“Yes!”
exclaimed my hubby as he read the text on his cell phone and announced, “Seven
fertile eggs out of ten!”
A surge of
excitement splashed my face and felt like I just got the most wonderful
surprise gift. “True? Wow!”
“That’s
what the hatchery said,” He replied, beaming a smile.
“Does that
mean all seven will hatch into chicks?”
“No, but
they most likely will.”
Two months
ago, we received a young pair of silky chicken from a friend. And this pair
traveled all the way from Pangasinan to Laguna. My friend and I haven’t seen
each other for four years. So it was thoughtful of him to remember and come
through with his promise of giving me some. He would have brought the chicks
but was sure they wouldn’t survive the long journey. So he brought a paired
couple for me. My friend has a farm of all sorts of animals in Pangasinan.
Why silky
chickens? Well, they’re pretty and cute. They fascinate me. They have silky
white feathers with a pom-pom ball crown. Their shanks covered with feathers
too. (Just like the legs of a shire horse) Their skin and meat is black. Folks
say they’re medicinal with the proper cooking method. Others call them Chinese
chicken.
My friend
said, “Better that I give you the pair so you can have plenty of them soon.”
And true
enough, after a couple of weeks of letting them loose at a friend’s stables,
the hen has started laying! But she won’t sit on them. She lays her eggs
scattered all over the stables' ground. So the eggs were collected and turned
over to us.
I called my
friend and asked what’s wrong with the hen?
“Oh, they don’t
sit on their eggs… I bring it to hatchery.” He said.
Ohhh, now he
tells me…
We took the
first cluster of eggs (eleven eggs) to a small hatchery.
“Just come
back for it on Dec 31.” They said.
We waited
with anticipation all eager for the sight of mini fluffy silkies in a box.
Comes
December 31, hubby came home with a small box -- filled with eggs still. All
excitement rumbled like the fortress of Erebor.
“All eggs
were infertile.” He informed.
So it was
New Year’s Eve, and the littlest penoys nestled beside the basket of round
fruits set on the festive night.
Now, this
news about the second clutch is the exact opposite of last week. We were
already expecting to receive the same news.
Hmm… But
some fluffy chicks would be nice…
Then it
hits me.
Literally.
And I can’t
help but give a soundless chuckle.
“DON’T
COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH.”
As the proverb sank deeper, I'm reminded again of the following lessons from this
experience. And reminders are good.
First, yes,
don’t make baseless assumptions. Optimism is good, but baseless assumptions may
result to disappointments. It's a young pair and it was the hen’s
first clutch. We should have considered that fact before assuming those
eggs would hatch 100%. That would have
saved us the let-down. Assumptions must be made on sound basis.
Second, be
realistic. Understand that there are several possible outcomes of any
instances. Give it a thought and consider all them. Have corresponding action
plans for each one.
I am a
person who strongly believes in the power of attraction. I prefer to focus my
energy on thinking the positive outcome. Still, it is wise to be realistic.
With the first clutch, we should have been prepared that the eggs may not
hatch. It was foolish to think that it would all hatch just because it was
what we wanted.
For the second clutch, we should have not completely given up
on it ever hatching. We thought that way because, we opted to avoid another
disappointment.
Eggs taken
to the hatchery may either hatch or not. May hatch, but weak. May hatch, but
with a deformity. We should know what to do for each possible outcome.
Third, know
what you’re getting into. Give due diligence in getting necessary information
about what you want. Ask questions from those who already have what you want to
have. In that way, you’ll be better guided and avoid mistakes they’ve already
done.
I want the
silkies because they are fluffy, cute, and unique. If I only did some queries
about having them from my friend, I would have been more prepared. Of course,
there was no way for him to know I don’t know much about silky (other than
they’re cute).
I should
have asked; How old the given pair was? What’s the natural behavior of these
chickens? What to do when the eggs start coming? How to store the eggs before
taking it to the hatchery? Where or how to hatch? How to get the hen hatch
her own eggs? And so forth… My friend has all the answers because he’s been
through it all. All I needed to do was ask.
Tomorrow is
the hatch day of the second clutch with seven fertile eggs. For sure there are
three penoys because there were ten eggs. Would there be fluffy chicks? Or
would there be balut?
Whatever
happens, the improvement from 0% to 70% fertile eggs is promising. And with all the lessons learned, the
plentiful silky may not be so far ahead. :)
