Broody Hen Thread!

[RachaelR32]

I've hatched black chicks as well from blue and green eggs, but dad was usually a brown egg layer breed.. they grew up to be a lavender color and both laid light blue or greenish eggs..
I don't think all EES have to be chipmunk patterned.. EE to me just means something that lays a different color egg than say brown or white..the chipmunk chicks all seems to have the tufts of feather around their ears or are bearded. .the ones that hatched black never had anything like that tho..more body style of a production bird over an Americauna (know that's spelled wrong)

I think the blue eggs I had were probably a cross between a cream legbar and a black minorca. One of my black ones has a crest like a cream legbar. I've yet to see what colour she lays as she is one of those my broody hatched in January.

 

[RachaelR32]

I've finally got one of my 2 broody girls to sit nicely on eggs. Its in the place she picked as trying to move her at the start of last week didnt work. After the disruption of trying to move her on Monday, she went back to sitting on Thursday and has hardly been off since. I gave her some eggs yesterday so hatch day the 22nd.

The other girl broke a load of her eggs and was off the eggs for longer than I was happy with. So I removed her eggs on day 3. Opening them they looked to have been developing but mosty only about day 2. Since I took all her eggs away she hasn't been on the nest.

Having one 1 broody is easier to manage anyway.

 

[irishsilkie]

I put chicks under this broody an hour ago and she pecked abit but should she be fine this is her now

She's making a soft clocking noise now should I take the 9 chicks out or has she accepted them as her own?

Bumping this up as I need to know

 

[WildHens]

Bumping this up as I need to know

I'd say as long as she's not attacking them or otherwise acting aggressive, she's doing fine ♡ I would keep an eye on her for a few hrs just to be sure

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've hatched black chicks as well from blue and green eggs, but dad was usually a brown egg layer breed.. they grew up to be a lavender color and both laid light blue or greenish eggs..
I don't think all EES have to be chipmunk patterned.. EE to me just means something that lays a different color egg than say brown or white..the chipmunk chicks all seems to have the tufts of feather around their ears or are bearded. .the ones that hatched black never had anything like that tho..more body style of a production bird over an Americauna (know that's spelled wrong)

I don't know that much about EE chickens, but I thought that a crossbreed from a blue/green egg would be an EE. The chicks of mine that hatched from blue eggs were black, not chipmonk.

In attempt to add some clarity in breeds and terminology....since some confusion has been expressed.

The term Easter Egger is used as any bird that is a hybrid, or cross breed, with Ameraucana or Araucana blood...that *should* mean directly, closely, descended from an Ameraucana or Araucana, otherwise the term gets pretty meaningless for the simple fact that Easter Eggers do not breed true and by definition, then, are not a breed. That means for the EE hybrid, one parent is either a pure Ameraucana or a pure Araucana, while the other parent can be anything.

Hybrid EE Chicks can look like almost anything, even from the first hybrid generation, but often come out with the wild type (chipmunk look) as that is a common default genetic appearance for hybrids...it's a matter of adding genes back into a broader gene pool to get the original "wild" type. However, if enough dominant genes are present, from either parent stock, the chick can be black, or white, or some other solid color, or a base color with color trim or pattern. It depends upon what the parent stock looked like...Ameraucanas come in several standard colors that can produce chipmunking and patterning as well as those that are solid color, a few dominant....now add the other non-Ameraucana parent with either solid or pattern...and you get the idea. (Genetics for feather color has a lot of factors for determination of base color and patterns).

So down or feather color does not make "EE." What does make "EE" is relationship to Ameraucana or Araucana and the desirable blue egg shell color...otherwise you've just got mutt birds producing normal eggs. If you take an EE and breed to a non-EE, for the first generation, you statistically get 50% possibility of obtaining a blue egg layer and 50% white or brown, depending upon if the other parent were a white or brown layer. Take those chicks and breed to each other, or worse, to other breeds, and you can see how you can end up with a lot of non-blue egg shell mutt layers unless you attempt to follow that blue shell gene closely, which fortunately is dominant, but can be lost if you don't know what you are doing.

So technically, Easter Egger would only be first generation hybrid with a pure Ameraucana or Araucana as the parentage and enough physical characteristics (beard, green legs, pea comb) are clear enough to show the blue shell gene genetic connection.

You can see how hybrid terminology is handled in the commercial hybrid business. For example, a Red Sexlink is only the first generation cross breeding result of a red based roo (usually a RIR) bred to a silver based female (such as a Delaware) to produce the hybrid known as a Red Sexlink.

