Bay Area BYCers!

[AmCanyonStables]

And here is some good news - I hatched out 9 new BBS ams from pips and peeps! The last one I had to intervene, and it seems to be doing fine.
Here they are! Any guesses re color -some of the ones that look black to me should be blue, as they came from her blue/splash pen.

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[PetRock]

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Adorable!!!!!

 

[Hanh3197]

Any Black Copper Marans breeders in the Bay?
Thanks

 

[MarinMama]

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I responded to the thread you started....did you see it?

 

[Hanh3197]

Oh Thanks! I just checked it

 

[sewandgrow]

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Sean Lial lives in Antioch but I don't know what he has anymore. Maybe you could check the breeders list at the Marans site. It is getting difficult to get Marans lately. I ended up with tons of cockerels which we will grow out & process rather than sell for next to nothing & am keeping the pullets. I still continue to hatch them when I can, but then again I have gotten so many cockerels this season.There must be something in my water......LOL
Karen in Turlock

 

[Anna_B_Happy]

My hatch finished this morning and here is the tally:

1 BW from Jeremy's gorgeous birds
2 Black Australorps
3 Blue Andalusians
1 wheaten marans
1 black copper marans
1 light sussex, all from Karen

So nine chicks!! What a great hatch for a first timer with a broody hen. I had one BW stop developing early on, and one light sussex pipped, but when I checked again in the morning it was outside the nest and cold. I put it back under the hen, but it never hatched.

The BCM hatched this morning, on day 24, but Karen told me they hatch late, so I kept following the hen around and tucking it under her until it finally hatched!! So silly!! But it hatched!!

I learned a lot from everyone's pointers. Bo Peep is healthy as I fed her scrambled eggs and cottage cheese (her favorites) everyday so she would be tempted to eat. She is thin, but red comb and all her feathers still look lovely. She is only ten months old, so in her prime.

Thanks to everyone for the eggs and for the advice. It was a really good experience and even my hubby and the kids enjoyed it.

PS: I will post photos soon, but right now I need to get moving as we have 4th of July plans!

 

[HighNDryFarm]

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Congratulations! Great success!!!!! Can't wait to see the pictures!

 

[dldolan]

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I want to see a picture of that egg! Dolly is still holding out on me, I haven't gotten an egg from her yet.

I wouldn't be too disappointed just yet, you've gotta let those girls grow some more. I am not making any serious culls this year until my Ameraucanas are at 20 weeks old. They go through "juvie molts" until the reach their final stage of maturity and the difference in the bird from beginning to end can sometimes be astounding. I bet you a lot if not all of the black smuttiness on their back clears up by then. The black in the hackles, maybe. If you were to use them for breeding down the road you would want to pair them with a male that offsets their faults then out of their offspring pick the chicks with the least amount of faults inherited from each parent.

My first year of breeding I was entirely too picky at a very, very early age and I ended up selling off half of my stock before they even had a chance to mature. All I wanted was Blue Wheaten males and females and anything else wasn't good enough. I gave up 4 Wheaten pullets and 2 cockerels that could have been excellent examples of the breed... but I'll never know how they turned out. I've learned now through reason and guidance from other breeders that everything takes time and there's now way you're going to get a perfect bird your first time around. You have to work with what you have and work until you get it right. Or as close to right as possible.

Concerning Norbert, I don't have any experience with White Ameraucanas but the look of his body and general aesthetics should be the same. You want a small evenly spaced pea comb with 3 clearly defined rows of peas, he also should be absent of having any wattles. His hackles should be full throughout his neck. You want a good sized bird, Ameraucanas are suppose to be a dual purpose breed. I feel like that's something that's lacking in a lot of folks line, size. I plan on working towards making my birds bigger. You want the same 45 degree tail angle that sweeps smoothly from the birds back like in the females. Legs should be dark blue/slate.

This White bird belongs to Jean Ribbeck and is a very fine example of a White male.

http://www.pipsandpeeps.com/images/blanco.jpg

Happy End of the Fourth, everyone! Went in the Russian River to cool off today...as did everyone else! Yikes. Oh well, the water was coolishly divine!
My sister and family are visiting from FL. They have become chicken folk very quickly!

See how Pippa the SS looks on patiently while my niece explains to her that it is not nice to poop on people??

Norbert is my snuggle-chicken! I hope he stays this nice always! I will wait and watch as he gets older, but so far he seems terribly handsome...

But he has sort of a mottled iris! What on earth is that? He can see just fine, but really, his iris is not a circle--more like splotches on a pretty golden-green background.
What is that all about?? And you are right, I will wait and see how the two Wheaties end up feathering out.

 

[Anna_B_Happy]

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday!!!