Full Mottle(d) Jacket.. - my journey to a colorful coop...

[AbL]

The tiny monochromes are celebrating there 14 days. They seem not to grow (but they do) and are still very tiny, compared with the M Fs.
I'm not sure the grayish are really blue or will get black completely. If not, it's a very very slate blue...

 

[AbL]

JC didn't make it. Went back to the vet with her today, because no improvement since Friday. We decided to euthanize her. Although she was eating when possible, and on high dosed vitamins, she wasn't able to get up, just creeping around the box on on side with feet trembling.
I still hope it was a a severe vitamin deficiency with nerve damage and no virus. The others are still in top form, fingers crossed that this was an isolated event.
Rest in peace JC

 

[AbL]

The circle of life.. When I came home from the vet with JC I found three pipped eggs in the incubator (right on time, but I hadn't really paid attention today) and the first one has already hatched two hours after. A little wheaten mottled chick (confirmation hatch from my mille-fleur hen and buff blue tailed rooster) . Photos later

 

[AbL]

Those are the three little ones from two days ago..

 

[AbL]

And speaking of the circle of life...found my not-so-old rooster this morning staggering around, having trouble to stay upright, comb very purple... he nearly fell when hopping out the coop, but went on picking the food. Got a vet appointment this evening. I hope not it's the same as JC.. this would mean some sort of virus infection... crossing fingers

 

[AbL]

Rest in peace "Coq papy"
My dear gentlemen rooster died today of unknown cause. Within 24h he lost all is power and will. The vet said that he was nearly starved and dehydrated , although I saw him eating 48h ago, and on a regular basis before.

He got vitamin shots and was hydrated, taken in under a heatlamp and died a few hours later with a short ruffle of feathers.
I still don't know if it's related to the sick chick from last week, but I sincerely hope not. All others are fine for the moment, then again, he was too, visibly yesterday morning. I will monitor them closely.

I got some of his offspring and hope his kind and calm demeanor has passed onto his sons.

He will be missed!

 

[AbL]

8 weeks into the adventure update...
The little mille-fleurs have moved successfully to the main coop, they are around 7 weeks old now, fully feathers. They enjoy the large space.

The "monochromes", 5 weeks, turn out to be a back mottled cockerel and 2 blue pullets (one surely mottled, the other one solid blue or very few mottled), they have adopted the three wheaten-mottled chicks from last week, to the point that they accept to let them sleep in-between them. This is so cute!

And finally, this morning a chick hatched, from the eggs I collected when I got the new golden neck, blackface and chocolate hens earlier this month, I don't know which one was laying at that point, but they were with roosters beforehand. So the offspring are going to be literal egg-surprise. So far a little yellow one has hatched.

 

[AbL]

Update on the first half of surprise eggs:
5/5 successfully hatched, one solid black, one grayish, two yellow with blue (?) and one light yellow getting already white wings (so maybe splash..or golden neck)
The last five will arrive shortly, two already pipped! They are due for today.

 

[AbL]

We are now complete... the last five chicks have hatched yesterday. I count now 28 heads in total 6 adults, 9 youngsters and 13 baby chicks.
8 in the "monochrome class" and 20 in the I the mottled section.
They have to make space in the main coop.

And now since I have decided who to keep, I have to find names - a lot of names

 

[AbL]

These are my now 2 month old millefleurs... cute little feather balls. They still miss the typical straight up tail; but that will come I hope.