Poached Omelet

This year we are studying biology for science. We have covered a variety of different animals over the course of the year. An on going project has been the bird identification notebook. In the fall we put three different bird feeders in the back yard. One contains small seed food, one contains black sunflower seed, and the third contains suet. Over the winter we have enjoyed a large number of visitors. I love looking into my backyard and seeing quail and mourning doves flocking under the feeders. The most common visitors are House Finches. This spring some American Goldfinches have started to visit.

This is my favorite book for identify bird that show up at our bird feeder! The pictures are awsome! I also like that it is realavant to Washington State.

So during this study of birds, Jo got it in to her head that she wanted to hatch a chicken. I found an incubator in a science catalogue and got all ready to buy it when Mr. March declared "NO MORE PETS!" I tried to point out that this was a science experiment not getting pets but he didn't seem to see the difference. I found a video of an egg hatching on youtube and hoped that would satisfy her.

Then we had 4H at a friend's house. Now this friend lives on a mini farm and has chickens. Jo was in heaven. She spent most of her time out with the chickens and collected some eggs. She brought one of the eggs home and very carefully kept it wrapped up in paper towels in a Tupperware container. She explained to everyone who would listen that she was hatching a chicken. She even packed it and took the egg to Grandma's when she spent the night. Four weeks later the egg still hasn't hatched (of course) and I'm starting to worry about the smell if it breaks.

So last weekend we went to Big R to get some fencing supplies. I DID NOT know that Big R was giving away 500 baby chicks to the first interested families. Jo was in love. She kept picking up the little chicks and just gazing at them. Now, I know that Mr. March said no more pets. I don't disagree with him. But how come I have to be the bad guy and say no? Every time Jo asked for the chick I told her she had to ask her dad. He put his foot down, he can break her heart. She was so cute. She very carefully explained how much the chick was and promised to feed it and water it and clean it's cage. After all Meg has a parakeet. So I'm sitting there watching and waiting for him to say no and what does he do? He glares at me and starts putting chick feed and supplies into the cart while the salesman is boxing up the little thing. So that is how Omelet joined the family.

Jo very carefully scrubbed out an old aquarium that was in the garage and got it all set up for Omelet. We put the food and water container into the tank with the special chick liner. Everything was all ready for the new occupant. Gently, Jo put the little chick into it's new home and it promptly went and climbed into it's water dispenser. This was the special kind that they sold us at the store. I'm sitting there looking at this little chick thinking, this doesn't look good. I don't think it's supposed to be swimming in there. It's going to freeze. But I got the girls out of the room and just tried to give it some space. When I checked on it a half hour later it was still upright but all of the lower feathers were soaking. I was beginning to worry that this might not work out so well. I left it alone. When I checked the next time the poor little thing was completely soaked. I pulled it out of the water dispenser and put it under the light. It just laid there. This was really looking bad. Meg got a washcloth and put it in the microwave then tried to warm the little guy up. He was just laying on the wash cloth. I knew he was not going to make it through the night.

I took Jo into my room and warned her that her new pet might not live. She burst into tears and cried and cried. I just sat there feeling so helpless. Here she was trying to show that she is grown up and can take care of her pet and the stupid thing is trying to drowned itself!

When I got her calmed down. I went back and looked at the little thing. It's eyes were closed, it's feathers were all soaking wet, it's legs were stretched out and it was smaller then my thumb! There was no way it was going to make it through the night. I gently picked it up and took it into my bedroom. I turned the space heater on high and just sat their hold the little thing up to the heat. It was so small I could hardly feel any weight in my hands at all.

I sat there for over an hour. Slowly the little feathers started to dry out. Then once in a while it would open it's eyes. Finally, it started to sit up an look around. When it tried to jump out of my hands I felt it was ready to go back into it's cage. I took the water container out and left the little chick sitting under the heating lamp.

I went to my computer and googled Raising Chicks. So here's the important tip I learned: When using a chick watering container put marbles or small bits of gravel into the water. The chicks will stand on top and drink the water and not drowned. I wish the guy at the store would have mentioned THAT!!!! Omelet made it through the first night. The next day Mr. March and Jo went BACK to Big R and got Omelet two new friends because he was lonely! So now we have three baby chicks in our home.

Actually, I should mention, they were out of chicken chicks. Omelet is actually a Chukar and he was joined by two quail. Their names are Frittata and Souffle.