Colorado

[wsmith]

Wendell, I'm so gosh darn surprised. Hours after the others have hatched, the little dominique mutt baby has just pipped and looks as though she is trying hard to come into the world. I truly didn't expect to see any more pipping as I'm in the 22nd day. But she is. That will be #10 if she makes it. There doesn't seem to be much action in the other eggs but maybe they are late bloomers too.


update: she made it. she looks much the same as most of the others but her belly is a deep yellow as is her wing tips. that doesn't surprise me as cuckoo marans and dominiques both have that barred black/white pattern. I'll take a picture after she gets transferred into the brooder.

Cool! Can you tell the boys from the girls? I don't know if the sex link trait is dominant or not.....Who is the father? The Maran?

 

[coloradogal]

Cool! Can you tell the boys from the girls? I don't know if the sex link trait is dominant or not.....Who is the father? The Maran?

Sadly, I think the marans is the daddy for all of them as my frizzles and silkie roos seem to be incapable of performing the needed motion. I have seen them try but mostly it's a pathetic effort at best. I suspect the peace in my coop with the many roosters I have is due to my big boy just laughing to himself at the girly roos fumbling around. sigh.

I do not know about the sex link trait on them. The only one that looks different is the little greyish one that came from the light green/white egg and the little dom egg. Even the green eggs that hatched look very similar to the cuckoomarans/black marans mix.

In my last 3 batches, I couldn't tell who was who until they feathered out. The cuckoo marans were barred black and white and the easter egger mixes went from lavendar to my brothers speckled mutts. He also got some phoenix crossed with the easter eggers as their tails are longer and their coloring is beautiful.

My only consolation is the grey baby I hatched a few months ago is still beautiful, one of my cuckoo/black marans mixes is incredibly sweet as she follows me around the coop just waiting to be held. My brother got the best mixes in the hatch I did for him last time which is why I'm hatching more for him now. This time, without the phoenix, they just seem more boring. It'll be interesting to see the color of the phoenix/easter egg crosses.

 

[wsmith]

Sadly, I think the marans is the daddy for all of them as my frizzles and silkie roos seem to be incapable of performing the needed motion. I have seen them try but mostly it's a pathetic effort at best. I suspect the peace in my coop with the many roosters I have is due to my big boy just laughing to himself at the girly roos fumbling around. sigh.

I do not know about the sex link trait on them. The only one that looks different is the little greyish one that came from the light green/white egg and the little dom egg. Even the green eggs that hatched look very similar to the cuckoomarans/black marans mix.

In my last 3 batches, I couldn't tell who was who until they feathered out. The cuckoo marans were barred black and white and the easter egger mixes went from lavendar to my brothers speckled mutts. He also got some phoenix crossed with the easter eggers as their tails are longer and their coloring is beautiful.

My only consolation is the grey baby I hatched a few months ago is still beautiful, one of my cuckoo/black marans mixes is incredibly sweet as she follows me around the coop just waiting to be held. My brother got the best mixes in the hatch I did for him last time which is why I'm hatching more for him now. This time, without the phoenix, they just seem more boring. It'll be interesting to see the color of the phoenix/easter egg crosses.

Does the dom X have dark legs and beak? Is the head spot fairly well defined? In purebred Doms, the females have dark legs and beaks and a more defined head spot than the males. Just curious to see if the trait follows.....

 

[maggiemo]

I had a frozen and cracked egg this morning. The rest were ok and I'll be sure to check every hour or two today.
This is my first winter, I am wondering if I need to do something to the coop if the eggs are freezing?

 

[AlivianAcres]

had to put the ladies back in the coop...I sat at the kitchen table and watched a hawk swoop down and try to get one 3 times...I am NOT about to loose another bird right now!

 

[wsmith]

I had a frozen and cracked egg this morning. The rest were ok and I'll be sure to check every hour or two today.
This is my first winter, I am wondering if I need to do something to the coop if the eggs are freezing?

When we built our coop, we put the nest boxes on the south facing wall, to keep the wrmth of the winter sun, and to be cooler in the summer. We also check for eggs several times a day, otherwise during the very cold times they will freeze. Of course, my hens think that there are really only two nest boxes, instead of 6, and those two get used constantly, keeping the eggs already laid in them warm...or at least not frozen. usually...

 

[wsmith]

had to put the ladies back in the coop...I sat at the kitchen table and watched a hawk swoop down and try to get one 3 times...I am NOT about to loose another bird right now!

Hawls are my biggest flock safety concern.

Can't legally shoot them, very difficlut to keep them out. We have been lucky.

Hawks are easy opportunists. If they don't have succes on the first couple of tries, they usually move on...

 

[maggiemo]

When we built our coop, we put the nest boxes on the south facing wall, to keep the wrmth of the winter sun, and to be cooler in the summer. We also check for eggs several times a day, otherwise during the very cold times they will freeze. Of course, my hens think that there are really only two nest boxes, instead of 6, and those two get used constantly, keeping the eggs already laid in them warm...or at least not frozen. usually...

My nest boxes are on the south side but I had them built externally to save room in the coop. I guess that wasn't too smart.

 

[Mtn Margie]

I had a frozen and cracked egg this morning. The rest were ok and I'll be sure to check every hour or two today.
This is my first winter, I am wondering if I need to do something to the coop if the eggs are freezing?

If I have one that freezes, I just put it in a cup and use that as an excuse to bake something....

 

[wickedlees]

Little update, still we are getting 2 eggs a day where we were getting 3, so in MY mind the traumatized girl has not layed an egg since the 24. I hope she settles down and mellows out soon. lots of treats