Previous post mentioned they had birds with a hidden lavender gene, which people told them "is impossible", and they got their birds tested to confirm they did indeed carry lavender.
I interpreted your reply (above) as "so there was a mutation to cause the lavender gene in your birds".
I meant...
While color mutations could potentially pop up, generally people use a bird that already has that color or pattern and cross it with the breed they want to have that new color. Then, they have to breed it back to SOP while retaining the new color (probably a lot of inbreeding)
Not sure if there's a "window" for chicks with dirt (just never heard of it, personally. Not saying it isn't a thing)
I know there is a critical time when newborn mammals need colostrum.
I'm wondering if where you got your info was thinking of that, and attributed it to chickens?
Not more experienced than you with this breed, but my only CCL pullet at ~6 weeks old. Yellow legs, noticeable crest forming, legbar pullet color/pattern forming.
(Excluding the complication of colors that cover up other colors)
Your splash birds should always produce blue offspring, unless they're paired with another blue or splash bird. And your splash chickens will never produce black offspring.
However, if you're getting blue chicks from parents...
I'm pretty new to these colors myself. But seems you're much more familiar with them
I have 1 lavender orpington, 2 splash marans, and 1 splash ameraucana. When I received them as 2-3 days old (shipped from hatchery) the splash marans and lavender orp looked literally identical (except feathered...
This is a long shot question, but is there any chance some of the eggs were actually from your splash hen? I've heard of at least one situation where a "green" layer suddenly lays "blue", because the brown paint didn't get added on top (blue shell + brown coat = "green" to our eyes)
Also, if...
Agreed with above. That's absolutely a meat specific bird.
You might be able to find some info from some people on here on how to keep them alive and ... relatively healthy as an adult, but usually these types of birds ("Cornish cross / cornish x" or other broiler/meat chickens) have to be...
I had actually ordered a cream legbar cockerel (blue egg gene, fun feather colors) but he sadly didn't make it. Then my black ameraucana pullet turned out to be a cockerel. Which is convenient, but one less chance at a blue egg.
Fingers crossed you get a speckled green egg! That would be very fun
I don't know why I didn't read the last part the first time.
Also will be exciting to see the F1 eggs
I have an Ameraucana cockerel, and various breeds of pullets (egg colors white, blue/green, tinted, brown speckled). I don't think I can get any dark green eggs, but I'll have a few colors. In...
I've heard people say that with birds and reptiles, crossing siblings is fine.
I assume it's a "once in a while" thing. So assuming the place you got your birds from didn't regularly inbreed, there's likely not an issue if you do.
Sounds like you have a good plan.
I know it takes a while to...
...markets both "Americana" and "Easter Egger". In reality, BOTH are Easter Eggers, as neither of them are the Ameraucana breed.
Some of them might have an ancestor who was an Ameraucana. With easter eggers, when you see beard and muffs, it's often associated with ameraucana.
*edited to fix typo
There's always the possibility of swapping who's with who.
It would be really interesting to see what the OE produces with Marans. But the Ameraucana would definitely give more olives for you.
I see the difficulty in choosing.
Do you put olive eggers in with your Ameraucana? Or is that just...
You said you got an "egger mix"
I assume you mean "assorted colored egg layer" ? That's what's on their website. And it lists the potential breeds in the description.
While it's true they don't sell Ameraucana, they do sell easter eggers and "americana" (which is an easter egger)
Either way...
You could add a camera to see if she is indeed eating eggs.
You could do the roll-away boxes. You could modify your current coop/nest boxes. Or you could block off the current nests, and build a tiny "shed" just large enough for roll-away boxes outside your coop.
These could stress your birds...
I'm assuming you're in the states. And I'm also assuming these are Cottontails.
Somebody earlier recommended finding a wildlife rehab center, and I'll second that, but for a different reason.
Assuming these are Cottontails, they are wild animals. And to my current knowledge, illegal to keep...