You cannot then breed a Red Sexlink to another Red Sexlink, or to anything else, and call the results Red Sexlink or a Red Sexlink cross as the sexlinking characteristics (gender identifiable down color) ends with the first generation.. Further generations of RSL are simply backyard mutt or mongrel. (The term "hybrid" was created by the industry so that the image of mongrel was not associated to the sexlinks by the farming industry which had so recently shifted to preference for "pure breeds" vs. the historic backyard mongrel.)

So can't we just say if it descended from a blue egg it is an EE? RachelR32 has noted that problem.... There are other blue egg layer breeds...Cream Crested Legbars and Isbars are two standardized breeds available in America. So the blue egg could mean something other than EE.

I guess technically any blue/green egg layer is ultimately descended from the original South American birds, but these modern breed and hybrid names are what we have now to label and follow those blue egg shell genes.

Why do people care? Becuase it is in attempt to keep track of that desirable blue gene and physical features (beard, green legs, ear tufts, head crests)...so sloppy terminology can make that a lot harder especially for novice keepers who purchase something descended from an EE thinking they will get blue or green eggs, or hatch any blue egg and think they'll get something that has a cute little beard, green legs, and will lay green eggs.

Historically, chickens were kept by small farmers, and they were ALL backyard mixes. Standardized breeds came about around the early 1900's as farmers enjoyed being able to predict the results and outcomes of their birds...you could know that if you raised this breed you'd get good layers or that breed and you'd get good meat for the table.

It will be interesting to see what develops with the EE. Perhaps in time, there will be some sort of standardization for EE.

But for now, there are simply blue-gene utility layers and unless you follow the blue gene carefully, you can sell or cull or breed that gene away pretty quickly.

My (probably poor) attempt at adding some clarity to the EE and blue egg issue and why I got black chicks instead of chipmunk.

LofMc

 

[RachaelR32]

In attempt to add some clarity in breeds and terminology....since some confusion has been expressed.

The term Easter Egger is used as any bird that is a hybrid, or cross breed, with Ameraucana or Araucana blood...that *should* mean directly, closely, descended from an Ameraucana or Araucana, otherwise the term gets pretty meaningless for the simple fact that Easter Eggers do not breed true and by definition, then, are not a breed. That means for the EE hybrid, one parent is either a pure Ameraucana or a pure Araucana, while the other parent can be anything.

Hybrid EE Chicks can look like almost anything, even from the first hybrid generation, but often come out with the wild type (chipmunk look) as that is a common default genetic appearance for hybrids...it's a matter of adding genes back into a broader gene pool to get the original "wild" type. However, if enough dominant genes are present, from either parent stock, the chick can be black, or white, or some other solid color, or a base color with color trim or pattern. It depends upon what the parent stock looked like...Ameraucanas come in several standard colors that can produce chipmunking and patterning as well as those that are solid color, a few dominant....now add the other non-Ameraucana parent with either solid or pattern...and you get the idea. (Genetics for feather color has a lot of factors for determination of base color and patterns).

So down or feather color does not make "EE." What does make "EE" is relationship to Ameraucana or Araucana and the desirable blue egg shell color...otherwise you've just got mutt birds producing normal eggs. If you take an EE and breed to a non-EE, for the first generation, you statistically get 50% possibility of obtaining a blue egg layer and 50% white or brown, depending upon if the other parent were a white or brown layer. Take those chicks and breed to each other, or worse, to other breeds, and you can see how you can end up with a lot of non-blue egg shell mutt layers unless you attempt to follow that blue shell gene closely, which fortunately is dominant, but can be lost if you don't know what you are doing.

So technically, Easter Egger would only be first generation hybrid with a pure Ameraucana or Araucana as the parentage and enough physical characteristics (beard, green legs, pea comb) are clear enough to show the blue shell gene genetic connection.

You can see how hybrid terminology is handled in the commercial hybrid business. For example, a Red Sexlink is only the first generation cross breeding result of a red based roo (usually a RIR) bred to a silver based female (such as a Delaware) to produce the hybrid known as a Red Sexlink.

You cannot then breed a Red Sexlink to another Red Sexlink, or to anything else, and call the results Red Sexlink or a Red Sexlink cross as the sexlinking characteristics (gender identifiable down color) ends with the first generation.. Further generations of RSL are simply backyard mutt or mongrel. (The term "hybrid" was created by the industry so that the image of mongrel was not associated to the sexlinks by the farming industry which had so recently shifted to preference for "pure breeds" vs. the historic backyard mongrel.)

So can't we just say if it descended from a blue egg it is an EE? RachelR32 has noted that problem.... There are other blue egg layer breeds...Cream Crested Legbars and Isbars are two standardized breeds available in America. So the blue egg could mean something other than EE.

I guess technically any blue/green egg layer is ultimately descended from the original South American birds, but these modern breed and hybrid names are what we have now to label and follow those blue egg shell genes.

