Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[Reyvaughn]

This last hatch was not a happy one.

I hatched 17/18 Ameraucanas on Saturday. I did a staggered hatch and had 7 more to hatch yesterday. All 7 pipped ans zipped. One died after zipping but before it could emerge from the shell. Another one has spraddle leg - badly. Another had some kind of leg issue. It was almost like it had a slipped tendon and was on it's hock. I couldn't get it fixed so my husband had to put it out of it's misery. All but one has/had navel issues. And for some reason, half have some degree of feather sprigs on their legs. Now, why did my other 17 come out healthy and without leg feathering? Their color is off, too. They are more orange colored. All chicks came from the same pen - Dorian and his girls (they don't free range, they don't have a run, they are contained in their shed - no way anyone else 'jumped the fence'). They were all incubated at the same temps and humidity. Only difference is these last 7 were set 5 days after them. And no, my birds do not have any leg feathers/sprigs. I have 20 other chicks from them without leg sprigs.

-shakes head- I know it's incubation and/or age of the eggs set related, but it's heartbreaking, as many know, when you have to euthanize a day old chick, you lose one so close to hatching and you have other defects.

 

[Kismet]

This last hatch was not a happy one.

I hatched 17/18 Ameraucanas on Saturday. I did a staggered hatch and had 7 more to hatch yesterday. All 7 pipped ans zipped. One died after zipping but before it could emerge from the shell. Another one has spraddle leg - badly. Another had some kind of leg issue. It was almost like it had a slipped tendon and was on it's hock. I couldn't get it fixed so my husband had to put it out of it's misery. All but one has/had navel issues. And for some reason, half have some degree of feather sprigs on their legs. Now, why did my other 17 come out healthy and without leg feathering? Their color is off, too. They are more orange colored. All chicks came from the same pen - Dorian and his girls (they don't free range, they don't have a run, they are contained in their shed - no way anyone else 'jumped the fence'). They were all incubated at the same temps and humidity. Only difference is these last 7 were set 5 days after them. And no, my birds do not have any leg feathers/sprigs. I have 20 other chicks from them without leg sprigs.

-shakes head- I know it's incubation and/or age of the eggs set related, but it's heartbreaking, as many know, when you have to euthanize a day old chick, you lose one so close to hatching and you have other defects.

My sympathies are with you - I know how frustrating and sad it is. Especially when you don't know why! I put 28 eggs into lockdown a couple of weeks ago and only 14 of them hatched (and I had orders for 25!

). I opened all the others and none had pipped the first membrane except one - now, why didn't they hatch!! Currently, I have another batch going due in 8 days. I've changed the humidity levels a bit and placed my incubator in a different spot - we'll see if that makes a difference.

Just don't get discouraged! Try again.

 

[Tailfeathers]

My sympathies are with you - I know how frustrating and sad it is. Especially when you don't know why! I put 28 eggs into lockdown a couple of weeks ago and only 14 of them hatched (and I had orders for 25!

). I opened all the others and none had pipped the first membrane except one - now, why didn't they hatch!! Currently, I have another batch going due in 8 days. I've changed the humidity levels a bit and placed my incubator in a different spot - we'll see if that makes a difference.

Just don't get discouraged! Try again.

Ok, I'm confused. Who wrote the "I opened all the others..."?

I don't know what kind of incubator you're using so I will offer some general suggestions:

1) Perhaps something happened where the temp dropped for an extended period of time. Or perhaps the thermometer reading is off. In any case, given that there were numerous fully developed eggs but they did not pip, I would recommend leaving the eggs in the incubator for an extra day or two.

2) I'd be careful about changing the humidity. For one thing, everytime you open the incubator, the humidity will change.

3) Are you hatching hen or pullet eggs? If pullet eggs, your problem may be due to hatching the eggs too early. If I have to hatch from pullets, and I prefer not to, I will wait until they've been laying for at least 6 weeks before collecting. I would definitely like to see my eggs get as close to 2 ounces as I can. I have previously experienced problems with chicks that were fully formed not being able to hatch out. I don't help them out anymore because inevitably they wind up either dying or being a cull down the road anyways. I've also experienced the same leg problems you describe from these smaller pullet eggs. And not just with Ameraucanas either but with other breeds too.

