What Came Out of an Egg This Year

7 Jun 2026 · day 3

down · dark gray/black

markings · white head spot (Boss-confirmed)

features · white head spot + youngest of the clutch (last to hatch). NOTE: nest-mate Ingebird was also logged with a white head spot (2026-06-03), so the white spot is NOT unique on its own — Adelbird is told apart by being the last-hatched / smallest.

Boss ID note (2026-06-07): Adelbird is the last-to-hatch chick and carries a white head spot. Because Ingebird also has a white head spot, the distinguishing factor between them is age/size — Adelbird is the youngest.

4 Jun 2026 · day 0

features · from a blue egg; Egg #5 of the clutch, day 23 at hatch

Egg #5 (blue), day 23. Slow to clear the membrane. On the evening of 2026-06-03 the Boss applied a dab of water to the wet membrane; the chick pipped through, got air, and finished hatching ON HER OWN overnight while the Boss slept — no real intervention, just time. Free by the morning of 2026-06-04. Boss named her Adelbird on 2026-06-04. Down color not yet recorded — awaiting a daylight look / photo.

3 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · dark / brown

markings · silver (LOW confidence — see note)

features · Henrietta-line sister to Henriessa (both black/dark down from brown eggs); which of the two carries the silver marking is not yet settled

Egg #7 — Henrietta's own brown egg, marked 5/10. Hatched ~18:22 EDT on 2026-06-03. Named in honor of her mother, Henrietta (the matriarch Golden Laced Wyandotte, founder of the Henrietta line). SILVER IS RECORDED AT LOW CONFIDENCE. The Boss first called her sister Henriessa "the silver one," then revised on 2026-06-04 to Henridotta — phrased as a question ("it is Henridotta who is the silver one? My mistake"). The two brown-egg Henrietta-line sisters are easy to mix up (the line throws grey/silver markings). Do NOT treat the silver call as final until verified visually.

7 Jun 2026 · day 4

down · brown; rust/red coming in on the face and throat

markings · rust/red wash on face and throat; NO white head spot (that mark is nest-mate Ingebird's)

features · the red/rust coloring is her tell — Boss reads it as the LBRJ sire signature

sex · pullet

prediction · pullet (medium) — Boss identified her by the red coloring on 2026-06-07 (photo IMG_5171) and attributes paternity to LBRJ (the red rooster lost in the April 2026 predator wave). Supersedes the earlier Whitey Red Legs paternity-window guess.

Boss-confirmed correction (2026-06-07): Horstabird is a pullet ("she"), has NO white head spot, and shows red/rust coloring on the face and throat that the Boss attributes to sire LBRJ. First real ID tell; updates paternity from the earlier WRL window to LBRJ.

3 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · brown with a yellow wash on the belly (Boss-reported at hatch)

Egg #4 (blue). Worked at the shell for hours — hole open by midday but no zip. The Boss assisted: removed a tiny piece of shell (beak then visible, breathing observed) and placed a small droplet of water on the membrane to keep it from drying. The chick rested up and freed itself, hatched 16:44 EDT 2026-06-03. Down color is Boss-reported (brown with a yellow belly wash) — not yet corroborated by a committed photo.

3 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · white

features · a little white chick, presumed male; never freed from the shell

Egg #6 (brown, Henrietta line) stalled at least 12 hours — extensive shell cracking but the membrane was only barely pierced. Boss judged it shrink-wrapped / dried and made the call to intervene: his FIRST-EVER assisted hatch (precedent was a prior-clutch bird that couldn't clear the membrane). He opened it ~12:21 EDT, found no signs of life, and confirmed the loss at 12:37 EDT. Post-mortem: a little white chick, presumably male; no obvious cause — possible shrink-wrapping, but Boss leans toward a genetic deformity. Inconclusive. Boss noted Ingebird had been sitting next to this egg on Jun 2 and may have thrown its humidity off.

3 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · black / dark

markings · a bit of cream on the face/beak; silver/light wing tips and a silver stripe were logged at hatch (IMG_5144 / IMG_5147) — but the silver attribution is now disputed; see note

features · barely distinguishable from Ingebird (both black down) — Ingebird has a white head spot and came from a blue egg; Henriessa is from a brown egg (Henrietta line)

Third chick of the June (NI) clutch, hatched the morning of 2026-06-03 from a brown egg — Henrietta is the only brown-egg layer in the flock, so she is the dam. Moved to the brooder midday Jun 3. SILVER ATTRIBUTION IS UNSETTLED. At hatch (Jun 3) the silver wing-tips and silver stripe were logged on Henriessa (IMG_5144/5147), and on Jun 4 the Boss first said Henriessa was "the silver one." Later that same day he revised it — "it is Henridotta who is the silver one? My mistake" — phrased as a question. Current best call records the silver marking on her sister Henridotta at low confidence. Treat which sister carries the silver as not-yet-final; verify visually before relying on it.

