Great pics Mimi!
I love seeing the little ones learn to dust bathe.
I’m not Mother Nature, but..... My journey hatching broody and bator chicks
- Thread starter Mimi13
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Great pics Mimi!
I love seeing the little ones learn to dust bathe.
- Thread starter
- #272
Was going to suggest putting dust bath....but in the pen, not on the carpet
I know, right?When I put it inside the playpen, you’d have thought I had put a hawk in there with them! So, my only thought then was to put it where they were dust bathing. Still nothing! However, once they got to scope it out for a while (in the pen) they decided it was alright...to poop in!
Oh, and also dust bathe.- Thread starter
- #273
Just from observing my bator hatched chicks’ behavior, and a few physical traits (some combs more prominent than others) I am making a guess as to having three definite cockerels and possibly four.
You know what they say, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, actions speak louder than looks on these chicks, at nearly two weeks old too! I don’t know why, but in all three groups of chicks I’ve had (first two purchased), there is that one bird that instantly became my buddy, always running out ahead of the rest to “greet” me...every single time. In my first two groups, that bird was a cockerel. So, my little buddy out of this hatch is the very first one that hatched. I could easily use the argument that I spent more time with the chick and we really bonded, but this little chick has a more prominent comb and is much more assertive than most of the others. This assertiveness is shown by these few chicks quickly running up to me and bowing up at my hands/arms when I reach into their pen for whatever reason. Only the little black one with the spot on his head continues on by jumping up on my arm, then shoulder and, on occasion, my head. Yep, he takes ownership of me. Does this behavior not scream cockerel? The others I believe are cockerels run when I reach for them.
And, not only am I guessing about their gender, I’m still guessing about their breed. The first one, Egg #10, black with white spot on his head, I initially thought might be from the Australorp pullet. But now I’m wondering if it might be from my Barred Rock.
Say hello to my “little buddy.” He knows No Boundaries!
My one and only little yellow chick I believe might be from my White Rock. There is an identical yellow chick that the broody hatched and it appears that a darker reddish color is appearing under its down.
This little chick, formerly known as Egg #9, is the one that I “helped” by relieving it of its heavy burden - snipping away the egg lining it was dragging around.
This chick is very friendly and allows me to pick up at will. It also is a very much “in my space” chick, showing no mercy as to where it roosts on me! It has a modified chipmunk pattern, but its down and feathers contain gray and charcoal, where the others are brown and tan. I have absolutely no idea which pullet this one belongs to and I believe it is a pullet.
I love the little black spot on the point of its modified chipmunk pattern.
The remaining chicks are on the next post.
You know what they say, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, actions speak louder than looks on these chicks, at nearly two weeks old too! I don’t know why, but in all three groups of chicks I’ve had (first two purchased), there is that one bird that instantly became my buddy, always running out ahead of the rest to “greet” me...every single time. In my first two groups, that bird was a cockerel. So, my little buddy out of this hatch is the very first one that hatched. I could easily use the argument that I spent more time with the chick and we really bonded, but this little chick has a more prominent comb and is much more assertive than most of the others. This assertiveness is shown by these few chicks quickly running up to me and bowing up at my hands/arms when I reach into their pen for whatever reason. Only the little black one with the spot on his head continues on by jumping up on my arm, then shoulder and, on occasion, my head. Yep, he takes ownership of me. Does this behavior not scream cockerel? The others I believe are cockerels run when I reach for them.
And, not only am I guessing about their gender, I’m still guessing about their breed. The first one, Egg #10, black with white spot on his head, I initially thought might be from the Australorp pullet. But now I’m wondering if it might be from my Barred Rock.
Say hello to my “little buddy.” He knows No Boundaries!
My one and only little yellow chick I believe might be from my White Rock. There is an identical yellow chick that the broody hatched and it appears that a darker reddish color is appearing under its down.
This little chick, formerly known as Egg #9, is the one that I “helped” by relieving it of its heavy burden - snipping away the egg lining it was dragging around.
This chick is very friendly and allows me to pick up at will. It also is a very much “in my space” chick, showing no mercy as to where it roosts on me! It has a modified chipmunk pattern, but its down and feathers contain gray and charcoal, where the others are brown and tan. I have absolutely no idea which pullet this one belongs to and I believe it is a pullet.
I love the little black spot on the point of its modified chipmunk pattern.
The remaining chicks are on the next post.
Just from observing my bator hatched chicks’ behavior, and a few physical traits (some combs more prominent than others) I am making a guess as to having three definite cockerels and possibly four.
You know what they say, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, actions speak louder than looks on these chicks, at nearly two weeks old too! I don’t know why, but in all three groups of chicks I’ve had (first two purchased), there is that one bird that instantly became my buddy, always running out ahead of the rest to “greet” me...every single time. In my first two groups, that bird was a cockerel. So, my little buddy out of this hatch is the very first one that hatched. I could easily use the argument that I spent more time with the chick and we really bonded, but this little chick has a more prominent comb and is much more assertive than most of the others. This assertiveness is shown by these few chicks quickly running up to me and bowing up at my hands/arms when I reach into their pen for whatever reason. Only the little black one with the spot on his head continues on by jumping up on my arm, then shoulder and, on occasion, my head. Yep, he takes ownership of me. Does this behavior not scream cockerel? The others I believe are cockerels run when I reach for them.
And, not only am I guessing about their gender, I’m still guessing about their breed. The first one, Egg #10, black with white spot on his head, I initially thought might be from the Australorp pullet. But now I’m wondering if it might be from my Barred Rock.
