Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…
As I sat staring at a blank page, trying to decide what to write about today, my daughter walked out of her bedroom and put a 3-day-old chick in my hands. He is remarkable.
This perfectly developed, fluffy little chick hatched out of an egg after being locked in an incubator for just 21 days. Twenty-one days is all it takes to go from a “raw egg” to a new life. I still find this to be absolutely fascinating.
We’ve started “candling” the eggs with the last couple of hatchings. It’s pretty remarkable to be able to watch the progression of a developing chick. After about a week, you can see a network of blood vessels spreading across the egg. By day ten, it’s possible to spot eyes in the embryo, and you may even be able to see the chicks moving. On day 14, the chick has grown to take up over half the space in the egg. By day 17, it’s hard to see anything, as the chick now fills the egg. That’s the last day for candling – it’s time to lock down the incubator and leave the chicks to do their thing. Sometimes we can hear them peeping from inside the eggs, a day or two before hatching. It’s pretty exciting.
Around day 21, the chicks start to “pip” and “zip” their way out of the eggs. Really, it’s remarkable to look at the empty shell and realize that a live creature just broke free from that egg. At this point, the shells are thicker than what we’re used to seeing; things have changed during incubation. After they’ve hatched, we leave the chicks in the incubator for three days. During this time, they learn to move around, they peep a lot, they interact with each other, and they even eat some of the shells that they hatched from. After three days, we open the incubator and give them some food and water. Instinct takes over from there, and the chicks are on their way to a happy, healthy life.
It is an awesome process. Absolutely awe-inspiring.
“For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Psalm 139:13-14
Any opportunity to witness the work of our Creator leaves me in awe. The painstaking detail amazes me. Each and every being on this planet was intricately planned, created, and loved. Our God is amazing.
Now that spring is fully here, we are surrounded with opportunities to notice the brilliant creativity of God. Everywhere we turn, we can see trees budding, flowers blooming, and new life springing forth. Take time to notice; listen to the birds, smell the flowers, and enjoy the views. There is so much to take in.
Much love,
Deacon Amy
