Hatching Q on mailed eggs - Ayam Cemani

[EpicBlueAcres]

Do newborn Cemani chicks have white feathers on the chest and wing tips? I also noticed that the poor little guy has white feet, as well. The black color stops just before the foot begins.... and then it's a pale/pinkish skin color. =( This sucks SO much.

Pure Cemanis can.end up with white wing feathers or White toes but that's bad breeding (good breeders cull to remove those traits) the usually problems are grey or whitish mouths & tongues and white nails. If they have white feathers they do mot change, my $ is that they where hybrids being passed off as pure. Same goes for non black skin that won't change. The nails of they are clear and not "white" at hatch they may go black or darker as the bird ages. Normally at 6-8 months that's what time our going to stay with.

 

[MisfitMarie]

is illegal, I spoke with this farm when I first started researching eggs. They said they just mark your package collectibles (not eggs) so they can get through customs - tisk tisk. You also don't know what disease you may be bringing to the US or your flock.

x2. That's an excellent point. I never have or would risk shipping eggs outside of the country, but I also didn't know it was illegal. How sneaky! =/

 

[EpicBlueAcres]

x2. That's an excellent point. I never have or would risk shipping eggs outside of the country, but I also didn't know it was illegal. How sneaky! =/

In port and export are allowed to certain countries but I know 100% Indonesia is currently on the no go list. UK & Netherlands can legally ship Cemani Eggs to the US but the paperwork makes it beyond difficult

 

[MisfitMarie]

Pure Cemanis can.end up with white wing feathers or White toes but that's bad breeding (good breeders cull to remove those traits) the usually problems are grey or whitish mouths & tongues and white nails. If they have white feathers they do mot change, my $ is that they where hybrids being passed off as pure. Same goes for non black skin that won't change. The nails of they are clear and not "white" at hatch they may go black or darker as the bird ages. Normally at 6-8 months that's what time our going to stay with.

Thanks for the reply! There was certainly significant white on all of the chicks. All but one had entirely pink/pale legs. They all had grey or white mouths. This hatch is much the same. I wouldn't mind a couple issues here and there... but... It's just not what I had in mind. =/

 

[EpicBlueAcres]

 I wish I had better news, but I don't. After waiting, tapping, and candling (and seeing nothing), I finally water candled today. I couldn't see any sign of life. Being Day 24, I decided to poke a small hole at the air cell end of the egg on one of the four cemani eggs. I put the moist end of a Q-Tip into the hole and gently rubbed the membrane, hoping to see some movement. Nothing. After staring it down under the light for a few minutes and seeing nothing, I carefully began to chip away at the shell. Inside, the chick had died at what looked to be around Day 18. Yolk sac completely unabsorbed.

I proceeded to (VERY GENTLY) open two of the remaning eggs. I have left the last one alone, but am pretty certain it is also dead. All three eggs looked the same. I couldn't see any excess moisture. In fact, I am quite puzzled as to what happened with these eggs. Every single one looked to be around Day 18, yolk sac completely unabsorbed, without any signs of excess goo or moisture in the egg.

Also ironic... These four Cemani eggs were incubated along with a dozen SHIPPED random pure bred eggs, all twelve of which have fully developed and are in the process of hatching as we speak... They were only a couple days behind the Cemanis and are also in the same hatcher.

Temp and humidity has held steady through lockdown. I have four monitors in there all reading within one degree and two percent of each other.

Stranger still, inside one of the Cemani eggs, I caught a small glimpse of white feathers. I'm not sure if this is normal or not for Cemani chicks (maybe they eventually get replaced with the black) but there was significant white feathering.

I am so extremely disappointed. When I work up the courage, I'll perform a full inspection of the dead chicks and possibly take some photos for reference.

REALLY confused.... I was so careful with these eggs. I never opened the incubator during a pip, and when I did it was lightning fast to candle or water candle (today). I even made sure my hands were scrubbed clean before even touching any of them. I have only seen consistent temp and humidity...

So confused and disappointed. I was working outside on the coop today and getting excited about a few Cemanis to add to my flock. =( Those eggs were EXPENSIVE, too.

So sorry for your loss, I kmow how heartbreaking it can be. Good lesson learned and at least they developed far enough to answer a few of the burning questions.

*** When mine start laying in the spring/summer I would ship you a few free eggs (just cover the shipping cost) so you can try again without shelling out more $. In return just send me pics as they mature

 

[EpicBlueAcres]

Silkies are also a semi fm breed so the skin should have at least been all black

 

[MisfitMarie]

Silkies are also a semi fm breed so the skin should have at least been all black

Yes, the skin was all black! The skin was actually dark enough that it made the feathers appear gray in comparison.

When this next round of Cemanis is finally done hatching and puffed out, I will have to take some pictures. I'll even wait a couple days after to see if anything darker grows out.

 

[EpicBlueAcres]

Yes, the skin was all black! The skin was actually dark enough that it made the feathers appear gray in comparison.

When this next round of Cemanis is finally done hatching and puffed out, I will have to take some pictures. I'll even wait a couple days after to see if anything darker grows out.

Sorry should have been more specific, that would.mean the toes too

 

[MisfitMarie]

Sorry should have been more specific, that would.mean the toes too

Oh, sorry! No, not the toes. In fact, let me see if I can pull up a picture on my phone of the very DARKEST chick. This is the only one that could have passed as a Cemani to me, despite the white chest (that you can't see in the pic). There's just a tad of white on the wings and chest (more on the chest), and most of the legs are actually dark so not bad:



It's also the only one that had dark legs, with only the toes being light-colored. It also had the smallest patch of white on the chest. Still quite a bit, but much much less than the others.

 

[EpicBlueAcres]

This is what one of mine that didn't make looked like (color wise) for comparison if it helps at all. That's a lot of white & those toes, wonder if they crossed with black copper Marans as their babies hatch out with a white chest & wing line