MrsEarthern
Songster
Hi there, my name is Meg and my young flock has recently had a few additions, and I'm hopeful of a few more in the near future.
I grew up around chickens and some poultry, but am pretty new to keeping my own flock.
My flock is made up of barnyard mix 2 yo rooster, Nightshade, barnyard mix 2 yo hen Lavender, and three 1 yo black sex-links. My oldest birds were purchased ~20 weeks old, and were advertised as Black Australorp - Buff Orpington crosses; and I ended up with four roos. Last year, I purchased day old BSLs from the local Feed & Supply.
Just before our latest heatwave, one of my BSL, Lovey, went super broody, successfully hid eggs in the hot coop, then I gave in and a subsequent stagger hatch followed.
June 9, 2024 Hatch momma, Lovey, surprised me with the first chick a week before expected.
Proud daddy, Nightshade, came in to visit when he heard my excitement.
June 13, 2024, two more hatched. This one took ~16 hours to get out of it's shell. Momma had 21 eggs under her at one point, she stole eggs from the other nests while sitting and was very reluctant to show me what was under her until the oldest chick started eating around day 3.
Photo taken June 13, 2024. The smaller of the two took over 24 hrs. This is the color combinations I was expecting based off the genetics calculators I've found on here. If my inputs were correct, I'd get 50% Black F with white chests 50% Black M with yellow chest. I was also expecting there to be some variation due to mixed breeds, my lavender hen, etc but have since learned that the predictions were inaccurate.
June 13, 2024
The four youngest like me because I talked to them so much through hatching, and I'm warm when mom's not around. *Mom started taking chicks down into the run ASAP and returning at dusk to her nest/younger chicks.* I suspect the oldest is more timid because it didn't meet me until it was 24+ hours old.
Photo taken June 23, 2024. These two are the youngest, hatched June 14-15, 2024.
Hatch momma, Lovey, insisted everyone be together after the youngest of the five hatched, approximately 1 week after the first. The coop had gotten too hot and we lost several of the remaining eggs.
Photo of the youngest, take June 23, 2024.
They started climbing on mom by a week old, and perching a few days after that.
They have their own feeder but this is more fun!
Really getting into scratching.
Such a good daddy scattering food for the kiddos.
June 24, 2024. Today I noticed the youngest black chick has a black comb as well.
Momma demonstrating the big drinker.
The following photos are of the oldest chick, Waapa, who I am suspecting is a roo. Waapa started coloring/feathering at ~1 week old, and is 2 weeks old as of posting.
Sibling feather progress for comparison:
Waapa is in the background, with siblings spread by age clockwise, so youngest black is in the foreground.
The chicks started on a medicated flock raiser feed, are now on a non-medicated flock raiser. The cubby and ladder are as tip-proof as I can make them, plenty of water options, shade, good air flow in run, what else should I do for enrichment before allowing them into the outer run?
It has been so much fun watching them and the older birds interact, and I'm so proud of mom and dad.
Our temps are supposed to drop to the mid-70's to high 80's F, with overnights around 65-70F; Would I be crazy to encourage my other hens to try to brood now?
Do temperatures affect gender at all, or is that only reptiles?
I will add more photos as these chicks age, and if it's not unwise to try for a Summer hatch then I will also document that here.
Waapa (Wah-Pa) means "White" in the Shawnee Language, and is in honor of my late great grandmother's tiny white poodle.
I tend to like names in line with plants, mythology, or sometimes I'm lazy and base them off of traits. Lovey is my most affectionate hen. Lavender was advertised as a Lavender, and I like the plant. Nightshade has lots of green iridescence, and I like lots of plants in that family. Gorgeous is a big beautiful lady, mostly black, also with lots of iridescence. Squishy was a squishy runt, she was a replacement for a lost BSL from my neighbor who had ended up with an odd number of chicks- she is petite, but might be my prettiest lady, she's got a red head, and lots of blue-green iridescence.
The youngest four need names.
I grew up around chickens and some poultry, but am pretty new to keeping my own flock.
My flock is made up of barnyard mix 2 yo rooster, Nightshade, barnyard mix 2 yo hen Lavender, and three 1 yo black sex-links. My oldest birds were purchased ~20 weeks old, and were advertised as Black Australorp - Buff Orpington crosses; and I ended up with four roos. Last year, I purchased day old BSLs from the local Feed & Supply.
Just before our latest heatwave, one of my BSL, Lovey, went super broody, successfully hid eggs in the hot coop, then I gave in and a subsequent stagger hatch followed.
June 9, 2024 Hatch momma, Lovey, surprised me with the first chick a week before expected.
Proud daddy, Nightshade, came in to visit when he heard my excitement.
June 13, 2024, two more hatched. This one took ~16 hours to get out of it's shell. Momma had 21 eggs under her at one point, she stole eggs from the other nests while sitting and was very reluctant to show me what was under her until the oldest chick started eating around day 3.
Photo taken June 13, 2024. The smaller of the two took over 24 hrs. This is the color combinations I was expecting based off the genetics calculators I've found on here. If my inputs were correct, I'd get 50% Black F with white chests 50% Black M with yellow chest. I was also expecting there to be some variation due to mixed breeds, my lavender hen, etc but have since learned that the predictions were inaccurate.
June 13, 2024
The four youngest like me because I talked to them so much through hatching, and I'm warm when mom's not around. *Mom started taking chicks down into the run ASAP and returning at dusk to her nest/younger chicks.* I suspect the oldest is more timid because it didn't meet me until it was 24+ hours old.
Photo taken June 23, 2024. These two are the youngest, hatched June 14-15, 2024.
Hatch momma, Lovey, insisted everyone be together after the youngest of the five hatched, approximately 1 week after the first. The coop had gotten too hot and we lost several of the remaining eggs.
Photo of the youngest, take June 23, 2024.
They started climbing on mom by a week old, and perching a few days after that.
They have their own feeder but this is more fun!
Really getting into scratching.
Such a good daddy scattering food for the kiddos.
June 24, 2024. Today I noticed the youngest black chick has a black comb as well.
Momma demonstrating the big drinker.The following photos are of the oldest chick, Waapa, who I am suspecting is a roo. Waapa started coloring/feathering at ~1 week old, and is 2 weeks old as of posting.
Sibling feather progress for comparison:
Waapa is in the background, with siblings spread by age clockwise, so youngest black is in the foreground.
The chicks started on a medicated flock raiser feed, are now on a non-medicated flock raiser. The cubby and ladder are as tip-proof as I can make them, plenty of water options, shade, good air flow in run, what else should I do for enrichment before allowing them into the outer run?
It has been so much fun watching them and the older birds interact, and I'm so proud of mom and dad.
Our temps are supposed to drop to the mid-70's to high 80's F, with overnights around 65-70F; Would I be crazy to encourage my other hens to try to brood now?
Do temperatures affect gender at all, or is that only reptiles?
I will add more photos as these chicks age, and if it's not unwise to try for a Summer hatch then I will also document that here.
Waapa (Wah-Pa) means "White" in the Shawnee Language, and is in honor of my late great grandmother's tiny white poodle.
I tend to like names in line with plants, mythology, or sometimes I'm lazy and base them off of traits. Lovey is my most affectionate hen. Lavender was advertised as a Lavender, and I like the plant. Nightshade has lots of green iridescence, and I like lots of plants in that family. Gorgeous is a big beautiful lady, mostly black, also with lots of iridescence. Squishy was a squishy runt, she was a replacement for a lost BSL from my neighbor who had ended up with an odd number of chicks- she is petite, but might be my prettiest lady, she's got a red head, and lots of blue-green iridescence.
The youngest four need names.
