Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

2 more have hatched overnight and another is fully zipped and resting. All it needs to do is straighten it's neck out and it will be fully hatched. I will say I now have 3 definite keepers. One of the new ones is throwing me for a loop a little bit. It is probably blue, but its color is just so light compared to the rest of the blue chicks. I need to wait until it is fully dry and fluffed up and I will get your all's opinions. I first saw it and thought how the heck did I end up with a white one. It is not white though, there is some color to it. I will have to keep this one, my only other blue partridge and 1 of the many solid blues.

You know, if I were another generation along I would call this chick a splash. It can't be though I do not think. I would need blue gene's from both parents right? The blue is only coming from Barbosa and Davy as they both hatched from eggs from a BBS pen. My hens do not carry blue.

Unless we think of Grandma Poppet. Have I had a dark blue partridge all along and just never realized it?

 

[featherhead007]

2 more have hatched overnight and another is fully zipped and resting. All it needs to do is straighten it's neck out and it will be fully hatched. I will say I now have 3 definite keepers. One of the new ones is throwing me for a loop a little bit. It is probably blue, but its color is just so light compared to the rest of the blue chicks. I need to wait until it is fully dry and fluffed up and I will get your all's opinions. I first saw it and thought how the heck did I end up with a white one. It is not white though, there is some color to it. I will have to keep this one, my only other blue partridge and 1 of the many solid blues.

You know, if I were another generation along I would call this chick a splash. It can't be though I do not think. I would need blue gene's from both parents right? The blue is only coming from Barbosa and Davy as they both hatched from eggs from a BBS pen. My hens do not carry blue.

Unless we think of Grandma Poppet. Have I had a dark blue partridge all along and just never realized it?
View attachment 4118823View attachment 4118824View attachment 4118825

You are their mama, the one and only first contact with human beings. You have an obligation to keep everyone of them safe and in your care! I’ll check in with you in six months!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I am so thankful I went back and checked to see if the "fully" zipped chick was out. When I shone the light on it one of the others knocked the egg over and I instantly knew there was a problem. Do not ask me how with humidity at 62% but the little one was shrink wrapped and only halfway zipped.

I immediately pulled the egg and the chick was peeping, but faintly. I dipped my fingers in the cup of water I had beside the incubator to keep the humidity up and started trying to soften the membrane. It was like glue and very stubborn. With some effort I removed the membrane and finished hatching out the chick. He/she is alive but very tired. I almost caught that one too late. I'm hoping all it needs is a few hours rest in the incubator to recover. When I put it back I removed the egg shells and checked the rest of the eggs. No pips but when I picked each one up to quickly check I hear peeping from each egg.

Now the hatch has went from smooth going to stressful and I need to very closely monitor the remaining eggs.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

You are their mama, the one and only first contact with human beings. You have an obligation to keep everyone of them safe and in your care! I’ll check in with you in six months!

You enabler you, oh don't tempt me. I could very easily keep every single one of them for myself.

I'm sticking with 4 to 5, 6 at most. In the end I'm hoping for 2 or 3 girls to keep. I know there is no way I will get as lucky as last year and have all of them be pullets.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Their first cuddle puddle. Unfortunately I had to open the incubator again because the paper towels had stuck to the top part and it was having airflow issues (or something, beeps 3 times)

Honestly room, game chooks can be trained to be lap chooks. I almost have Nacho trained, but one of her chicks, is already waiting on a name! I thought about Marie, my plane is already named after her. Crazy that they both can fly! View attachment 4118822

She seems like a Sparkle or Spark to me. The white one could be Propella

Three chicks are dry enough to confirm...CHEEKY POOFS

 

[Sylvester017]

Not all leghorns have floppy combs, some just lean a little.

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Yep, leaning a little was what I was hoping for the first year I saw straight-type combs on our White or our Buff Leghorns. The White Leghorns were pure Legs & not hybrid layers. We didn't keep the Buffs past a year so not sure how their combs looked after a year but here are some comb progression pics of the White & Buffs.

Dec 2011 ~ we did not get this White Leghorn as a chick. Our friend's Whites all got floppy combs over a year old also.

Aug 2012 ~ she is about a year-&-a-half old leaning comb but not really obstructing vision

Mar 2013 ~ amazing how huge the comb got flopping side to side

Jun 2013 ~ Buff chicks

July 2013

Aug 2013

Oct 2013

We figured the Buffs were created by the breeder using Orp crossbreeding? The combs were getting big but we didn't keep the Buffs long enough to see how floppy the combs got.

 

[BY Bob]

Brrrrrrrrrrr!

It is very cold today for May. 48°F (~9°C) with rain. It's a raw day. This is the coldest since the little ones have been outside. I have been checking on them constantly. They have been on the roost in front of the heat panel which I have turned on high. Just now I caught them hanging around the heat plate. J did not realize how much they have grown so I went out and moved the heat plate to max height for them in case they want to snuggle underneath.

They seem active when they are not snuggling up to some warmth so I believe they will be fine. But I worry.

 

[BY Bob]

View attachment 4118719
3 have fully hatched, 1 is resting before coming out the rest of the way. I did have to go in and remove one of the egg carton pieces with three shells to make room for the chicks, as they were on the center giving the incubator an error. The one resting is from the waxed egg.
View attachment 4118720
I see one has crept onto the center again, little booger.
View attachment 4118721
It is so cute hearing the other chicks cheer them on to hatch.

That must be wonderful. I just can't even imagine how cute it is.

 

[BY Bob]

Marilyn?

That's a great name suggestion!

 

[rural mouse]

2 more have hatched overnight and another is fully zipped and resting. All it needs to do is straighten it's neck out and it will be fully hatched. I will say I now have 3 definite keepers. One of the new ones is throwing me for a loop a little bit. It is probably blue, but its color is just so light compared to the rest of the blue chicks. I need to wait until it is fully dry and fluffed up and I will get your all's opinions. I first saw it and thought how the heck did I end up with a white one. It is not white though, there is some color to it. I will have to keep this one, my only other blue partridge and 1 of the many solid blues.

You know, if I were another generation along I would call this chick a splash. It can't be though I do not think. I would need blue gene's from both parents right? The blue is only coming from Barbosa and Davy as they both hatched from eggs from a BBS pen. My hens do not carry blue.

Unless we think of Grandma Poppet. Have I had a dark blue partridge all along and just never realized it?
View attachment 4118823View attachment 4118824View attachment 4118825

Actually, you very well might have a blue partridge in her....hmmm....she almost looks like she has some barring, too...