Hatching with 2 broodies

[missnu01]

OK finally got those boys vs girls pictures I promised... now these chickens I now know to be set linked, but at first I didn't, but I still knew who was who because the boys are feathering so slowly... I have quite a few examples but these 2 were the easiest to grab...
And a huge difference even though they are the same mix...



Boy orp X faverolle

Girl orp X faverolle

As you can see they are totally different colors of course but beyond that the females are now nearly feathered while the boys are still behind, except the orp fathered ee mothered chicks seem to be the opposite. There is a male that is fully feathered and 2 females that are much less feathered... so I can no longer say that all the mixes I deal with the feather thing works...I will get pics of the exceptions to the rule at some point. I'm lazy...lol. sorry.

 

[missnu01]

I have a hard time getting any roosters... either it's a girl or the rooster ends up dying! I love my roosters but just can't keep them alive! I have such bad luck finding roosters to. I have a resumed rooster now and I just bought two chicks that are boys and I hope to God they survive the rest of their lives... the oldest rooster I have had is my cochin bantam... only cause he stays in a cage away from danager. I hate loosing to foxes... anyone else have this problem... I need more boys...

well heck come get some of my boys. I have more than enough... I have 4 adult roosters, 4 cockerels that are almost 4 months old and at least 10 really young boys...Some 6 days, some a month. The trick is to have more than one adult rooster. When I have only 1 then that one gets eaten. When I have 2 or 4 nobody goes missing

 

[Teila]

well heck come get some of my boys. I have more than enough... I have 4 adult roosters, 4 cockerels that are almost 4 months old and at least 10 really young boys...Some 6 days, some a month. The trick is to have more than one adult rooster. When I have only 1 then that one gets eaten. When I have 2 or 4 nobody goes missing

We had a little bit of a drama last night.

Everyone was out free ranging and Blondie started limping. Turns out she has a broken feather shaft which is causing her pain and a limp. It was not bleeding when I first checked why she was limping but when I picked her up to take the picture it was bleeding a little. The 'feather/shaft' were hanging at an angle and I believe she was limping because the broken shaft/feather was 'dropping' when she put her foot down and getting caught under her foot or just not where it should be.

Please excuse her dirty little feet, we had some rain yesterday and the ground was nice and dirty on their free range:



As the majority of Team Broody would have been sleeping, I posted on Emergencies to see if I needed to pull this thing out, leave it alone, do something?

I was waiting for someone to post a reply so just keeping an eye on her. 20 minutes before bed time she stops limping so I thought it may have positioned itself in a spot which was not causing her pain. It sure did, look what I found on the path when I was sweeping:



I had another look at her foot when she went to bed and she had a little wound on the top of her toe which was not bleeding and did not appear to be causing her much angst. I popped some Betadine on it and will check it again a bit later this morning.

That was a new one for me; never had that happen before.

Of course, I wasn't worried that Blondie was hurt and I wasn't the least bit upset! ...lolz, yeah right! Ah well, at least it gave hubby an 'eye roll' opportunity

lol.

 

[16 paws]

Teila,

I know you would never spend time worrying about your chickens...NOT!

I am the same way with my chickens and Yorkies! I could tell you some stories there.....
My kids say I rush my pets to the vet if they break a nail...Quilty

Glad she seems to be ok now.

Ok, here is some more evidence we can use to prove or disprove the theory.
This is one of the other 3 week old bantam cochins. As you can see the feathers are very long on the wings and go all the way back to the tail.
But now look at that comb! Very big in my eyes and looks like a roo to me.
What do you guys think?

 

[Teila]

lolz 16 paws, yep, I was fine ... NOT!

No sign of a limp today and Blondie was running around the garden with everyone else; not bothered by it in the slightest; still using that foot to scratch her head and dig in the dirt.

I checked it tonight and she has a nice dry scab on the wound so I decided to not go with the Betadine and leave it nice and dry. I am going to keep a very close eye in it as I know how easily infection can set in on their feet. I have Betadine at the ready and a course of antibiotics on stand-by if needed.

