Colorado

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

So my second to last batch of chicks had the two pure white chicks. They feathered out to ivory white and they have green legs. Now I know, know they hatched from a marans egg. How in the heck did that happen? I have cuckoo marans and my black marans roo.. I don't get how the genetics is even possible. I know which egg they came out of.

It makes no sense, whatsoever. The birds are beautiful though, even being so young. Let me see if I can find the cable for my camera to upload them. They are pure white with green legs but so far, more stately than a white leghorn. I have decided that if I could get a flock that looked like them, and they lay pretty eggs...I'd be happy because their feathers are whispyish. They really are gorgeous chicks. Right now my first generation tend to either be all grey, barred pattern, all black or all white from my LF. The greys are beautiful but so far, the barred maran mixes have the sweetest disposition.

If they came from Meyer... They have a 'Rare Marans Assortment' that may have crossed into your stock somehow. They list 'Black Copper Marans, Blue Splash Marans, Golden Cuckoo Marans, Blue Copper & White Marans'.

 

[dennarahl]

First of all I hope you know how funny that last sentence is LOL!

Second, I cuss at least that much in real life, and have to be careful when I am just typing what I'm thinking   I guess between having 3 brothers growing up, and spending the majority of my working life in male-dominated industries, it's just become part of normal speech for me.  I try to mind my manners when I'm around those who are offended by it, of course.

im the samw way til i get comfortable and then watch out, i curse like a sailor

 

[dennarahl]

You had one heck of a weekend, my goodness!  5 was pretty cool for my son, in fact except 4 and then around 13-ish, he was a gem, I have to say.

i hope i get that lucky!

 

[coloradogal]

Here they are tonight hanging out in the kennel.




Notice the green legs. He actually looks evil in this picture. I believe he is a boy.



above: as they were beginning to feather out. They still have that wispy texture to their feathers..which is why I wonder if the silkie is their daddy. I'm just not sure.

 

[Pozees]

I am so glad I moved the older chicks into a larger enclosure - Bob asked when I got home if they were okay because he thought he heard a lot of wing flapping today. I told him they were just testing them out LOL. He was concerned they may have gotten out of the new pen, but when I went down to feed and water they were all safely enclosed and looking so much like chickens already! Even the Silkies, a week younger, are suddenly starting to look much more like chickens (I know, Wendell, if they are in fact chickens LOL).

I had 2 of the new Buttercup pullets reserved for someone who had to cancel, and they are really adorable, I'm tempted to keep them, but probably won't. I reserved some Buttercup eggs from Doc which will probably arrive in the next month or two so I shouldn't need the extras, and have RIR and Blue Cochin hatching eggs arriving later this week that I'm really hoping to see good results from - the Sumatra and Faverolle eggs appear to be a complete bust, tomorrow is the last day I'm waiting before giving up on them. Temp and humidity held pretty well after I added the moist cloth to the hatcher, so I am guessing they just didn't make it. Perhaps the initial drop in humidity did them in, even though it wasn't that long. Some day when I can afford a cabinet hatcher and when I have eggs of my own, so no shipped eggs issues, hopefully hatch rate will improve. In retrospect it's probably amazing I got 5 Silkies to hatch.

I love spring There is something truly amazing about how quickly the little fuzzballs become chickens.

 

[coloradogal]

Here my ab last litter. These guys are mastiff/ab mixes and sadly, one of the puppies was too big so she had to have an emergency c-section. But they are beautiful. Just wanted to share.

 

[coloradogal]

Some day when I can afford a cabinet hatcher and when I have eggs of my own, so no shipped eggs issues, hopefully hatch rate will improve. In retrospect it's probably amazing I got 5 Silkies to hatch.

I can't remember quite how many hatched from my silkie shipment. I had dreams of lavendars and buffs... I have one silkie rooster from a local lady who gave me eggs who's a year next month. A of the eggs and hatchery shipment, I only have 4 of them left. That's it. And they are all black. Go figure. Ohhh, and at least 2 of them are roosters.

 

[Pozees]

Here they are tonight hanging out in the kennel.




Notice the green legs. He actually looks evil in this picture. I believe he is a boy.



above: as they were beginning to feather out. They still have that wispy texture to their feathers..which is why I wonder if the silkie is their daddy. I'm just not sure.

He does look like a boy, and they both look a little Leghorn-ish, don't they? But wrong head, I think, although the way they cock their heads to look at you is so very familiar, so much like the Leghorn pullets I have right now. Then again it's also the same way the Silkies look at me. So, if the Silkie was the daddy and a Marans hen was Mommy, wow, should be really interesting to see how they mature. Sure looks like you have a pair. If you breed them to one another you should be able to see more of what is behind them, right? Theoretically, if they are Silkie x Marans, you would get 25% Silkie, 25% Marans, 50% cross, based on simple genetics but as I said, I have no idea what breeds were used in the Marans so they may be all over the map. If they breed true, you have a new breed, or two purebred something - is there a white Marans? I know next to nothing about Marans. Have 25 Cuckoo Marans pullet chicks arriving tomorrow or Wednesday from Cackle, now I might have to keep one or two to see what they grow out like, just so we have something to compare LOL.

I had a thought the other day - actually more like a nightmare right before I woke up - if you had a flock that consisted of Barred Rocks, Cuckoo Marans, and Dominiques, would you spend every minute reminding yourself which was which? LOL Just random chicken thoughts

 

[Pozees]

I can't remember quite how many hatched from my silkie shipment. I had dreams of lavendars and buffs... I have one silkie rooster from a local lady who gave me eggs who's a year next month. A of the eggs and hatchery shipment, I only have 4 of them left. That's it. And they are all black. Go figure. Ohhh, and at least 2 of them are roosters.

Honestly I feel very lucky with the hatch I did get, there are 2 whites, one of which has silver down, a Blue/Splash, a Lavender (very dark, may be black split to Lavender as that is what the roo is), and a Porcelain. At this age I have no clue which are females and males, but they are beautiful. This was out of 24 eggs shipped from Catdance in WA. The eggs were very fresh, and I think that had a lot to do with getting a hatch. Additionally, she marked the box "Live Embryos" all over the place, and maybe, maybe, it helped in handling.

 

[Pozees]

Here my ab last litter. These guys are mastiff/ab mixes and sadly, one of the puppies was too big so she had to have an emergency c-section. But they are beautiful. Just wanted to share.

Oh lord, I can smell the puppy breath now! Adorable!