Sdwd

[seminolewind]

Yea that must have been devastating! It never ends.

What's a Delawegger?

I've hatched 10. One is still mulling it over. And one breech preemie. She pipped the wrong end, so I broke little pieces of shell off, and she started bleeding, so she's back in the bator with her little beak sticking out, and the egg covered with a wet paper towel.

This is the 4th JG in 3 years that has been breech. It's a good thing that JG eggs are hard to tell the pointy end-cause there is none. Maybe it's the incubator. It rolls the eggs back and forth. I should just go back to the egg carton method.

Rancher, it still must be cold up by you? Is that why they died?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Yea that must have been devastating! It never ends.

What's a Delawegger?

I've hatched 10. One is still mulling it over. And one breech preemie. She pipped the wrong end, so I broke little pieces of shell off, and she started bleeding, so she's back in the bator with her little beak sticking out, and the egg covered with a wet paper towel.

This is the 4th JG in 3 years that has been breech. It's a good thing that JG eggs are hard to tell the pointy end-cause there is none. Maybe it's the incubator. It rolls the eggs back and forth. I should just go back to the egg carton method.

Rancher, it still must be cold up by you? Is that why they died?

A Delawegger is a Delaware/Easter Egger cross.

I've had several chicks pip the wrong end. They don't need help. I figure if they pip that end and can breathe alright, then I just let them be. I don't know what causes them to be breached, but most of mine that have, have hatched.

 

[Braclin]

[/IMG]

Had a good day yesterday !! My second time showing! Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

 

[Braclin]

 

[seminolewind]

Yeah! She finally hatched herself!

 

[seminolewind]

double post

 

[rancher hicks]

A Delawegger is a Delaware/Easter Egger cross.

I've had several chicks pip the wrong end. They don't need help. I figure if they pip that end and can breathe alright, then I just let them be. I don't know what causes them to be breached, but most of mine that have, have hatched.

I was running a "dry" hatch per advice since my usual method yielded few BM's. Upon checking unhatched eggs even the Dels were not finished developing. My Dels must be strong because of the 6 chicks that survived the light going out 4 are Dels.

 

[finnfur]

I have one little girl who comes close to that standard, compliments of Kathyinmo. Cossette is a great little gal, even if she does have a bit of smut in her coloring. She lays a great egg that leans more to the blue side of the equation than greenish, even though her mother is an EE. Her daddy was/is a beautiful Del that Kathy also owned at one time, but has since re-homed. There are a few other known "Delawegger's" out there. Cetawin has a great little lady named Junebug, the Chicken Politician. She has the total personality that we're looking for in the future breed. And the list goes on.....

So my re-memory served me correct and Kathymo used a Del Cock over a Ameraucana Hen. Did the resulting hens lay colored eggs ?
You are saying Ameraucana cock over a Del hen . Will that resulting hen lay colored eggs also ? Or does it make any difference which way you cross to get the colored eggs? I don't have a Ameraucana cock but hopefully a Del cockerel will develop from the Del chicks I got from Wekiva and Julie. Dels are going to be my only breed except
a few EEs to color up the egg cartons . The egg users love them quaint colored eggs LOL- My current dunghill egg flock has two Ameraucana hens . that is what I plan to start the Delaweggers with.

 

[Serrin]

Tom, the reason, as I understand it, for using an Amer roo over Del girls is this: Starting with two purebred lines will give a greater predictability to the process. BWA carry specific genetics, as do the Delaware, that will behave in predictable ways when combined.

Since the ultimate goal is to create a new cross that will breed true for generations to come, the use of the EE is not advisable, as they carry a veritable mish-mash of genetics, none of which can be reliably predicted. This is partially why the APA has never recognized the EE as a breed. There's just too much variability in color, as well as body type.

While you could put a Del boy over an EE hen and come up with something that looks like what we're after, it will likely never breed true. What I am proposing is a chicken that carries the coloring and patterning of a Delaware, but that lays a blue or olive egg. In order to do this, it will, of course, have to carry certain physical characteristics of the BWA's. Namely; the pea comb, beard and cheek muffs. We'll also likely wind up with the slate colored legs as well. Because of the genetics for coloring involved, I seriously doubt that we could ever get them to have the true vibrant yellow legs desired in the Delawares. Cosette and the other "Delawegger" girls that I've seen, thus far, have all had a pale gray to whitish legs. But, that could be yet another standard to strive for.

As I said earlier, it's going to be a long slog, a lot of learning as I go, and a great deal of trial and error to get from here to there. But, I think if I ever pull it off, the resulting breed will be one that will be fun to have as well as satisfyingly productive.

ETA: Almost forgot: Yes, Kathy used a very nice Del boy, but the mother was not an Ameruacana. She was a very sweet little EE girl, named Maggie, whom I have to this day. And yes, both of her daughters lay blue-ish eggs. Cosette's has just a hint of olive color, while her second daughter, little Cleo, sired by my rooster, Chief, lays an egg that is closer to a blue color than anything else. The EE genetics were definitely the stronger of the two involved in that pairing.

 

[finnfur]

Hmm! Serrin now that you mention it I'm not sure what we have because DW got them at TSC so who knows.
Here is a interesting article on Ameraucana, Araucana and Easter Egg chickens.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-3/John_W_Blehm.html
Interesting quote from article; "Oh, and how about those pink, green, olive drab and gold colored eggs that the catalogs advertised. The reason the egg colors vary so much is because the birds are of mixed parentage. There are only two true egg shell colors, blue and white. The gene that makes blue egg shells is dominant over the gene for white eggs. Brown eggs are really white eggs with a brown tint or coating. Green eggs are really blue eggs with a brown tint or coating. Just as there are many shades of brown eggs there are many shades of green eggs. You can tell if an egg is truly white or blue when the inside egg shell color matches the outside. Blue chicken eggs are not a robin's egg blue color. They are a light pastel blue"
Using my Ameraucana Cock is not happening because they were both tasty LOL