Yep, that little Cochin bubby is a perfect candidate to test the wing theory. I totally agree that the comb is leaning towards a rooster but those nice long wing feathers might suggest otherwise.

While I doubt very much that the wing-theory is 100% accurate, it is also going to be interesting to see how often it is wrong.

Beautiful little bubby

 

[ItalyChickie]

I have a hard time getting any roosters... either it's a girl or the rooster ends up dying! I love my roosters but just can't keep them alive! I have such bad luck finding roosters to. I have a resumed rooster now and I just bought two chicks that are boys and I hope to God they survive the rest of their lives... the oldest rooster I have had is my cochin bantam... only cause he stays in a cage away from danager. I hate loosing to foxes... anyone else have this problem... I need more boys...

I think most of us have the opposite problem, me included, and would be very happy to give you all our extra boys!

OK finally got those boys vs girls pictures I promised... now these chickens I now know to be set linked, but at first I didn't, but I still knew who was who because the boys are feathering so slowly... I have quite a few examples but these 2 were the easiest to grab... And a huge difference even though they are the same mix... As you can see they are totally different colors of course but beyond that the females are now nearly feathered while the boys are still behind, except the orp fathered ee mothered chicks seem to be the opposite. There is a male that is fully feathered and 2 females that are much less feathered... so I can no longer say that all the mixes I deal with the feather thing works...I will get pics of the exceptions to the rule at some point. I'm lazy...lol. sorry.

Thanks so much for those pics! Their feathering is exactly the same as my last years crosses from red star moms... It was easy to tell then, now with the black Cochins I am a bit confused as the actual shape of the wing seems very different... I think that the tail and shoulder feathers will be key, so will wait and see. I am also wondering if in your case it isn't the exception but, rather, the sex linking would be different with reversed parents? Something like mom passing on color only to sons..? I know very little about genetics, and don't know how you are telling gender other than feathering, so I might be speaking nonsense, in which case I apologize. Just curious to know what colors those others are.

Of course, I wasn't worried that Blondie was hurt and I wasn't the least bit upset! ...lolz, yeah right! Ah well, at least it gave hubby an 'eye roll' opportunity lol.

Lol Teila! I am sure you were not the slightest bit worried, just as I wouldn't have been... Yeah right who are we kidding? Lol! I am happy she is ok, those feathered feet can sure be problematic, pretty though they are!

Ok, here is some more evidence we can use to prove or disprove the theory. This is one of the other 3 week old bantam cochins. As you can see the feathers are very long on the wings and go all the way back to the tail. But now look at that comb! Very big in my eyes and looks like a roo to me. What do you guys think?

Ok, this shape of wings is what is throwing me off too! They are the same as my Cochins' and it just doesn't correspond to what I have observed before and all the pics and references I found so far. Have to wonder if it's the blacks that are different? Here's that link to a drawing I found that talks about L-shaped wings on males: http://hanburyhouse.com/how-to-distinguish-male-chicks-from-female-chicks-in-1-week-old-cochins/ As you can see, it corresponds exactly to what I am seeing with the orps - longer tips on boy suspects, elongated wing on girls. Cochins, not so much. They are round! Different in length but mostly round, no sticking out wing tips... I have to wonder how accurate that can be, and going back to previous hatches, fall back on other signs of feathering as well - tails as is also often mentioned, but also shoulders, I remember boys took longest in that particular area and looked patchy forever... And yes, yours does look like a boy to me too. Mine are a bit younger, 2 weeks, so we can compare combs in a week or so to see if my boy suspects are similar. I have taken a billion pictures but I really need to sort through them first to avoid over flooding this thread, lol! Will do in a day or two.

 

[tommysgirl]

@Teila I can't imagine you being even remotely worried about one of your lovely babies...you are such a cold and distant chicken mama...oh wait...you are the exact opposite of that. Good job identifying the problem. Glad it worked itself out...literally.