Why do people care? Becuase it is in attempt to keep track of that desirable blue gene and physical features (beard, green legs, ear tufts, head crests)...so sloppy terminology can make that a lot harder especially for novice keepers who purchase something descended from an EE thinking they will get blue or green eggs, or hatch any blue egg and think they'll get something that has a cute little beard, green legs, and will lay green eggs.

Historically, chickens were kept by small farmers, and they were ALL backyard mixes. Standardized breeds came about around the early 1900's as farmers enjoyed being able to predict the results and outcomes of their birds...you could know that if you raised this breed you'd get good layers or that breed and you'd get good meat for the table.

It will be interesting to see what develops with the EE. Perhaps in time, there will be some sort of standardization for EE.

But for now, there are simply blue-gene utility layers and unless you follow the blue gene carefully, you can sell or cull or breed that gene away pretty quickly.

My (probably poor) attempt at adding some clarity to the EE and blue egg issue and why I got black chicks instead of chipmunk.

LofMc

Very interesting. EE is not really something that I see referred to over here. People who are looking for a blue egg layer just ask for a blue egg layer and they seem very hard to get. I'm guessing the blue eggs I hatched came from a cream legbar as its the one that is more available here, but still fairly rare. I did see someone selling off clb cockeral chicks less than a week old for only a couple of euro. They are autosexing so the boys can be identified easily. I wished they'd been a bit closer to me as a clb rooster would give me that blue gene in my flock.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Very interesting. EE is not really something that I see referred to over here. People who are looking for a blue egg layer just ask for a blue egg layer and they seem very hard to get. I'm guessing the blue eggs I hatched came from a cream legbar as its the one that is more available here, but still fairly rare. I did see someone selling off clb cockeral chicks less than a week old for only a couple of euro. They are autosexing so the boys can be identified easily. I wished they'd been a bit closer to me as a clb rooster would give me that blue gene in my flock.

Europe does have different standards, definitely. European Araucanas have beards and tails, whereas American must be tail-less and should be ear tufted. Our Ameraucana has the beard and tail. There was, during development, much disagreement between the US Poultry and the European (British) poultry standards, so they developed along their own lines.

I really like my CCL's, and I'm glad they are reasonably common in my area. Getting a pure CCL makes life a lot easier to develop blue or green layers, especially for the rooster as you can't see what he "lays."

You could still get that blue gene with a CCL cross (which I think you hatched?), but it will take a little investigative work.

There are 2 shell color genes for blue. Since blue is dominant, you can have a bird with 1 blue of the 2 possible shell color genes, and the egg shell will still be blue. (Green comes in with the brown wash that covers the egg shell base, which is either blue or white. Brown eggs are a white shell with brown wash. Green eggs are a blue shell with brown wash).

If you take a 1 blue gene cross and breed that to a non-blue gene bird, you'll (by Punnett Square) will get 50% blue layers and 50% non-blue layers.

But if you take that 1 blue gene cross and breed to another 1 blue gene cross, you get 75% blue/green layers (depending on if there is any brown wash, separate genetics)....of those 25% will have the 2 blue genes again....typically showing up as darker blue/green eggs vs. the 1 blue gene egg.

If you then take those darker blue daughters and breed back to the blue gene cross rooster (1 blue gene), you then (by Punnett Square) begin to select for blue genes. The math will get you at 100% blue layers, 50% of which have 2 blue genes.

Keep selecting for darkest blue, and at some point begin testing those roosters for outcomes with those hens (breeding siblings at this point).

You will still have possibility for some throw backs, but as you purify your line you eventually have dominant blue, culling any bird that produces or lays non-blue, until you have only all blue layers with hopefully 2 blue genes.

But a pure bred parent makes life much, much easier rather than starting with a blue gene cross...hence why labeling is important if you want to produce generations with blue/green eggs.

Just FYI, for those interested. (I find the egg color genetics fascinating).
LofMc

 

[WildHens]

In attempt to add some clarity in breeds and terminology....since some confusion has been expressed.

The term Easter Egger is used as any bird that is a hybrid, or cross breed, with Ameraucana or Araucana blood...that *should* mean directly, closely, descended from an Ameraucana or Araucana, otherwise the term gets pretty meaningless for the simple fact that Easter Eggers do not breed true and by definition, then, are not a breed. That means for the EE hybrid, one parent is either a pure Ameraucana or a pure Araucana, while the other parent can be anything.

