My friend gave me some fertile chicken eggs, so I put 5 of them into the incubator with the mallard duck egg found at the marina. And, now, less than 21 days later, 4 have hatched! The duckling should come out next Saturday.
Zira waiting patiently for the duckling and chicks to hatch.
Friday evening , June 5th: one of the chicks in the egg is "pipping."
Stayed tuned for more photos and videos of the chicks!
The first chick hatched late Friday night! Autry named her Cotton Ball, I wonder why!
Second, "Ninja Dinosaur" and third, "Amy," appeared Saturday afternoon.
And, last but not least...
Jack. He started out very wet. He's the only one we actually saw burst out of the shell after slowly chipping away. They use their eye tooth to crack the shell, then curl around to push with their feet.
On whom will these chicks imprint?
Zira the dog is keeping guard of the chicks in their temporary habitat. They drink from a water station and peck at chick starter feed, dried mealworms, chopped fruit, and greens, but their favorite food is live crickets! By day 5, they can hop out.
Spending some time outside on Wednesday, pecking at insects, seeds, and blossoms.
Friday, June 12, "Cottonball"
Zira is obsessed with the chicks.
Autry gave the chicks a Barbie bed.
Every evening around 8:30, they climb up onto me and sing themselves to sleep...
If only I had big warm feathery wings to wrap around them!
Jack
Ninja
Cottonball 
kisses
feeding them dried mealworms
Ninja
foraging in the yard
yummy flowers!
puppy pads on the kitchen floor
At bedtime, they fly up and climb onto whoever is available for cuddling.
my favorite - I hope he doesn't grow into a rooster, since roosters aren't allowed in the city!
Ninja, 3 weeks old 
Amy
Cottonball, 4 weeks old - no more cotton, just feathers!
Ninja, 4 weeks old
Jack
Cottonball
Jack, turning into a "cockerel" or young rooster
See the red comb and wattles?
I had to give away Jack and Amy, because Jack grew a large comb at 3 weeks, and then Amy's started growing at 4 weeks, and they both started looking like roosters. Hens (female grown chickens) can have combs, too, but there is also a difference in how they hold their heads and how they walk. Male chickens (cockerels when younger and roosters when adult) hold their heads up high and strut, while females (pullets when younger and hens when adult) stick their heads out front or a little down.
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