2 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · black

markings · white spot on top of the head; tiny white tuft noted at hatch

features · WHITE head spot — the ID mark vs Birdimir's black spot; came out of the shell upside-down, pink skin, healthy

Second chick of the June (NI) clutch, hatched 2026-06-02 (photographed wet ~15:58 EDT). Dam noted by Boss as Birdsula (blue-egg layer). Moved to the retired old incubator (OI) with Birdimir on the evening of Jun 2, then to the brooder the morning of Jun 3. Boss later noted Ingebird had been sitting next to brown Egg #6 and may have thrown its humidity off.

2 Jun 2026 · day 0

down · white / light (white-yellow)

markings · black spot on top of the head

features · BLACK head spot — the single most important ID mark; Birdimir and Ingebird are near mirror images of each other, told apart only by head-spot color (Birdimir black, Ingebird white)

prediction · cockerel (low) — Boss's early call is presumed male; no wing-feather sexing done yet

First chick of the June (NI) clutch, hatched 2026-06-02. Boss flagged the contrasting head spot (IMG_5141) as the most important thing to record for telling this pair apart. Moved into the now-retired old incubator (OI) on the evening of Jun 2 as a holding spot with Ingebird, then to the brooder the morning of Jun 3.

25 May 2026 · day 9

down · solid orange/buff, no dorsal stripe

markings · brown-black mottled feathers emerging on the wing shoulder

features · notably large orange legs/feet (the 'Monster Leg' nickname); strong jumper/climber — flies onto the waterer base, working toward perching on the rim

Named Birdsilla (aka Monster Leg), the 'orange dinosaur.' The no-stripe back remains the key tell vs Birdthazar. Photos IMG_4699/4705.

17 May 2026 · day 1

down · solid orange/buff, no stripe

features · long legs

Moved from incubator to brooder PM 2026-05-17 (IMG_4222) with Chick #2. Peaceful pile-and-rest with siblings.

16 May 2026 · day 0

down · solid uniform orange/buff across back and wings

markings · no stripe (key discriminator from Birdthazar)

features · monster legs (whole clutch); 'big ol' orange dinosaur' per Boss; yolk sac partially attached at hatch

Pip-to-free timeline: - ~21:32 EDT pip starts - 21:52 EDT hatch in progress flagged - 21:54 EDT half-pipped - 22:02 EDT breathing visible through shell, vigorous - 22:12 EDT FREE — total pip-to-free ~40 min, 20 min faster than estimate Yolk sac still partially attached — left in incubator until absorption before any handling.

25 May 2026 · day 9

down · slate-grey body

markings · dark brown-black head/crown cap; dark mask through the eye; pale cream throat patch; grey wing feathers emerging

features · bicolor beak (dark upper, orange tip); the dark head cap is the instant tell vs the two buff siblings

Named Henriella (Henrietta line). Camera-shy temperament. Photos IMG_4709/4710/4712.

17 May 2026 · day 1

down · grey-and-white

features · fluffed out nicely

Moved from incubator to brooder PM 2026-05-17 (IMG_4222) to keep April 26 eggs undisturbed. Peaceful pile-and-rest with siblings.

16 May 2026 · day 0

down · grey-and-white

markings · magnificent coloring (Boss's words)

features · visually distinct from the two buff siblings — never confuse

First chick of the Henrietta line. Was vocalizing distress at 21:23 EDT while Birdthazar was harassing; settled once Birdthazar moved to brooder.

17 May 2026 · day 1

down · buff/yellow

markings · dark chipmunk stripe down back

features · dark eye, orange beak; alert, exploring

sex · cockerel

prediction · cockerel (medium) — Wing-feather sexing (IMG_4225, 15:50 EDT): feathers across wing read as approximately uniform single row → cockerel pattern. Pullets show two distinct lengths.

48-hour health check at 13:56 EDT cleared. Wing-feather sex provisional, not 100% on every cross — confirming as he matures. **Named Birdthazar** if male holds.

16 May 2026 · day 0

down · light buff/yellow

markings · dark chipmunk-style stripe down the back

features · monster legs (whole clutch — not useful for ID); aggressive temperament out the gate

prediction · cockerel (low) — Down pattern not yet sexed; aggression noted but not a reliable sex marker at day 0

First of three from this clutch. Pecking batchmates and knocking remaining eggs around — relocated solo to brooder by 21:22 EDT to stop interference with rest of hatch.

18 May 2026 · day 23

markings · blue eyes; distinctive coloring around the beak; slight rust-colored feathers in wing area; slight white tips on wing

features · white feathers on belly; distinctive white feather on wings (key Birdadette vs Birdadotta differentiator)

prediction · pullet (low) — Visual cues lean pullet but too early to call confidently. Dam (Birdadonna) is blue-gray with golden auburn hackle; sire LBRJ likely RIR.

S7-cam frame; young pullet stage.

25 Apr 2026 · day 0

down · brown-and-cream striped

features · orange beak

Hatched day-22 from Birdadonna's egg set 2026-04-03. 3rd-generation named line.

16 May 2026 · day 40

markings · warm buff/golden chest; dark brown lacing across back and wings

features · compact round body; comb just beginning to pink

Per Boss: 'such a very fine bird' (IMG_4040 / IMG_4042). Early mis-call as Welsummer corrected — she's an EE.

6 Apr 2026 · day 0

down · gray-brown downy

First successful 2026 hatch. Hatched right on Boss's desk next to the keyboard.