Half Shell Hatch-A-Long! (Caution, unsuccessful, please read whole thread before attempting)

[BirdsBeesTrees]

@MGG Normal when they are absorbing, is it not chewing though?
Breese are used as meat birds, but I wasn't impressed. They are great egg layers though, so I kept a couple hens for the chicken house instead of breeding and got rid of all my Bresse. Now I'm on to Bielefelder raising, they are nice big birds so far.

 

[MGG]

@MGG Normal when they are absorbing, is it not chewing though?
Breese are used as meat birds, but I wasn't impressed. They are great egg layers though, so I kept a couple hens for the chicken house instead of breeding and got rid of all my Bresse. Now I'm on to Bielefelder raising, they are nice big birds so far.

Yeah, it's making some little chewing motions. It looks like it's licking it's lips or something.
That's good to know, thanks! Bielefelders are really pretty. Do you plan to use them for meat?

 

[MGG]

She's still doing good everyone! She is getting more active. She's kicking her little feet around. Still no vocalizations though, and the clicking has stopped.

 

[MGG]

@MysteryChicken any chance the down color could indicate gender on these chicks? I have 2 really light yellow ones, and I have 1 (did have 2 but #2 quit) brown one.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

@MGG Normal when they are absorbing, is it not chewing though?
Breese are used as meat birds, but I wasn't impressed. They are great egg layers though, so I kept a couple hens for the chicken house instead of breeding and got rid of all my Bresse. Now I'm on to Bielefelder raising, they are nice big birds so far.

I thought about doing Breese for the same reasons. As someone who has done Frankenbirds, um.... I mean CX before, I wanted to try some more self sustainable meat birds for a change.
I've got 6 Bieles almost 6 weeks old now, and some 10 week old Red Rangers.
The RR I ordered but everything else was hatched here and the goal is to keep a small flock of Bieles and add in some of the RR genetics. The RRs have been raised as regular layer chicks (along with others) and the boys are still huge, but the girls are more like beefy heritage pullets so far and I'm hoping they stick around for a few years. More than likely once the boys turn to buttheads they will go to freezer camp.
I have other breeds I can mix in and out to keep some hybrid vigor, but I was looking to keep a small meat producing flock in addition to my regular layer flock.
Teenagers eat a LOT!

As a whole I find the Bieles not to be the bright bulb in the bunch, but hopefully they will be more impressive once closer to maturity.

How old are yours?

 

[MysteryChicken]

@MysteryChicken any chance the down color could indicate gender on these chicks? I have 2 really light yellow ones, and I have 1 (did have 2 but #2 quit) brown one.

I don't think so. They probably can be sexed by wing feather buds though.

 

[MGG]

I don't think so. They probably can be sexed by wing feather buds though.

Oh, so like feather sexing?

 

[MGG]

I hope one of the blond ones is a girl. Of my broody's 5 chicks, I only have 1 pullet.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh, so like feather sexing?

Yes.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I hope one of the blond ones is a girl. Of my broody's 5 chicks, I only have 1 pullet.

I can help sex them.