Ameracauna hatching rates

[HillCountryMomma]

Ok, if this is a nutty question just tell me so.

But is anyone else finding that their Ameracana hatch rates are lower than hatch rates for other chickens?

I put 6 eggs from my Ameracana hens under a broody hen I had... so far only 2 are hatching (one has hatched, pretty little brown EE chick, the other is pipping). When a friend and I did incubator hatches, neighter of us got the Ameracana eggs to hatch. My other broody hen sitting on black sex link chicks had an almost 100% hatch rate. Grr!

I have 20 Ameracauna eggs on day 7 in an incubator right now. Most are really hard to candle. Of the few I pulled, from what I could see only one was obviously showing no signs of development.

All the chicks will be EEs since Daddy is a RIR. The hens are Ameracaunas, lay beautiful blue eggs and have the ear ruffs & beards.

*IF* I can get a decent hatch, and hopefully get some pullets, will they then be likely to lay green eggs at maturity?

I'm going for color diversification here.

I sell my extra eggs, and everyone loves the blue eggs!

Thanks,
Liz

 

[speckledhen]

Actually, when I had my Ameraucana rooster, true breed not EE, just for the full information, my eggs hatched actually as well or better than the other breeds.

 

[ginbart]

I just hatched my Ameracana's, they were green eggs so I quess they are EE's. Out of 12 eggs, 4 were not good, clear. 2 never hatched but I have 6 one week olds running around.

Here's a pic of one.

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Hmm,

My hens are Ameracaunas, not EEs. However, all the chicks will be EEs. I do have a young Ameracauna rooster that I'm debating keeping just for the purpose of breeding to my girls. Not sure if it's worth the effort though!

My Ameracaunas are fabulous layers (gorgeous pale blue eggs). The 2nd EE baby hatched today. Gorgeous baby and HUGE. Almost pure white, just has a smudge like a thumb print of gray on it's head. It's down is long and silky looking. So cute, and it sure stands out from the 4 Rio Grande Turkey babies and the brown striped EE chick in the rest of the brood.

Guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens with the bunch I have in the brooder.

 

[sara]

My Ameraucanas pop out like popcorn!

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Cute baby! I have an EE chick that looks just like it.

I'll try to get pics of mine in a bit. How do you go about posting them here?

 

[pips&peeps]

Ameraucanas are very fertile. I rarely have clear eggs when I set them here at home.

Maybe you are throwing fertile eggs away because you cannot see through the shell. Have you stopped and cracked any of the eggs open that you thought were bad? That is another good way to check them.

EE's are also very fertile little buggers.

It could be your rooster..... maybe he's got blanks mixed in with the live ammunition.

If you cross a RIR with blue egg layers you are likely to get khaki color eggs from the offspring.

 

[conny63malies]

I got 15 shipped that i won on ebay. apperantly they were x-rayed because none hatched. I opend the cracked one i received and it had a bullseye, so it was fertile.
So my EE hatchrate is diddley-squad.

 

[ginbart]

pips&peeps :

Ameraucanas are very fertile. I rarely have clear eggs when I set them here at home.

Maybe you are throwing fertile eggs away because you cannot see through the shell. Have you stopped and cracked any of the eggs open that you thought were bad? That is another good way to check them.

EE's are also very fertile little buggers.

It could be your rooster..... maybe he's got blanks mixed in with the live ammunition.

If you cross a RIR with blue egg layers you are likely to get khaki color eggs from the offspring.

No I didn't open them. I guess I'm still learning. I did have one rotten one. It smelled BAD. I didn't have them shipped. I drive over 80 miles to get them. It was hard to see throght them. I don't know why I thought they were bad.

 

[ginbart]

Quote:
http://www.photobucket.com/

Or go to the top of the page at Forum FAQ's you can find it there too.