Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[aart]

effectively put us at war

Thinks you're already there...unless she gets a conscious and backs off with apologies.
This is why I live 'in the woods'.

 

[K0k0shka]

I may have misremembered the deck thing...thought you mentioned it after your first convo with the 'nice guy'.

You haven’t misremembered, I did get a letter from the town about a building permit request. Will check with the town today.

 

[K0k0shka]

Thinks you're already there...unless she gets a conscious and backs off with apologies.
This is why I live 'in the woods'.

I love the woods, but there were other factors to consider when buying the house, like jobs, schools and commutes, so it’s not that easy. But some day, maybe, when I retire, I’m gonna want to be far away from people and live with my chickens, goats and my old man, out in peace in the woods

 

[K0k0shka]

Here are some headshots for sex guessing fun @UThobbyfarmer thoughts? I’m seeing a lot of boys... I’m fairly certain about 2, 6 and 7, and suspect a bunch more, but I’m not very experienced. Sorry about the poor quality... Moving targets!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I concur. 2,6,7 are almost certainly roos. Some of the others are trickier like the partridge. It's red but it's much more difficult to make a guess without another chick of the same variety to compare it. Or already having familiarity with the breed. The Barnevelder I've read have the males and females express the double lacing differently. If you knew enough about the pattern/coloration I think you could make some educated guesses.

I feel like Orpingtons pullets look much more masculine than other breeds. Huge legs, large bodies, big combs. I know that's one of the breeds you're working with so it's worth mentioning.

Here's a side by side of some Isbar/Silverudd's I hatched this year. They're 6 weeks old in this pic. 1 roo (Splash) and 2 pullets (blue). If you look at the pullets by themselves, sans roo, you could easily guess they were roos also. By looking at all 3 together you see the bigger picture. This was my first time with that breed. I was surprised the pullets got red combs so quickly. The roos started to color up at only a couple days old. They just seem to mature early. Still took me awhile to say with confidence what they were.

 

[K0k0shka]

I concur. 2,6,7 are almost certainly roos. Some of the others are trickier like the partridge. It's red but it's much more difficult to make a guess without another chick of the same variety to compare it. Or already having familiarity with the breed. The Barnevelder I've read have the males and females express the double lacing differently. If you knew enough about the pattern/coloration I think you could make some educated guesses.

I feel like Orpingtons pullets look much more masculine than other breeds. Huge legs, large bodies, big combs. I know that's one of the breeds you're working with so it's worth mentioning.

Here's a side by side of some Isbar/Silverudd's I hatched this year. They're 6 weeks old in this pic. 1 roo (Splash) and 2 pullets (blue). If you look at the pullets by themselves, sans roo, you could easily guess they were roos also. By looking at all 3 together you see the bigger picture. This was my first time with that breed. I was surprised the pullets got red combs so quickly. The roos started to color up at only a couple days old. They just seem to mature early. Still took me awhile to say with confidence what they were.

View attachment 2141958
View attachment 2141959
View attachment 2141961

Wow, you are right! Looking at your pullets in isolation, I would’ve guessed they were roosters. But the actual rooster is even more rooster-like. I really wish I had at least another partridge... but that was the least successful of all my varieties. Only 1 out of 6 hatched. And it’s everybody’s favorite, friendly and full of character! We’ll be devastated if it ends up a rooster.

From what I’ve read about Barnevelders, I know that the males don’t have the double-laced pattern. However, when I look up sexing Barnevelders, people are saying they’re really hard to figure out until very late. So I’m very confused. I thought the lacing would make it easier... They don’t show the full pattern until they molt a few times as they grow, so maybe that’s why? Mine are all over the place at this point. Some have a single lace, one is starting to show a second little line inside the outer lace, and one looks barred! I think I’ll ask the breeder I got the eggs from.

The chicks in the first and last of the photos have the smallest combs and look the most pullet-like right now. Interestingly, they are the most docile (first photo) and least docile (last photo) of all. They’re all very friendly, these are just at the edges of the gradient.

The first one is the only one to have taken a “walk” outside. The a-hole neighbor rents out the first floor of his house and the family who moved in are very nice. They have a toddler, so yesterday I took this chick out and showed it to her through the fence. She loved it! The chick just made itself comfortable in my arms and settled in, observing quietly. Too bad we’ll cut that kid off from the chickens soon. We’ll be putting up a 7-foot-tall solid privacy fence along that property line to wall off the a-holes from us. The neighbors next to their house already have such a fence, the third side is their garage, and the 4th side is their house, with the grass in the middle having about the same square footage as my chicken run. So they’ll be boxed in and lose the only view of foliage they had (my yard is several times the size of theirs and very green with trees and shrubs).

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Wow, you are right! Looking at your pullets in isolation, I would’ve guessed they were roosters. But the actual rooster is even more rooster-like. I really wish I had at least another partridge... but that was the least successful of all my varieties. Only 1 out of 6 hatched. And it’s everybody’s favorite, friendly and full of character! We’ll be devastated if it ends up a rooster.

From what I’ve read about Barnevelders, I know that the males don’t have the double-laced pattern. However, when I look up sexing Barnevelders, people are saying they’re really hard to figure out until very late. So I’m very confused. I thought the lacing would make it easier... They don’t show the full pattern until they molt a few times as they grow, so maybe that’s why? Mine are all over the place at this point. Some have a single lace, one is starting to show a second little line inside the outer lace, and one looks barred! I think I’ll ask the breeder I got the eggs from.

