Hatching with 2 broodies

[lizgarf]

Thanks, Teila! Your email is the perfect mix of humor and sympathy, as always.
Oh my, your little ones are looking like proper silkie chickens now! Very sweet.

The bad news does keep coming. I just heard about a cyclone in Sardegna (the Italian island) in November, which I somehow completely managed to miss, that struck precisely in the area where my dearest friends live. They are not on facebook and are not big into long-distance communication of the digital kind, and somehow this wasn't in the news I followed, so I had heard nothing about this. I just sent an email, and I will try to call tomorrow. I know from searching the news that none of their family was among the dead, but the destruction to the area sounds very serious, so I'm sure they've been affected in some way.

What a crazy, vulnerable, world we live in! It's almost like being chickens!

 

[Teila]

Oh no! Surely that is enough for one day! I am staying off the computer and turning off the television .. well, maybe not the television, us Aussies are kicking English butt in the cricket! lol

Take care Team Broody and please all stay safe on this day of bad news! xox

 

[tommysgirl]

It is amazing, thanks! I had to retire from most ultimate due to having used up most of the cartilage in my knee, but I still can play on the beach when the opportunity arises.

Love the new profile pic, TG! Is that a wellsummer? They are such beautiful birds! The lady I got my chickens from gave me one at first, but she was not happy - superduper loud and pecked the pullets, so I exchanged her for Stella. How is yours?

Thanks for the rooster collar tip!

That is Hatti, one of my two Icelandics. the other looks just like her but without the crest. I want a dark egg layer at some point. Thinking Splash Marans but that will be down the road a bit. So sorry you lost your Stella but glad you had her while you did.

Tonight my prayers will include you former teammate and her family as well as your friends and you too. Good Night!

 

[lizgarf]

That is Hatti, one of my two Icelandics. the other looks just like her but without the crest. I want a dark egg layer at some point. Thinking Splash Marans but that will be down the road a bit. So sorry you lost your Stella but glad you had her while you did.

Tonight my prayers will include you former teammate and her family as well as your friends and you too. Good Night!

Thanks, TG! I'm not generally the praying type, but I prayed last night, in my own way. So many folks in need of a little extra support right now. No luck reaching my friends in Sardegna yet. They are always hard to get a hold of, living out in the country.

Have you considered Black Copper Marans? My eggs were for Black, Blue, Splash, and I wound up with two black. I could send Desi your way if the scrunchies don't work.

 

[lizgarf]

Finally reached my friends in Sardegna! They're fine!

They got some water in the house, but nothing too bad.

It was wonderful to talk to them. They have chickens too now! They offered to send me a rooster.

 

[Pooman]

Morning Girls.

Sad to hear of everyone's troubles, hopefully better times ahead for all.

<--- that is Rocky, he was the friendly dancing introduction yesterday. Feathery not Furry.
A note on Rooster introductions. Always if you bring in a new Rooster put him into an established flock, dont put girls into an area that he is familiar with. Its amazing how different he is now. First time i did it I'd had him a few days and he had been living with the hen from the breeder too, then I added one and was going to add another but it was just all wrong, feathers going everywhere, snowy looking beaten up, so I removed her straight away lol. This time he had been by himself, behind a fence for a couple for a week or so. Put him in the girls area and he was strutting around, dancing, crowing generally carrying on like a nice boy. He is quite attentive to them today so i think he is going to be real good. And he wasn't attacking the dog (Jess) which was another concern.

The heat pad worked, we have little chicks running around this morning still.

Teila those little girls look great, doing very well.
Those poor poms are done for today, as long as we don't get some stupid rain or something. Its raining here in Melbourne so hope it stays away from adelaide

 

[Pooman]

Oh no.... The forecast

Adelaide area
Cloudy. Areas of rain and isolated thunderstorms, easing to isolated showers late morning and clearing early afternoon. Isolated showers developing again late evening. Winds southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h, tending west to southwest 25 to 35 km/h in the afternoon.

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks, TG! I'm not generally the praying type, but I prayed last night, in my own way. So many folks in need of a little extra support right now. No luck reaching my friends in Sardegna yet. They are always hard to get a hold of, living out in the country.

Have you considered Black Copper Marans? My eggs were for Black, Blue, Splash, and I wound up with two black. I could send Desi your way if the scrunchies don't work.

You are welcome! I am planning a flock composed of red white blue grey silver and black do the BCM hens have the copper on them or are they solid black?

Here are some chick pics. These are just my two SPWyandottes. I took them for sexing purposes. I do believe the first is a boy the second a girl so maybe I will have a matched set like you Liz

Finally reached my friends in Sardegna! They're fine!

They got some water in the house, but nothing too bad.

It was wonderful to talk to them. They have chickens too now! They offered to send me a rooster.

Yay!!!!!!! so happy for you and them!

 

[lizgarf]

You are welcome! I am planning a flock composed of red white blue grey silver and black do the BCM hens have the copper on them or are they solid black?

Black copper marans hens typically have some copper on their necks, but not as much as the males. When they have lots of copper on their breasts, that's considered a fault, but I think it's pretty. They also have the blue/green beetle sheen on their black feathers, like the males do, though probably not as much. Right now, Ida has some beetle sheen, but no copper yet. Their coloring should change quite a bit during their second molt - any day now. I hope they get a lot more colorful.

Your chicks are maturing so differently than mine, it's hard for me to tell the differences between them. Are Wynadottes considered slow-feathering? I think Marans are fast-feathering - at least mine are! Yours have a lot more down on them than mine did at that age.

How are you doing with the freeze? It must be much colder where you are, and it's bad enough here! I removed a cover on one of my plants at noon, only to find ice on the branches! I put a sleeping bag on that plant tonight! Two more nights of sub-freezing temperatures predicted here. I don't know how gardeners in other climate zones handle it. Seasons can be so depressing!

 

[tommysgirl]

Black copper marans hens typically have some copper on their necks, but not as much as the males. When they have lots of copper on their breasts, that's considered a fault, but I think it's pretty. They also have the blue/green beetle sheen on their black feathers, like the males do, though probably not as much. Right now, Ida has some beetle sheen, but no copper yet. Their coloring should change quite a bit during their second molt - any day now. I hope they get a lot more colorful.

Your chicks are maturing so differently than mine, it's hard for me to tell the differences between them. Are Wynadottes considered slow-feathering? I think Marans are fast-feathering - at least mine are! Yours have a lot more down on them than mine did at that age.

How are you doing with the freeze? It must be much colder where you are, and it's bad enough here! I removed a cover on one of my plants at noon, only to find ice on the branches! I put a sleeping bag on that plant tonight! Two more nights of sub-freezing temperatures predicted here. I don't know how gardeners in other climate zones handle it. Seasons can be so depressing!

These are insanely slow to feather! They hatched out with a mutt chick Delaware x Ca Grey. That little one is a boy for sure and he has been fully feathered for about 3 weeks. These have butt down and under their wings is all bald/baby bird fuzz. What the Wyandotte people told me is that the higher quality they are the slower they feather. I sure hope that the lighter one is a pullet since I won't be keeping either if they are cockerels.

We freeze every winter but this has been especially cold. The birds are fine though and the dogs don't mind either. We don't have landscape that can't take the cold so we are OK there too. Thanks for the Marans info. Again, so happy that your friends are doing well.