Got our chicks! 2 Notes and a question

[DawnSusan]

We got our chicks on Saturday -- 2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 of what they said was Araucanas, but who really knows about those.

They do have puffy little beards, but I'm supposing they might be Easter Eggers.

Notes: They Araucanas fall asleep at the same time and the same way -- standing and minding their business, until their little foreheads start dropping to the floor, while standing, and their little wings relax and they start breathing deeply.

Also, my daughter left yesterday morning, and came home 8 hours alter and three of the four had tail feathers starting. By the time we woke up this morning, the fourth had sprouted them. Amazing!

Question: I have searched "poo" threads and still want to make sure this is normal -- I moved the chicks from a big cardboard box, to a nice, large plastic bin that has see-through sides. Three of the chicks immediately began pecking the sides of the bin, because they could see things on the other side, and one immediately started pooing some smelly olive green poo. Dropped about three or four of them.

I shouldn't be worried about this yet, correct? He probably just got freaked out, right?

thanks!

 

[WWolf]

I am curious where you got your chicks from ? The hatchery that I got my 27 from sent me easter eggers, Though I ordered Anconas... (the hatchery was very good about it giving me credit for my next order). The chicks were very healthy and I am just gonna raise those with 8 I hatched and the three Ancona males they did send...I wouldn't worry about odd poo. A lot depends on what they ate and what bacteria is in their system in what numbers at any given time. if you pay attention to what they are eating and watch what they poo... It makes sense. Glad to see so many others enjoying their birds.

 

[DawnSusan]

I did not order them from a hatchery. I got them from a town not too far away. A woman was selling them, but she did get them from a hatchery. I drove to get them because I was trying to order Buff Orpingtons and they were all back ordered until late June. I'll give the gal I bought them from a call and see where they came from.

I'm not well-versed in chickens yet, so I can't tell if I got Easter Eggers or actual Araucanas. I know some people call blue egg layers Araucanas automatically, right?

These chicks do have tufts of feathers below their beaks -- they look like little feather beards.

 

[tulie13]

Quote:
99% of the time, unless you are dealing with a SPECIALTY breeder that is preserving the "true" Araucana line, you are getting "Easter Eggers" when they call them Araucanas/Ameraucanas. Unless you paid $5 per baby chick and got them from the Auracana Breeder Society (I just made that name up), then I'm pretty sure you got the mutt kind, the Easter Egger. No biggie if all you want is cute chickens that lay blue-green eggs!

I got 5 of them...