I have hatched over 1,350 chicks in the last few years, and it still thrills me. They work so hard to hatch, pecking at their shells, napping, turning, napping, pecking, napping, until finally the shell has a perforated ring round it. Then comes the hard part,

They have to push with their legs to move their lower bodies out of the shell. This part is essential, as it connects the brain and the legs to get the legs to work together and all the pushing strengthens and aligns the legs. If they don’t have to struggle to get out of the shell — that is, if their human “helps” them — they will often have leg alignment issues which may or may not be correctable.

Finally, chickie is out — wet, and tired, and ready for a nap to muster up energy for the next task: learning to walk. At first she flails about, sorting out how her legs and wings work, falling on her side, napping some more, finding her feet, taking a step, and napping some more. The warm air blowing across her dries off her fluff, and she starts to look more like a baby chick and less like a soggy miniature dinosaur.

Within a couple of hours she is all fluffy and popping about the hatcher, tripping over the other hatchlings and knocking the eggs about. If there is an egg pipping, she will go sit next to it and peep, offering encouragement to the baby inside.

It never gets old. It never gets ordinary. An ordinary egg turns into these little floofy beings — each with its own personality and preferences — and it thrills me each time. And causes me to wonder if there is anything ordinary about an egg.

Thanks to you, my customers, I get to keep doing it week after week and I get to be part of your joy as you hatch eggs with your children, or pick out your chicks for your flock.

I love sending the chicks home with people who are so excited to get them, with people who ask so many questions — which shows their investment in doing right by their chicks — and with people who send me pics and updates and questions.

I am so blessed and grateful.