Hybrid EE Chicks can look like almost anything, even from the first hybrid generation, but often come out with the wild type (chipmunk look) as that is a common default genetic appearance for hybrids...it's a matter of adding genes back into a broader gene pool to get the original "wild" type. However, if enough dominant genes are present, from either parent stock, the chick can be black, or white, or some other solid color, or a base color with color trim or pattern. It depends upon what the parent stock looked like...Ameraucanas come in several standard colors that can produce chipmunking and patterning as well as those that are solid color, a few dominant....now add the other non-Ameraucana parent with either solid or pattern...and you get the idea. (Genetics for feather color has a lot of factors for determination of base color and patterns).

So down or feather color does not make "EE." What does make "EE" is relationship to Ameraucana or Araucana and the desirable blue egg shell color...otherwise you've just got mutt birds producing normal eggs. If you take an EE and breed to a non-EE, for the first generation, you statistically get 50% possibility of obtaining a blue egg layer and 50% white or brown, depending upon if the other parent were a white or brown layer. Take those chicks and breed to each other, or worse, to other breeds, and you can see how you can end up with a lot of non-blue egg shell mutt layers unless you attempt to follow that blue shell gene closely, which fortunately is dominant, but can be lost if you don't know what you are doing.

So technically, Easter Egger would only be first generation hybrid with a pure Ameraucana or Araucana as the parentage and enough physical characteristics (beard, green legs, pea comb) are clear enough to show the blue shell gene genetic connection.

You can see how hybrid terminology is handled in the commercial hybrid business. For example, a Red Sexlink is only the first generation cross breeding result of a red based roo (usually a RIR) bred to a silver based female (such as a Delaware) to produce the hybrid known as a Red Sexlink.

You cannot then breed a Red Sexlink to another Red Sexlink, or to anything else, and call the results Red Sexlink or a Red Sexlink cross as the sexlinking characteristics (gender identifiable down color) ends with the first generation.. Further generations of RSL are simply backyard mutt or mongrel. (The term "hybrid" was created by the industry so that the image of mongrel was not associated to the sexlinks by the farming industry which had so recently shifted to preference for "pure breeds" vs. the historic backyard mongrel.)

So can't we just say if it descended from a blue egg it is an EE? RachelR32 has noted that problem.... There are other blue egg layer breeds...Cream Crested Legbars and Isbars are two standardized breeds available in America. So the blue egg could mean something other than EE.

I guess technically any blue/green egg layer is ultimately descended from the original South American birds, but these modern breed and hybrid names are what we have now to label and follow those blue egg shell genes.

Why do people care? Becuase it is in attempt to keep track of that desirable blue gene and physical features (beard, green legs, ear tufts, head crests)...so sloppy terminology can make that a lot harder especially for novice keepers who purchase something descended from an EE thinking they will get blue or green eggs, or hatch any blue egg and think they'll get something that has a cute little beard, green legs, and will lay green eggs.

Historically, chickens were kept by small farmers, and they were ALL backyard mixes. Standardized breeds came about around the early 1900's as farmers enjoyed being able to predict the results and outcomes of their birds...you could know that if you raised this breed you'd get good layers or that breed and you'd get good meat for the table.

It will be interesting to see what develops with the EE. Perhaps in time, there will be some sort of standardization for EE.

But for now, there are simply blue-gene utility layers and unless you follow the blue gene carefully, you can sell or cull or breed that gene away pretty quickly.

My (probably poor) attempt at adding some clarity to the EE and blue egg issue and why I got black chicks instead of chipmunk.

LofMc

That is more than I ever knew about them...lol.. of course chickens are not hugely popular around me so if I don't have breeders of whatever breed, I know next to nothing..

I've always thought of them as 3 separate but similar breeds if that makes sense, but other than knowing that an EE was somehow related to an Ameraucana I know nothing..lol..
Now I do have some chicks from Super Blue Layers, and I've also heard the same birds (i hesitate to say breed here for obviois reasons..)referred to as Sapphires. .but I've done very little research on them.. but I did get a variety of eggs for the strictly layer flock I'm adding..everything from olive eggers, the Super blues, EEs, and true Ameraucana, some CCL crossed with something else strictly for egg color. . Some have hatched, some are still cooking but this year's hatches I have been keeping super detailed records like egg color it hatched from and pics every few days the first couple weeks and then once a week after that. Hoping it helps me on down the line if I ever decide to pull certain birds for breeding or anything..

And don't think I said it in my ramblings..but thank you so very much for the explanation. ..that is amazing info ♡♡

 

[katatonic123]

What's the difference between sex linked and auto sexing?

 

[WildHens]

I do know this one..lol..autosexing is a trait that breeds true in a breed and sex link is created by breeding 2 different breeds that create babies that can be sexed at hatch, but those babies can't be raised, bred together and produce more sex linked babies. .

Both are ways to have chicks that are able to be sorted male or female as soon as they are mostly dry after hatch..

Now I don't have a clue about most of the genes needed to be present to create a sex link..that's a whole 'nother ballgame