The chicks in the first and last of the photos have the smallest combs and look the most pullet-like right now. Interestingly, they are the most docile (first photo) and least docile (last photo) of all. They’re all very friendly, these are just at the edges of the gradient.

The first one is the only one to have taken a “walk” outside. The a-hole neighbor rents out the first floor of his house and the family who moved in are very nice. They have a toddler, so yesterday I took this chick out and showed it to her through the fence. She loved it! The chick just made itself comfortable in my arms and settled in, observing quietly. Too bad we’ll cut that kid off from the chickens soon. We’ll be putting up a 7-foot-tall solid privacy fence along that property line to wall off the a-holes from us. The neighbors next to their house already have such a fence, the third side is their garage, and the 4th side is their house, with the grass in the middle having about the same square footage as my chicken run. So they’ll be boxed in and lose the only view of foliage they had (my yard is several times the size of theirs and very green with trees and shrubs).

I noticed that barred bird in your Barnvelders too. That's what got me thinking about maybe it was a gender indicator. Since that one is a likely a roo. I couldn't find any solid information or good picture comparison through Googling. Which was disappointing. Definitely ask the breeder and share what they say.

The only 2 Double Silver Laced Barnevelder I've hatched with both pullets. I gave one away at about 5 weeks old. They both already had double lacing but only around the shoulder and wing area. The rest of their body was black. The keeper is now 13 weeks and continuing to fill out color wise. Your birds coloring is filling in faster. I'd guess that just difference between the lines. Fun to watch!

Crummy neighbors can make life miserable. That woman sounds truly unpleasant. I avoid negative people like that. Hopefully the privacy fence and standing your ground does the trick. No eggs for her!

Are you almost back to work? Seems like most people are slowly transitioning back to normal life.

 

[K0k0shka]

I noticed that barred bird in your Barnvelders too. That's what got me thinking about maybe it was a gender indicator. Since that one is a likely a roo. I couldn't find any solid information or good picture comparison through Googling. Which was disappointing. Definitely ask the breeder and share what they say.

The only 2 Double Silver Laced Barnevelder I've hatched with both pullets. I gave one away at about 5 weeks old. They both already had double lacing but only around the shoulder and wing area. The rest of their body was black. The keeper is now 13 weeks and continuing to fill out color wise. Your birds coloring is filling in faster. I'd guess that just difference between the lines. Fun to watch!

Ooh, would you mind sharing any photos of yours? Especially if you have any photos around the age mine are now - 4 months - just so I can see what the pullets look like. I'm very confused by the lack of sexing information too, especially because this one seems like it would be so easy, with the gender-specific feather pattern. I'll let you know what the breeder says. Her Barnevelders have gorgeous double lacing - very high-contrast and well defined. I was surprised to see my chicks show so much lacing so early on, as most chick pictures of Barnevelders I've seen don't have a lot of lacing definition or coverage when this young. I guess she must be selecting for good lacing. Here's what her adults look like:

The hen on the left in the front looks like she may even have triple lacing on her tail!

Crummy neighbors can make life miserable. That woman sounds truly unpleasant. I avoid negative people like that. Hopefully the privacy fence and standing your ground does the trick. No eggs for her!

Yeah, she's totally unreasonable, which is the most frustrating part. She doesn't object because of any particular problem she has with the chickens (she hasn't even seen any chickens yet). She "just wants it all gone". That's it. Just get rid of it. The level of entitlement is just unbelievable. When you choose to buy a house in a thickly settled neighborhood, you are accepting the fact that you have to look at neighbors and their stuff, and that you can't control what they have in their yards. If it's not illegal, you just can't control it, I'm sorry. Ugh. Fence is going up soon.

Are you almost back to work? Seems like most people are slowly transitioning back to normal life.

I'm lucky to be able to work from home, so my company is in no rush to go back to the office. MA isn't doing so well infection-wise so there's no rush to reopen over here, and I won't be leaving the house for a good long while. My husband has a compromised immune system because of a chronic condition, and we can't risk him getting sick. Are you going back out over there?

This lockdown has had its benefits though. We're home all day to enjoy the chickens and go visit them whenever we want!

 

[K0k0shka]

The chicks turned 1 month old today, and, as a special birthday treat, we let them outside for the first time! I wanted to do it sooner, but building the run has been taking SO long. Chipping away at it little by little whenever I have time. It’s still not 100% done, but it’s done enough to keep them in, under supervision, while I keep working on the rest. They loved it! We let them out for an hour before sundown. I won’t put the run litter down yet until they’ve destroyed the grass So they scratched around a “natural” yard today. It was in the 50s all day, but sunny, and they’re almost fully feathered out by now. I had to show them how to get back inside at the end. First I went in the coop, stuck my head out through the pop door, and called them over. They ran to me, but ignored the ramp and just stood next to it, under the pop door, squeaking pitifully. I tried to lure them up to the ramp, but they weren’t getting the hint. I had to go back out and pick them up one by one, and walk them up the ramp to show them. They were very hungry from all that exploring, so they went straight for their feeder instead of flying back out, which was a relief (as they didn't want to go back in at first).

I’ll take nice pictures of the run setup when it’s finished. So far I’m very happy with how it’s come together. I gave it a clear polycarbonate roof and I stained the wooden frame dark brown, it’s gonna be a good looking structure

Here are the chicks, enjoying their freedom:

The kids teaching them how to eat grass :

 

[adirondak5]

Looks like a great run for them , can't believe how big they've gotten .