Fresh young chicks live on cam

April 19, 2013 2:44 PM

SomethingAwful regular Velvet Sparrow is once again running the nailbiting and adorable Chickam, a live stream of chicken eggs in an incubator. The hatching action has started early this year.

The chicks were set to start hatching on Saturday, but Bruce has already broken out and is milling around fluffily. So far eight eggs have "pipped", meaning that the chick inside has made their first break in the shell. They should be out in the next few hours. Keep the chat-box kid friendly, this is streamed to schools, and it's worth knowing in advance that all the chickles might not make it. New for this year is that names are picked from the hat after the chicky has hatched. Previous-lier..

posted by Iteki (34 comments total)

Is anyone taking bets on which number chick will pop out next?

Bruce looks antsy. I think he needs a friend to join him.
posted by Elly Vortex at 3:21 PM on April 19, 2013

27 looks like it's ready to go, its pip has gotten bigger in the last few minutes.

Bruce is going insane.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 3:33 PM on April 19, 2013

Bruce has been bopping on 27. I think he's ready for company!
posted by Iteki at 3:41 PM on April 19, 2013

Help them, Bruce, HELP THEM!
posted by kamikazegopher at 3:47 PM on April 19, 2013

I cannot tell you how much healthier THIS particular suspense is compared to CNN right now.
posted by memewit at 3:51 PM on April 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

Oh yeah, 27 is cracked almost all the way around. Go chick, go!
posted by Elly Vortex at 3:52 PM on April 19, 2013

Yeah, this is my preferred level of suspense. Which one will it be?

Oh my gosh, there's sound!
posted by Elly Vortex at 3:54 PM on April 19, 2013

There we go! Good chicken!
posted by Iteki at 3:58 PM on April 19, 2013

Are these chickens to lay more eggs or are they eatin' chickens?
posted by Justinian at 4:00 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Haha, lil chick looks like he/she has been on a massive bender
posted by Foci for Analysis at 4:04 PM on April 19, 2013

Is 27 ok? Do they just lay there when first hatched, or is he not going to make it?
posted by Houstonian at 4:05 PM on April 19, 2013

I like how the phone rang and all the birds went banans. Re. eating etc, mainly pets and layers I think. They keep some, sell some, etc. Excited to learn the new guys name!
posted by Iteki at 4:06 PM on April 19, 2013

Sometimes you just need a couple more minutes of dozing when you try to struggle out of bed.
posted by Justinian at 4:06 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Number 10 is just joining us.
posted by Houstonian at 4:07 PM on April 19, 2013

Man, 27 is way scrappy. Classic second child!
posted by Diagonalize at 4:11 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

The hatching action. Started early this year.

a;lskd;lasjd;lads
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:24 PM on April 19, 2013

This will be a nice change of pace from streaming the BPD.
posted by Drinky Die at 6:25 PM on April 19, 2013

Yeah - among all the other things that happened today, I witnessed from my desk in Virginia the exact moment of a chicken being born in Nevada.
posted by capricorn at 7:28 PM on April 19, 2013

nice but she really should try dyeing little blue/white/black hand grenade logos into them for the full effect
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 7:33 PM on April 19, 2013

Lazy chickens.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 8:54 PM on April 19, 2013

About a year ago I was on my way to play paintball on the outskirts of the city and my GPS led me to a road, not really a road - more of a dirt path - which passed the house of some people that were raising free-range chickens. At least, I assume they were raising the chickens, because they had chickens all over their front yard, wandering all about, even into the road.

It took me a few minutes to realize that my GPS was completely wrong. I was heading down an unmarked path, instead of a road, though technically, on some map, I suppose it qualified as a road.

I was already late for my paintball appointment, so I quickly turned the car around, to head back to a street fully recognized by my GPS.

Just then one of the chickens darted in front of my vehicle, endangering its little life.

And I honestly asked, with complete sincerity, for the first time in my life, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:58 PM on April 19, 2013 [8 favorites]

This is the same SA subforum where a regular yelled at an 11 year old for hurting a chicken, then a (now former) mod got annoyed at an autistic kid who asked an innocent question.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:16 PM on April 19, 2013

Just watched 6 and then shortly 5 hatch! This is a fantastic restorative for the horribleness of the past few days.
posted by Mizu at 11:50 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Just saw 13 hatch. The two chicks in there are freaking The fuck out, jumping around then falling back asleep or something. Watching them I find it hard to believe as Herzog does that chickens afd the closest thing we have to pure evil. I hope these get to be lovely decorative birds for the garden instead of food.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:03 AM on April 20, 2013

There's a little more info in the ustream description about the birds future, they are not destined for tables. I think this lot are going to bother 12 till he comes out and slaps them. It's a bit steamed up at the moment from 13 rubbing up on the glass and possible humidity issues, but there'll be a hooman out to fix it in the morning. Number ten got named Skillet, and I guess these (5,6,13) will be named after breakfast and moved to the other incubator with Bruce and Skillet. Then later they will be moved to the brooder box with straw and lamp do go completely mental and we get to watch!
posted by Iteki at 1:36 AM on April 20, 2013

I'm just having trouble seeing how this could be connected to Petey
posted by fullerine at 2:57 AM on April 20, 2013

I'm seeing four chicks now.

They don't seem to like each other.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:38 AM on April 20, 2013

#12 is just kicking back in his/her egg with a small window on the world.
posted by chrispwalsh at 7:25 AM on April 20, 2013

Oh...open this link in another tab. It add a whole new dimension to the cam footage.

Musical Accompaniment
posted by chrispwalsh at 7:30 AM on April 20, 2013

oh man, the chat is going faster than my stream so I'm getting spoilers.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:13 AM on April 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

They don't seem to like each other.

The Lord of the flies has nothing on the lord of the chickens.
posted by bonehead at 8:55 AM on April 20, 2013

My colleague sent a link to some nesting ospreys if anyone fancies seeing whether they produce any eggs this year.
posted by biffa at 10:05 AM on April 20, 2013

I agree with Mizu: Watching baby chicks snuggle hits the spot.
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:12 PM on April 20, 2013

The last chick to make it out (with a little help) was egg #4, and though the camera is no longer on the incubator:

#4 is stil in the incubator and will stay there overnight, she has a little stuffed animal for company.

Awwwwwwwwwwww.

(The camera's on the brooding box right now, and the light is out for the night, so no pictures until morning—just peep peep peep peep peep.
posted by chrominance at 11:32 PM on April 20, 2013