Say hello to my “little buddy.” He knows No Boundaries!
View attachment 1658033 View attachment 1658035 View attachment 1658036
My one and only little yellow chick I believe might be from my White Rock. There is an identical yellow chick that the broody hatched and it appears that a darker reddish color is appearing under its down.
View attachment 1658043 View attachment 1658044 View attachment 1658045
This little chick, formerly known as Egg #9, is the one that I “helped” by relieving it of its heavy burden - snipping away the egg lining it was dragging around.
This chick is very friendly and allows me to pick up at will. It also is a very much “in my space” chick, showing no mercy as to where it roosts on me! It has a modified chipmunk pattern, but its down and feathers contain gray and charcoal, where the others are brown and tan. I have absolutely no idea which pullet this one belongs to and I believe it is a pullet.
View attachment 1658046
I love the little black spot on the point of its modified chipmunk pattern.View attachment 1658047 View attachment 1658048 View attachment 1658049
The remaining chicks are on the next post.
If your only cockerel is the welsummer, then one of the barred girls mothered #10, a definite cockerel since females only pass barring to their sons, and the head dot is the sign.
#9 appears to have come from the EE, with its little muffs, unless I missed another female in your list that might be bearded. Eyestripes sometimes indicate female in chipmunks, but usually they also have a darker V on their heads, and I think that is only true on “silver” based birds. I still get a male vibe from the pics, but I’m far from expert in this guessing game.
The yellow one is beyond me, do you have a pic of Dad?
Yeppers!
- Thread starter
- #276
These babies have been such a learning experience for me and I dread putting them in their coop enclosure, alongside the big birds. I won’t get to love on them as much up there as I do in my house, but I realize it’s for the best.
These two chicks are the only two that have black feathers with brown down on their heads and brown etching on their wings. There is a small whitish patch on the breast. Both have mostly black feet/legs. I have no idea which pullet laid these eggs. These first set of chick pics were made 3 days ago.
This is Chick A.
Gorgeous wing color.
This is the second black chick, Chick B.
The wing feathers are gorgeous.
These two pics were made today showing the combs. The chick on the right is Chick A and on the left is Chick B. My thoughts on these two is Chick B is a cockerel and Chick A is a pullet, based only on the comb. There’s not a great deal of difference though. I’m just hoping, I guess.
Also their beaks are black. Will the beaks and legs possibly change color?
This pic shows the chocolate colored down on their heads.
This is the last chick from a brown egg. The down on its head is mostly red. Very friendly and I’m hoping a pullet.
These last two chicks have muffs and are from my Easter Egger. I believe I’ve got one of each.
This first one I believe is the pullet. It has little dots between its beak and eyes. (As opposed to lines on the second one.) And I think they have pea combs.
This picture kind of looks like an owl face.
The second chick with little muffs. See the lines between its beak and eyes.
Such a sweet muffy face. Too bad I think this one is a cockerel.
This chick’s shoulder feathering is much farther along than any of the other chicks, and the tips remind me of little hearts. The wings are also much longer than most of the chicks.
These two chicks are the only two that have black feathers with brown down on their heads and brown etching on their wings. There is a small whitish patch on the breast. Both have mostly black feet/legs. I have no idea which pullet laid these eggs. These first set of chick pics were made 3 days ago.
This is Chick A.
Gorgeous wing color.
This is the second black chick, Chick B.
The wing feathers are gorgeous.
These two pics were made today showing the combs. The chick on the right is Chick A and on the left is Chick B. My thoughts on these two is Chick B is a cockerel and Chick A is a pullet, based only on the comb. There’s not a great deal of difference though. I’m just hoping, I guess.
Also their beaks are black. Will the beaks and legs possibly change color?This pic shows the chocolate colored down on their heads.
This is the last chick from a brown egg. The down on its head is mostly red. Very friendly and I’m hoping a pullet.
These last two chicks have muffs and are from my Easter Egger. I believe I’ve got one of each.
This first one I believe is the pullet. It has little dots between its beak and eyes. (As opposed to lines on the second one.) And I think they have pea combs.
This picture kind of looks like an owl face.
The second chick with little muffs. See the lines between its beak and eyes.
Such a sweet muffy face. Too bad I think this one is a cockerel.
This chick’s shoulder feathering is much farther along than any of the other chicks, and the tips remind me of little hearts. The wings are also much longer than most of the chicks.
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- Thread starter
- #277
Oh me, I have so much to learn on all this genetic stuff.If your only cockerel is the welsummer, then one of the barred girls mothered #10, a definite cockerel since females only pass barring to their sons, and the head dot is the sign.
#9 appears to have come from the EE, with its little muffs, unless I missed another female in your list that might be bearded. Eyestripes sometimes indicate female in chipmunks, but usually they also have a darker V on their heads, and I think that is only true on “silver” based birds. I still get a male vibe from the pics, but I’m far from expert in this guessing game.
The yellow one is beyond me, do you have a pic of Dad?
So this little grayish bird is what’s known as the “silver” based birds that I’ve read about. And I suppose it doesn’t have anything to do with its mother being all silver or gray?
Since I only have two barred birds, a BPR and a Dom, I’ll guess it’s from the BPR since the comb is single. Is that a correct assumption?
Here are a couple of shots of dad. He is a beautiful bird.
Have you had a chance to look at the last post of pictures?
- Thread starter
- #278
Oh @aart, I have felt so badly for you and all the others in these frigid temps. It is cold here in Alabama, but NOTHING like what you are experiencing.
It's miserable here......but it's worse in other places.
- Thread starter
- #280
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