BYC's 2026 Valentine's Day Hatch-Along

[gullinkambe]

We're watching the Olympics together! Their first time outside the brooder. Only 15 minutes today, as they're not used to room temps and everything is new.

 

[Debbie292d]

Silkie NN girls have those round head poofs! That’s why I love them. They look like little poodle chickens

Debbie, your girl is gorgeous I am sorry she didn’t fit with your breeding program.

As an update, two of my babies died in the shell They never externally pipped. The last one I gave a little assistance last night and it pushed its way out of the egg overnight and is doing great this morning. Final count on this first batch is 9 chicks - 5 black, 3 paint, 1 lavender. Two of the blacks are NN, the rest are not. The lavender chick looks possibly mottled! If not mottled, it is definitely a mottled carrier. @Debbie292d does this look mottled to you or just a carrier? I do believe the rooster carries mottle and I have hens that carry it as well.

Congratulations! They are gorgeous! I have to get mine to lockdown today. I'm a day later than usual but nobody's pipping so we're good.

As for that being mottled, it's either that, or a splash, so if splash isn't possible, then it's mottled. I'm just used to seeing the markings more definitive.

Chicks that carry one gene express it at hatch, but soon lose it, though they are carriers. If you had both parents with at least one gene, then the offspring that go mottled certainly should keep it!

This is what my single-gened mottled chicks looked like.


And a few weeks later, the female is solid chocolate, and the cockerel is solid black.


They are now about 8 months old in a breeding pen. I'm excited to see what they make. The eggs weren't fertile for this current hatch, so hoping the next batch they will be.

 

[Debbie292d]

We're watching the Olympics together! Their first time outside the brooder. Only 15 minutes today, as they're not used to room temps and everything is new.
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Oh my gosh! SOOO cute!

 

[Slothinc]

Congratulations! They are gorgeous! I have to get mine to lockdown today. I'm a day later than usual but nobody's pipping so we're good.

As for that being mottled, it's either that, or a splash, so if splash isn't possible, then it's mottled. I'm just used to seeing the markings more definitive.

Chicks that carry one gene express it at hatch, but soon lose it, though they are carriers. If you had both parents with at least one gene, then the offspring that go mottled certainly should keep it!

This is what my single-gened mottled chicks looked like.
View attachment 4295747

And a few weeks later, the female is solid chocolate, and the cockerel is solid black.
View attachment 4295748

They are now about 8 months old in a breeding pen. I'm excited to see what they make. The eggs weren't fertile for this current hatch, so hoping the next batch they will be.

Thanks Debbie! Seeing your single gened mottle chicks, makes me think that this one probably is single gened too. It’s definitely not a splash baby so I can rule that out. The lavender makes it look more washed out than a black would though! I have had several single gened mottled chicks in the past, but this baby had more white than those ones, so it got my hopes up a little. But I am sure that it will turn solid lavender as it grows out.

 

[gullinkambe]

Day 32 for the 5 next eggs. 2 has internally pipped.

I thought I had more time, but somehow I've marked things weirdly in the calendar. I had to hurry getting the hatcher back up again. haha! The last batch hatched on day 33-34, expecting the same with these ones.

With the other 3 eggs; 2 are moving, and the third is behind but still alive.