4) As for the feather-legs, that wouldn't have anything to do with the incubation. That's a genetic fault and you will need to trace that back to the specific parents to see who's passing on those genes.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,

 

[tinychicky]

rofl! This picture reminds me of a few of our Bantam Cochins. They steal every egg that's laid and argue over who gets to sit on them. Awesome picture

Thanks but I'm afraid I can't take credit for it! It's the cover of a book called Home to Roost by Bob Sheasly...great chicken-related read if you ever get the chance

 

[Reyvaughn]

4) As for the feather-legs, that wouldn't have anything to do with the incubation. That's a genetic fault and you will need to trace that back to the specific parents to see who's passing on those genes.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,

They don't have full leg feathering. It's just sprigs on their legs. And this batch is the only batch to have chicks with these (only 3 of the 7). I have other people who have hatched and no sprigs. My 20 previous to this hatch, no sprigs. And like I said, even the color of their down is off. They are all just... wrong. This last hatch, they all have problems (leg sprigs, navels, leg problems and color issues). My girls are all hens over a year old, btw.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I have a quick question about beards/muffs.

I have a trio of Blue Wheaten Ameracaunas (bantams) and they all had a nice beard/muff. Now, my roos' beard/muff is gone - except for 2 or 3 little feathers. I was guessing he was going into a molt, but it's been several weeks now. Could the girls be plucking him?

I had them in a smaller 4x4 coop, and have since moved them to an 8x8 just incase it was the girls picking at him.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I have a quick question about beards/muffs.

I have a trio of Blue Wheaten Ameracaunas (bantams) and they all had a nice beard/muff. Now, my roos' beard/muff is gone - except for 2 or 3 little feathers. I was guessing he was going into a molt, but it's been several weeks now. Could the girls be plucking him?

I had them in a smaller 4x4 coop, and have since moved them to an 8x8 just incase it was the girls picking at him.

LOL... Yeah, my girls seem to like a clean shaved man. My boy hasn't had a beard since I got them. They were in an 8x10 stall and now in an 8x10 shed. I only have 6 birds - plenty of space. Oh, and it's just his beard! They don't pull each other's out.

 

[CRYSTALCREEK]

They don't have full leg feathering. It's just sprigs on their legs. And this batch is the only batch to have chicks with these (only 3 of the 7). I have other people who have hatched and no sprigs. My 20 previous to this hatch, no sprigs. And like I said, even the color of their down is off. They are all just... wrong. This last hatch, they all have problems (leg sprigs, navels, leg problems and color issues). My girls are all hens over a year old, btw.

Is it possible that the eggs you collected for this hatch came from a hen that wasn't laying during the previous collection? One that just came out of molt or got over being broody, for instance? It is possible that the genes line up just right (or wrong) when that one hen and the rooster come together to give you the feathering. One hen can theoretically lay 7 eggs in a week.....and if you suspect a certain culprit you can single her out and eliminate her from your breeding pens. Do you have other hens outside this pen that fly and maybe an open top on your shed? Maybe one is sneaking in and laying her eggs, and being bred by the rooster while she's sneaking in so the offspring still look enough like him to make you wonder.... Just thinking of possibilities....

I have hatched one feather-legged chick in all my batches of chicks this spring. And all the parents are clean legged and come from clean legged birds the generation before that....so is can happen.....

Are you talking about lavs? D'Anvers were used by some to introduce the color to the Ameraucana breed.....they have feathered legs....

 

[fowlman01]

This last hatch was not a happy one.

I hatched 17/18 Ameraucanas on Saturday. I did a staggered hatch and had 7 more to hatch yesterday. All 7 pipped ans zipped. One died after zipping but before it could emerge from the shell. Another one has spraddle leg - badly. Another had some kind of leg issue. It was almost like it had a slipped tendon and was on it's hock. I couldn't get it fixed so my husband had to put it out of it's misery. All but one has/had navel issues. And for some reason, half have some degree of feather sprigs on their legs. Now, why did my other 17 come out healthy and without leg feathering? Their color is off, too. They are more orange colored. All chicks came from the same pen - Dorian and his girls (they don't free range, they don't have a run, they are contained in their shed - no way anyone else 'jumped the fence'). They were all incubated at the same temps and humidity. Only difference is these last 7 were set 5 days after them. And no, my birds do not have any leg feathers/sprigs. I have 20 other chicks from them without leg sprigs.

-shakes head- I know it's incubation and/or age of the eggs set related, but it's heartbreaking, as many know, when you have to euthanize a day old chick, you lose one so close to hatching and you have other defects.

It does not matter that they all came from the same pen. You have a pen with multiple females....one or more of the birds in that pen is causing the leg feathering. Unless you trap nest or mate just a pair there is no way to find that bird(s). If you pen breed anything can happen and then it is difficult to find the cause. It is not the incubator. As a matter of fact incubators are blamed for lots of things that were not caused by incubation. Your birds do not normally show any leg feathering, but you have it in one or more birds.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

This bird came out of a mating of white Leghorn bantams that I have kept as a closed flock for over 30 years. I know exactly who the mother and father is and have never had that problem before with that mating. I culled all the offspring and the mom and dad. I have seen a lot of things "pop out" over the years, but this one shocked me. I thought I knew what my birds were carrying after 30 years, but apparently I didn't.

Walt