Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[TillyPeeps]

Quote:

They are surprises! LOL
Rooster is a barred rock and hens are hatchery ameraucana (sp?) in multiple colors...none of them are lavender,gray or black...we didn't expect gray chicks but I'm tickled to have them!

Same thing happened to my chick Brownie. Her dad is a wheaten Ameraucana and mom is a California Grey (looks like barred rock). She is dark brown with some gold color on her neck. Her dad is calm and mom is flighty, but she is the most active and curious chick who's always jealous when seeing other chicks came to me. So she is not only colored differently, but also has very different personality from her parents. Those chicken genetics are very interesting.

 

[hippiechickX4]

Clearfield Country here. New to the site and to raising chickens. Got 21 chicks to start us as we were told that some would probably die. They include silver wyandotte, double laced gold wyandotte, austrolorp, black sexlink, rhode island reds and a mystery breed.

 

[dheltzel]

Same thing happened to my chick Brownie. Her dad is a wheaten Ameraucana and mom is a California Grey (looks like barred rock). She is dark brown with some gold color on her neck. Her dad is calm and mom is flighty, but she is the most active and curious chick who's always jealous when seeing other chicks came to me. So she is not only colored differently, but also has very different personality from her parents. Those chicken genetics are very interesting.

I wonder how much is nature vs nurture?
I certainly see some attitude differences between breeds when the chicks are all raised together and (presumably) treated the same. My Rhodebar pullets of any age almost always bite me when I pick them up. Not so much mean as just utterly unafraid to express their displeasure. I've never had that with any other breed (at least females, males tend to bite a lot).
But a lot of what you see in Brownie could be her learning to react to you. Maybe she senses what you expect (and therefore reward with attention). I may learn more if I get reports of others that got those brown chicks before I switched out the Wheaten roo.

 

[Slesage]

from NE near Wilkes Barre

 

[Chaos18]

Welcome

 

[fisherlady]

Clearfield Country here. New to the site and to raising chickens. Got 21 chicks to start us as we were told that some would probably die. They include silver wyandotte, double laced gold wyandotte, austrolorp, black sexlink, rhode island reds and a mystery breed.

Welcome from North East Indiana County! I could be 10 minutes away or an hour and 10, depending on where you are...sounds like you have a great start on an egging flock, come about august you should be rolling in eggs!

 

[bella253]

Yes welcome from north of scranton...I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do...

Lori

 

[barbiegirl]

from NE near Wilkes Barre

Welcome from the Poconos! Monroe county here. What do you have or what are you looking to add to your flock. We have a lot of helpers here

 

[BullChick]

Clearfield Country here. New to the site and to raising chickens. Got 21 chicks to start us as we were told that some would probably die. They include silver wyandotte, double laced gold wyandotte, austrolorp, black sexlink, rhode island reds and a mystery breed.

Hello. Welcome to chickaholics annonomys. I'm in Clearfield county as well. There are a few of us.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I wonder how much is nature vs nurture?
I certainly see some attitude differences between breeds when the chicks are all raised together and (presumably) treated the same. My Rhodebar pullets of any age almost always bite me when I pick them up. Not so much mean as just utterly unafraid to express their displeasure. I've never had that with any other breed (at least females, males tend to bite a lot).
But a lot of what you see in Brownie could be her learning to react to you. Maybe she senses what you expect (and therefore reward with attention). I may learn more if I get reports of others that got those brown chicks before I switched out the Wheaten roo.

I kind feel Brownie was born that way. The first day I took them home, she pushed all other chicks off my hand and slept there all the time herself. She usually not fly to me until she sees other chicks on me, then she would be upset and wanted to perch on me. My Rhodebar Ruff-Ruff never bites, but other girls do. Penny the Welbar really likes to bite to get attention. When she doesn't want to be touched, she wouldn't bite and acted skittish. But if she feels that she wants to be pick up, she will bite really hard and even twist and will quietly wait for me to take her.

Other chicks except Ruff-Ruff all bite or peck when they want attention, but no one as hard as Penny. Ruff-Ruff just runs to me directly without ask.

I planed to move them out to the coop last weekend, but it was so cold and the girls are all spoiled. Even I will run a extension cord for the heating pad, I feel it's still to cold for them. So I will wait another week.