Ameraucana bred to SOP

[cluckingheck]

Definitely don't want to use Maude, he's got red leakage, that's not desirable in any of the solid colors. His tail sits too high (supposed to be 45 degrees), his comb is not a pea comb, and there's some weird poofiness kind of to the side of his saddles. (So yes, he's probably an EE.)

Although I think he looks kinda cool and would make lovely EEs. If I could make it work, I'd mix that coloring into my spangles in a heartbeat, but I'm pretty sure only Photoshop would get me where I want to go with that.

Daria's and #2's eyes look too dark. I think the standard calls the desired color Bay (like Maude's color). Brown eye color is generally bad across most of the breed standards.

You've got quite the neat mix of hens, so you could just let them all do what they do and hatch a few funky babies for fun.

I know, definitely not using him in anything serious. I was wanting to do some BBS ameraucana & salmon faverolles breeding as a sort of side hobby. But I’d definitely love to get some offspring from him, because he’s the nicest roo I ever had ( though, I only started keeping chickens in 2020, lol ).

So, it seems #1 is the only actual ameraucana I have that has the right eye color but I don’t 100% love her feet color. Mumble is still pretty young and I haven’t looked at her eyes closely, but I think she has dark brown eyes too. I guess that’s something I should work on.

I haven’t done a hatch with my current mix of breeds, but it would 100% be very interesting because I have a little bit of everything.

 

[cluckingheck]

Maude is a gorgeous boy!! While he may not be a true Ameraucana, he would make gorgeous EE babies!!

And he’s very sweet too! You are almost unable to give him treats because 9 times out of 10 he’ll set them down on the ground for his ladies.

I do plan on breeding him with the EE hens I have because that would be even more interesting.

 

[kurby22]

And he’s very sweet too! You are almost unable to give him treats because 9 times out of 10 he’ll set them down on the ground for his ladies.

I do plan on breeding him with the EE hens I have because that would be even more interesting.

Awwww how sweet! My roo should take notes! this is him…taking first crack at the treats and standing in them so no one else can

 

[Tankueray]

I know, definitely not using him in anything serious. I was wanting to do some BBS ameraucana & salmon faverolles breeding as a sort of side hobby. But I’d definitely love to get some offspring from him, because he’s the nicest roo I ever had ( though, I only started keeping chickens in 2020, lol ).

So, it seems #1 is the only actual ameraucana I have that has the right eye color but I don’t 100% love her feet color. Mumble is still pretty young and I haven’t looked at her eyes closely, but I think she has dark brown eyes too. I guess that’s something I should work on.

I haven’t done a hatch with my current mix of breeds, but it would 100% be very interesting because I have a little bit of everything.

From experience, I would suggest only working with one breed first and limit your colors. I kind of went crazy with two breeds and nearly every color in them, plus a few project colors. You'll realize very fast that you're overwhelmed, usually at the worst time, like when a giant freak winter storm is about to hit.

I'm also one of those super anal documentarians, so the spreadsheets and notes took on a life of their own....

If you haven't done a lot of hatching yet, use your flock and get that dialed in first. Hatching and caring for large batches of chicks every 2 weeks is very crazy making!

 

[Alaskan]

A few pictures from this last week.

 

[Alaskan]

Oh, and a freshly hatched chick pic

 

[NNYchick]

What a rough hatching season this year. I’ve had issues with what I thought was fertility because of the crazy spring weather with unseasonably cold spells but now I’m not sure it may be the incubator. But I got my daughter some mottled OEGB eggs from a local breeder and only 50% of them developed, so I’m going to reach out to him to see what his fertility has been this year. From my eggs I’m getting about 50% never developing, about 80% of that develop hatch great, right on time and have lots of vigor but then the other 20% pip start to zip and stop. The ones I assisted (every time I do assist I tell myself never again but then I see that chirping chick and my heart takes over) have membranes stuck to them and crooked toes. Im using a brinsea 58EX temp set at 99.8 and humidity is 42% air cells look where they should be on day10 and lockdown. Hatching in NR360. Any ideas what could be going on?
I’ve got a couple of chicks white with just a little wheaten color from my blue wheaten over wheaten hens which I’m told is a recessive throw back in wheaten, so I’m going to have to do a lot of test mating to find out who is throwing them.
Little discouraged tonight, I lost all 3 of my self blue roosters to a fox a few weeks ago so I was really hoping to have a good hatch this weekend of the last self blue eggs I put in.
On a brighter note the weather is finally gotten warmer and I got the older chicks out to the brooder in the coop.
This is the white chicks I got

This girl is photo bombing because she is PO that there are chicks in her laying spot.

