Last year, I stumbled through learning to incubate eggs to produce homegrown chicks, so this year I'm ready to put my newfound knowledge into practice.  And to experiment some more, of course.

One thing we learned is to go ahead and start chicks at the right time of year rather than waiting and hoping that a broody hen will decide to sit on some eggs.  I have high hopes that our Cuckoo Marans will feel motherly...eventually...but since the pasture will be at its peak in April, May, and June, I want to have our first chicks struggling out of their shells at the beginning of March.

I put 21 eggs in the incubator, which is as many as will fit laying down on their sides for hatch.  Since that left a bit of room when the eggs sit upright for the first 19 days, I added newspaper spacers in the center of the incubator, where hatch rates have historically been lower.

Mark your calendars for fluffy cuteness around March 3!