Arkansas Blue egg layers

[Metella]

More good news - the adult cock I have is now daddy of 4 babies - put in the same time as my shipped AB eggs - so he is doing his job and can cover any of these that are hens .... So by this time next year I should have a vibrant AB flock !

I'll be the northern most AB flock in the country. ha ha

 

[farmhand]

Congrats @Metella on all the good news.

 

[1muttsfan]

OK so where are you? Far north Michigan here

 

[Metella]

Central Vermont .... hum - we will close latitude wise !

 

[1muttsfan]

Cold is cold! 64 today and we are rejoicing.

 

[Manningjw]

Hey everyone - this is my first time with AB eggs making it to lockdown. Today is the hatch date, most of my own flocks eggs have pipped. If I remember right, people were saying that AB eggs tended to hatch out a little later than others right? The AB egg that made it to lockdown was practically doing somersaults when I candled it on day 18 so I am hopeful it's healthy development will lead to a successful hatch but also getting nervous because it is the only one.

Out of my own eggs, only 1 chick is out, I can see a lot of pips and am betting in the next few hours I will have 5 or 6 more emerging.

 

[Metella]

All of my ABs in this last hatch except one came out a day later than the mixed flock eggs.

Hope all yours do well !

 

[Manningjw]

Thanks! Hoping for a blue or splash chick...

 

[Manningjw]

After 24 hours of making me extremely nervous, the U of A blue egg finally pipped. It still hasn't hatched but it is working on it. Hang in there little buddy!

I cannot tell yet if it is black or blue.

The rest of my own eggs that will hatch have hatched, I had another 2 quitters after lockdown it looks like. My black Ameraucana eggs hatched out earliest, they were pullet eggs but still produced quite robust little chicks 6/6 that made it to lockdown. I had eggs as old as 14 days that hatched from my Red Star hen, but her eggs had the most quitters likely due to how old they were. They did produce very large and vigorous chicks out of the ones that did hatch though. I am excited for the next generation of olive eggers!

 

[Metella]

Crossing fingers for you !

Also 2 of mine took much longer to dry off and thrive than the other birds - they have totally caught up by day 2 .... but I made sure to fuss over them a little - making sure i stood them near food and water..... One when it was dark, moved around and got in the waterer ..... oh MY could it PEEP for help ! ha ha dried it off and took the waterer out for the night. All is well with morning.

I know I promised pics - I've been so busy .... I WILL set aside time this weekend ... very interesting that my pure AB are almost identical to the 1/2 AB crossed with olive eggers ... that roo did put his color stamp on the chicks.