I finished building the coop yesterday...finally I think we started it in March but bad weather, weekend plans and having my consultnt...DH laid up for a week...took their toll. It still need the finishes and the paint but I could move some birds in there today if I wanted...I don't want to but I could. It is going to be home sweet home for the chicks that come from the hatch due July 4th unless I get a couple of girls to go broody in time to take them over like Italy Chickie did with her incubted babies

I will post pictures of the coop and my week olds later today.

I did have a minor mishap. I had the drill...with the phillips head bit...slip off of the screw and go into my thumb while it was goin. Made a nice little ragged hole. I feel like a carpenter now because it is possible I said some words that are not acceptable in the family friendly forum of BYC

Anyway now I can clean up the construction zone out by the pens so it will look nicer out there.

DH set the posts to support the pen roof yesterday too and this morning I am doing an experiment to see who can fly out of there.

 

[missnu01]

I have a hard time getting any roosters... either it's a girl or the rooster ends up dying! I love my roosters but just can't keep them alive! I have such bad luck finding roosters to. I have a resumed rooster now and I just bought two chicks that are boys and I hope to God they survive the rest of their lives... the oldest rooster I have had is my cochin bantam... only cause he stays in a cage away from danager. I hate loosing to foxes... anyone else have this problem... I need more boys...

I think most of us have the opposite problem, me included, and would be very happy to give you all our extra boys!

OK finally got those boys vs girls pictures I promised... now these chickens I now know to be set linked, but at first I didn't, but I still knew who was who because the boys are feathering so slowly... I have quite a few examples but these 2 were the easiest to grab... And a huge difference even though they are the same mix... As you can see they are totally different colors of course but beyond that the females are now nearly feathered while the boys are still behind, except the orp fathered ee mothered chicks seem to be the opposite. There is a male that is fully feathered and 2 females that are much less feathered... so I can no longer say that all the mixes I deal with the feather thing works...I will get pics of the exceptions to the rule at some point. I'm lazy...lol. sorry.

Thanks so much for those pics! Their feathering is exactly the same as my last years crosses from red star moms... It was easy to tell then, now with the black Cochins I am a bit confused as the actual shape of the wing seems very different... I think that the tail and shoulder feathers will be key, so will wait and see. I am also wondering if in your case it isn't the exception but, rather, the sex linking would be different with reversed parents? Something like mom passing on color only to sons..? I know very little about genetics, and don't know how you are telling gender other than feathering, so I might be speaking nonsense, in which case I apologize. Just curious to know what colors those others are.

Of course, I wasn't worried that Blondie was hurt and I wasn't the least bit upset! ...lolz, yeah right! Ah well, at least it gave hubby an 'eye roll' opportunity lol.

Lol Teila! I am sure you were not the slightest bit worried, just as I wouldn't have been... Yeah right who are we kidding? Lol! I am happy she is ok, those feathered feet can sure be problematic, pretty though they are!

Ok, here is some more evidence we can use to prove or disprove the theory. This is one of the other 3 week old bantam cochins. As you can see the feathers are very long on the wings and go all the way back to the tail. But now look at that comb! Very big in my eyes and looks like a roo to me. What do you guys think?

Ok, this shape of wings is what is throwing me off too! They are the same as my Cochins' and it just doesn't correspond to what I have observed before and all the pics and references I found so far. Have to wonder if it's the blacks that are different? Here's that link to a drawing I found that talks about L-shaped wings on males: http://hanburyhouse.com/how-to-distinguish-male-chicks-from-female-chicks-in-1-week-old-cochins/ As you can see, it corresponds exactly to what I am seeing with the orps - longer tips on boy suspects, elongated wing on girls. Cochins, not so much. They are round! Different in length but mostly round, no sticking out wing tips... I have to wonder how accurate that can be, and going back to previous hatches, fall back on other signs of feathering as well - tails as is also often mentioned, but also shoulders, I remember boys took longest in that particular area and looked patchy forever... And yes, yours does look like a boy to me too. Mine are a bit younger, 2 weeks, so we can compare combs in a week or so to see if my boy suspects are similar. I have taken a billion pictures but I really need to sort through them first to avoid over flooding this thread, lol! Will do in a day or two.