 

[pekin queen]

just FYI i am gong to watch this thread

 

[kurby22]

What a rough hatching season this year. I’ve had issues with what I thought was fertility because of the crazy spring weather with unseasonably cold spells but now I’m not sure it may be the incubator. But I got my daughter some mottled OEGB eggs from a local breeder and only 50% of them developed, so I’m going to reach out to him to see what his fertility has been this year. From my eggs I’m getting about 50% never developing, about 80% of that develop hatch great, right on time and have lots of vigor but then the other 20% pip start to zip and stop. The ones I assisted (every time I do assist I tell myself never again but then I see that chirping chick and my heart takes over) have membranes stuck to them and crooked toes. Im using a brinsea 58EX temp set at 99.8 and humidity is 42% air cells look where they should be on day10 and lockdown. Hatching in NR360. Any ideas what could be going on?
I’ve got a couple of chicks white with just a little wheaten color from my blue wheaten over wheaten hens which I’m told is a recessive throw back in wheaten, so I’m going to have to do a lot of test mating to find out who is throwing them.
Little discouraged tonight, I lost all 3 of my self blue roosters to a fox a few weeks ago so I was really hoping to have a good hatch this weekend of the last self blue eggs I put in.
On a brighter note the weather is finally gotten warmer and I got the older chicks out to the brooder in the coop.
This is the white chicks I got View attachment 3118001View attachment 3118003View attachment 3117999
View attachment 3118028
This girl is photo bombing because she is PO that there are chicks in her laying spot.
View attachment 3118024

I’m sorry about your hatching issues!! That really sucks :-( I am assuming you have extra hygrometers in your NR360? I am finding there are some temp issues in mine so I have been keeping a couple different readings. I am also finding that because of the big clear top, I’m having more success wrapping it in a sweatshirt around 3/4 of it to keep it more even and it’s helped a lot. I also candle and then move the slower developing eggs to multiple spots and they seem to catch up and be pretty even in development and hatch rate. Your babies are adorable

 

[Alaskan]

What a rough hatching season this year. I’ve had issues with what I thought was fertility because of the crazy spring weather with unseasonably cold spells but now I’m not sure it may be the incubator. But I got my daughter some mottled OEGB eggs from a local breeder and only 50% of them developed, so I’m going to reach out to him to see what his fertility has been this year. From my eggs I’m getting about 50% never developing, about 80% of that develop hatch great, right on time and have lots of vigor but then the other 20% pip start to zip and stop. The ones I assisted (every time I do assist I tell myself never again but then I see that chirping chick and my heart takes over) have membranes stuck to them and crooked toes. Im using a brinsea 58EX temp set at 99.8 and humidity is 42% air cells look where they should be on day10 and lockdown. Hatching in NR360. Any ideas what could be going on?
I’ve got a couple of chicks white with just a little wheaten color from my blue wheaten over wheaten hens which I’m told is a recessive throw back in wheaten, so I’m going to have to do a lot of test mating to find out who is throwing them.
Little discouraged tonight, I lost all 3 of my self blue roosters to a fox a few weeks ago so I was really hoping to have a good hatch this weekend of the last self blue eggs I put in.
On a brighter note the weather is finally gotten warmer and I got the older chicks out to the brooder in the coop.
This is the white chicks I got View attachment 3118001View attachment 3118003View attachment 3117999
View attachment 3118028
This girl is photo bombing because she is PO that there are chicks in her laying spot.
View attachment 3118024

First, that hen is fantastic !!!


Second, super odd coloring on the chicks. It isn't a pure white, or even a white with leakage... it is almost a muted porcelain or something. No idea on the genetics of that... strange.

And... to the hatching! I would actually look at nutrition. Even when you buy prime products, if they are old, or just spent one afternoon in a super hot truck or trunk.... then the nutrition drops.

Anyway... this link has a good table of possible causes. Make sure you click on the specific issue that applies to you, to get the possible causes.

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html