Desiree's breeding results (voor de Nederlandse versie van dit verhaal: zie één verhaaltje verder omhoog)

Desiree:

Well, finally my breeding-time is over.
I'm sure this was the last time I did breed, for it was tougher than I remembered from years ago. You get so stiff by sitting still all day long when you're not so young anymore. I hadn't thought about that before I started. And it even took longer than usual, because... But now I'm going too fast.

Desiree and her newborn

First of all I'll introduce my little chick: her name is Anne C. Beautiful and unusual name, isn't it? We, Ma Tok and I, made it up. And Mrs. Annemieke also helped. My little one is named after a friend of Mrs. Annemieke's.
That friend had asked to be named, and that's very special indeed, because she doesn't even understand Dutch, and still tries to understand the Tok family stories, by looking at the photo's. That's really very smart of hers, though I guess she'll not be able to understand everything.Thats's why Ma Tok decided to make a translation of this story for that friend, because this is also

Anne C, just after hatching

about her.

And now you'll wonder what happened to the other eggs I was sitting on. Ma Tok and I also wonder about that.
Ma Tok had seen with her special lamp that in four of the six eggs a chicken was growing.
And still only one egg hatched.
Ma Tok always listens with her ear at the eggs on the day before the hatching is expected.
She did that now, but she heard nothing! While otherwise she always hears the little one peep-peeping in the egg.
I myself hadn't heard anything either, but then I didn't know my three weeks had almost passed already.
So when Ma Tok started worrying, so did I.

the other 3 eggs with the broken shell of Anne C

Happily the next day the largest egg peep-peeped and that was the egg Anne C crawled out of.
The other three eggs stayed mouse-still, even after I breeded one more day.
Ma Tok still left them with me, those three silent eggs, but we're almost certain the little ones that were in there have died. That is sad, I agree, but there's nothing for it, they will not have been healthy and then they often die before hatching.

Anne C

Anyway, I am very glad with my beautiful chick.
Isn't she gorgeous?
I myself think she's the most wonderful chick I've ever seen.