the ones that are opposite are easter egger, BO mix. BO dad X EE mom. I can tell the boys now because of their comb and the boys are fully feathered and the girls are lagging behind...which I've not encountered before. But I see it happening now. Their markings are the same between the genders of that particular cross...no like glaring red on wings or anything. Same patterns colors and markings, but the boys are feathered and have obvious combs while the girls have girly combs and far fewer feathers. The feathering difference isn't as pronounced with them as it is with the others. Just the tails really. Females still have a lot of fuzz while the males have actual tails.

 

[ShelbyCoral]

well heck come get some of my boys. I have more than enough... I have 4 adult roosters, 4 cockerels that are almost 4 months old and at least 10 really young boys...Some 6 days, some a month. The trick is to have more than one adult rooster. When I have only 1 then that one gets eaten. When I have 2 or 4 nobody goes missing

We had a little bit of a drama last night. Everyone was out free ranging and Blondie started limping. Turns out she has a broken feather shaft which is causing her pain and a limp. It was not bleeding when I first checked why she was limping but when I picked her up to take the picture it was bleeding a little. The 'feather/shaft' were hanging at an angle and I believe she was limping because the broken shaft/feather was 'dropping' when she put her foot down and getting caught under her foot or just not where it should be. Please excuse her dirty little feet, we had some rain yesterday and the ground was nice and dirty on their free range: As the majority of Team Broody would have been sleeping, I posted on Emergencies to see if I needed to pull this thing out, leave it alone, do something? I was waiting for someone to post a reply so just keeping an eye on her. 20 minutes before bed time she stops limping so I thought it may have positioned itself in a spot which was not causing her pain. It sure did, look what I found on the path when I was sweeping: I had another look at her foot when she went to bed and she had a little wound on the top of her toe which was not bleeding and did not appear to be causing her much angst. I popped some Betadine on it and will check it again a bit later this morning. That was a new one for me; never had that happen before. Of course, I wasn't worried that Blondie was hurt and I wasn't the least bit upset! ...lolz, yeah right! Ah well, at least it gave hubby an 'eye roll' opportunity lol.

Yuck! I hope Blondie feels better! I'm still working on my injured sebright chick. She suddenly just stooped getting better. I would love to take everyone's extra roosters! I rescued a rooster and he is the best rescued trooper I have. Still getting his feather back but I have seen him patrol the barn like a pro. He doesn't sleep!

He was so abused, him and his brother. His brother we couldn't save. But this one had a 50/50 chance and he lives

 

[tommysgirl]

What do you guys think?

I don't know what to think except that this is a cutie!

Are pics of two of my three littlest littles. Do the wings look they are getting barred to you? If you answer yes then I am fairly certain that these two are both little cockerels. I am not mathematician but I just figured out that of the 33 chicks to hatched by broodies on this property in the last 11 mos (not counting the unsexed one that didn't make it

) the male to female ratio is 24/9 @ShelbyCoral If you are anywhere near Norhtern California I will have a variety of beautiul roosters for you to choose from.

Anyway here are the pics:













and because I can't get enough of her...her eyebrows and whiskers are growing in!!!

Here is a shot of Stella


Cosmo is super cute too. The Del babies are 3 weeks younger but they are now bigger. He spars with them and he and Stella both roost with them and Jamie Lee. He doesn't know he is a bantam. I am trying to devise a plan where I can keep him forever while also adding my new NH rooster and keeping one of the Konzas that are being hatched for me. Good thing it takes so long for them to mature...I'll have time to plan and hatch my multi rooster plan.