A Bielefelder Thread !

[wildchickenmom]

I forgot to ask...how old are your chicks in these photos? The bottom one could be a Biel pullet, and the one above a Biel cockerel, but the others seem too dark. I'll be interested in seeing how much they change as they grow. I suspect there could be a good chance that they're Biel mixed with something else, which could give you some pretty spectacular chicks. Right now I'm not seeing Cream Legbar in them, but I'm not experienced with the breed so I can't be certain.

There are a few that look like Bielefelders, but are a lot darker. I'm curious to see how they change too! I'll have to take pictures of the ones that have the little poofs on their heads, those ones I think may be cream Legbars. They are all four weeks old in these pictures. Thank you so much for the reply!

 

[wildchickenmom]

Wish I could tell you how to rectify the situation, but unfortunately there are just some really unscrupulous people out there. I've had similar occurrences with two breeders to date, one that sold me Bielefelder eggs that wouldn't hatch and were even infected with pullorum, and one Dorking breeder that sold me eggs that were so poorly shipped that most of them were destroyed in the mail (several were destroyed because she wrapped tape around the eggs without a buffer), and the one egg that hatched was a Dorking/Polish mix. Perhaps as they get older you can continue to research their appearance, post photos and ask for input from others if this breeder simply won't respond. Try treating it like a scavenger hunt for info and try to enjoy your babies as much as possible. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised in the long run by what you end up with. This is the Dorking/Polish mix I wound up with. He's very sweet and very handsome....and very noisy, but I try to look past that. And this is the son he just gave me, who is even sweeter in temperament than his daddy so far:

These guys are adorable! And thank you so much for your reply. I'm super in love with my little flock already, and I definitely love a good mystery, lol. I'm just surprised the breeder is being so difficult. They have a nice web page, facebook, we emailed back and forth for a few months. It's a family farm. I mean, I paid good money for what I thought I was getting - but obviously I'm going to keep what I have now Thank you so much either way, not that I'm glad to hear anyone else has had troubles with eggs or chicks!

 

[Red Banks]

You have some beautiful birds! Is that a Salmon Faverolle hanging out with your Biel pullet?

Thank you! It is a blue Wheaten Ameraucana. Wheaten Ameraucauna cockerel in the second pic. Assorted in the first pic, Cuckoo Marans, Biels, Marans and black Ams.

 

[DesertChic]

Thank you! It is a blue Wheaten Ameraucana. Wheaten Ameraucauna cockerel in the second pic. Assorted in the first pic, Cuckoo Marans, Biels, Marans and black Ams.

Really? Well now I have another breed to covet. She's adorable!

 

[Red Banks]

Really? Well now I have another breed to covet. She's adorable!

Thank you, wait till you see them full grown! These belong to my friend Susan at Sand Castles Farm. That is where the little pullet you like so much is from.

 

[altair]

For those that have hatched Bielefelder eggs, was there a difference in procedure compared to other breeds?

I had 24 eggs of 3 different breeds, all roughly collected within a week or so time frame. The two other breeds have been hatching quite well for two days now, but none of the 4 Bielefelder eggs have pipped. It's almost day 23.

I've noticed their air cells were smaller than the other breeds which might be from the size of the egg and the thickness of the shell. I'm tempted to do a second clutch ALL bielefelders so I can tailor the humidity better for them.

 

[goldie1234]

Sweet little roo!

 

[crawford-3546]

For those that have hatched Bielefelder eggs, was there a difference in procedure compared to other breeds?

I had 24 eggs of 3 different breeds, all roughly collected within a week or so time frame. The two other breeds have been hatching quite well for two days now, but none of the 4 Bielefelder eggs have pipped. It's almost day 23.

I've noticed their air cells were smaller than the other breeds which might be from the size of the egg and the thickness of the shell. I'm tempted to do a second clutch ALL bielefelders so I can tailor the humidity better for them.

I let my last batch run for 5 extra days. I did have a couple more hatch. I only had 4 eggs this time and am on day 25. Don't think they're gonna hatch, not even a pip.

 

[Coop de Grass]

I let my last batch run for 5 extra days. I did have a couple more hatch. I only had 4 eggs this time and am on day 25. Don't think they're gonna hatch, not even a pip.

I think that somewhere on this thread there is a statement that the hatch rate for Bielefelders is low. I put 7 eggs in the incubator and got 2 chicks, 1 of each.

 

[crawford-3546]

I'm just going to keep on and adding one at a time.