5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[Pozees]

ChickenCanoe, I don't vaccinate or use medicated feed either. Exact same reasons. I wrestled with that for a very long time, and once I reached my peace with my decision I had to explain to a really soft-hearted DH why I would not vaccinate for something that can kill birds. He gets very attached to things he takes care of, which is one of the things I love about him, but as time goes on he understands more and more how I decide what I will and will not do. He contributes and does his own research, and it makes for some interesting discussions. He finds things I don't, which is actually very helpful.

 

[Cynthia12]

The first photo looks like a girl if I were to go by feathers. Others, especially the last two..look like little boys. Cute babies.

 

[CackleJoy]

Thank you. There are 27 in the brooders now. Several more on the way.

I also don't vaccinate or use medicated feed as a matter of course. I'm breeding for resistance. I have given Corid in the past when a flock's coccidia got out of control. Usually with dry bedding they get just enough of a dose to become resistant.
I'm trying to limit my mistakes so I don't have to do the time consuming and arduous work of coddling birds. If breeding one's own birds, coddling creates wimps.
I want them to be as independent as possible.

I love this. I too am working on hardy birds.

 

[Myfourladies]

Baby Hawke LOVES her egg!

As you can see her 'shoe' fell off today, but the longer it is off the more her foot curls up again. Should I fasion her a new one? Or since she is able to walk on it leave it?

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Baby Hawke LOVES her egg!

As you can see her 'shoe' fell off today, but the longer it is off the more her foot curls up again. Should I fasion her a new one? Or since she is able to walk on it leave it?

What kind of chick is she??

 

[Gardeningmama]

I'm already planning ahead to the Easter Hatch-A-Long, and have decided I must hatch Cream or Silver Spangled Brabanters. If anyone on here is or knows of a good breeder of these please PM me. I found someone on e bay but they have cream & gold, and I don't want the gold.

 

[Myfourladies]

For those of you with experience with feather sexing...I have a couple of questions.

I'm not sure if I can feather sex my chicks. I did my commercial black pullets, and they all turned out to be, well...pullets! The chicks I hatched are fathered by a Barred Rock, and the moms are either barred rock or Commercial Blacks (hatchery barred rock crossed with who knows what...hatchery said it could be one of many different breeds). So I just don't know if I CAN feather sex them. I guess that's my first question

I have read lots of articles on feather sexing today, just because I wanted to make sure I do it right. I know that if the two sets of feathers are the same size, it's a boy. If one row is longer than the second row, it's a girl. BUT...I also read that if its slow to feather, it's a boy, regardless of the size of the two rows? I'm so confused!

I tried my 5 chicks (the sixth is still in the incubator, recovering from her assisted hatch), and this is where I'm confused...and this is IF I can feather sex these guys.

Yesterday, I could tell that chicks 1 and 2 (numbers signifying which order they were born) were almost certainly boys, and chick 4 was definitely a girl (3 and 5 I couldn't see nothin' but down on the wings)...but with 1 and 2, I had to really look hard because their wing feathers were not as long as chick 4. Today when I did it, it looks like 1 and 2 are girls! (4 definitely still is). Chick 3 is following the same pattern as 1 and 2...wing feathers are short and hard to see through the down, but it looks like two different sized rows. Chick 5 is way too young to tell...can't even SEE wing feathers. So I dunno if chicks 1,2, and 4 are boys are girls...the size of the feathers tell me one thing, but the speed of the growth tell me another!

Also, when I got the commercial black chicks, I was told they were a day old. I feather sexed them at the store, and took pics of the feathers when I got home, that same day. Those wing feathers were a LOT longer than my hatched chicks...and chicks 1 & 2 were born the 1st, chick 3 born right after midnight that same day (well, you know...the 2nd), which makes all 3 chicks over 1 1/2 days old.

Here is one of the CB's at 1 day old (feather shot):



Ugh, this is so frustrating! To top it off, my camera is being a butt, and only takes pictures in "flower" mode, which means no daggone flash. I tried to take pics of the wings, but with one hand holding a wiggling chick, and another with the camera, they suck lol. I'll post them anyway, so you can see what I mean.

Chick 1:


Chick 2:


Chick 3:


Chick 4:


So yeah, help??? LOL

1 and 2 rooster, 3 pullet, 4 I can't see very well but looks like pullet. This is what I have been told..... if all the feathers are the same length- boy if they are 2 different lengths- girl. How fast they feather is more for bantam breeds. Yours should be able to be feather sexed because they are one of the large breeds. But really only time will tell for sure. Don't worry about it, just enjoy your chicks!!

 

[Myfourladies]

What kind of chick is she??

Langshan bantam from eggs Msladyhawke mailed to me.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

1 and 2 rooster, 3 pullet, 4 I can't see very well but looks like pullet. This is what I have been told..... if all the feathers are the same length- boy if they are 2 different lengths- girl. How fast they feather is more for bantam breeds. Yours should be able to be feather sexed because they are one of the large breeds. But really only time will tell for sure. Don't worry about it, just enjoy your chicks!!

That's just it, though...all of them have feathers that are different lengths! I know it's hard to see in the photos...but trust me, every single chick but the 2 that don't have wing feathers yet, have two rows of feathers that are different lengths. If it's true about the speed of the growth being only for bantam breeds, then that means so far I have 4 pullets.

I am enjoying my chicks, but I am a little worried about it, too. My boys each want to pick out one they can call their own. Problem is, I can't let them pick boys. I dunno if you read all of my posts about this hatch...(which is hard to do, I'm sure), but this batch of eggs was a "test run" because I wouldn't be completely devastated if I lost them. They were fertilized by my aggressive roo, Zeus. He went to freezer camp. Anyway, any cockerels that were born will be going to join their daddy when they reach 17 weeks of age, because I will not keep any cockerels fathered by an aggressive roo, nor will I give them to someone knowing that is a very big possibility. The pullets I can keep...even with aggressive genes, they will not be anywhere close to being like an aggressive roo...and I will not be hatching any of their eggs.
I will have quite a fight on my hands if I allow either of my boys to pick a chick that's a male. They both already have their favorites, and I've told them not to pick any out yet till I'm certain which are boys and which are girls.

This is why I'm trying to figure it out

 

[chickengirl1193]

so one of my chicks isnt eating or drinking... it's standing away from the others with its wings and head drooping :/ I cleaned its butt cuz there was a bit of poo stuck but I saw it poop. we gave it some water with a syringe to make sure it's hydrated but it's just not active like the other chicks.