 2009

Hatching chicks at the library began in the Spring of 2000 when a young girl asked Librarian Laura how to hatch and raise baby chicks. She desperately wanted to raise them but lived in a big house in the suburbs where raising chickens was not allowed. After a few meetings with library staff we decided hatching chicks at the library would be a fun project for the community to enjoy.

Through the help of our Purdue Extension Educator we secured a hatcher for the last week of incubation and hatched duck and chicken eggs for a period of about 10 days.

One night it was difficult to close the library. A chick was hatching infront of about 10 children and their parents. We sadly closed the doors and had to wait until the next day to see the results. The next year our Information Services manager organized a Live Web Camera where everyone could watch the eggs hatch 24/7.

Children also asked if they could take the chicks home. Knowing most of the children could not keep them we decided to create a program where children could adopt them for a few days or up to two weeks. The children were trained and had to pass a test to insure the safety and health of the chicks as well as themselves. The program has grown with the addition of library programs about chicks and a large collection of chicken books and movies.

This year we will hatch chicks the week of May 4th. During that week we will hatch White Leghorns. As the chicks hatch they will be sent home with trained Foster Chick Parents who will keep a diary and share their experience with friends and neighbors.

This year we are adding a blog to answer questions and post information as it is requested.