Is it time to panic? NEW UPDATE - SEVEN!!!

[Shaun]

Gosh - they are TOO CUTE. I'm going to try and post some fuzzy photos - when they see someone, they all mob the front of the incubator so they're all juggling for position - not great for clear photos

They all peck at the "window" and look curiously at me.

OK, when I got home this morning, out of 8 turkey eggs, courtesy of my Lavender hen, and two chicken eggs, courtesy of my laying hens I have.....

6 turkeys and a chick

From what I can see, most appear to be Blue Slate or Lavenders, and there's at least one that looks like my Bourbon Red Tom may have been involved?

Really hard to tell, they're all dancing the tango in there - they certainly seem to be happy and healthy.

I remain amazed, thrilled and awed that we FINALLY have had a (mostly) successful hatch! Now I guess I need to go buy a box of Lady Clairol to fix all the gray hair these guys gave me. When we've hatched chickens, they pip, and then Bam - we had chicks. Had NO IDEA (obviously

) that poults would take so much more time to hatch.

As for the guy who pipped out the wrong end.... Sadly, he appears to be dead in the shell - no movement there at all.

The other egg, as far as I can see, has no pipping, no cracking and no movement. So we may be done unless the chicken egg hatches.

 

[OmaBird]

The little red one is black based (masked) and will not look like your Bourbon Red. I can show you a picture if you like.

 

[Shaun]

Is that what a lavender/bourbon red cross will look like? I'd love to see photos!

 

[OmaBird]

Quote:
This is Red in the middle. His mother was killed while sitting on eggs. I grabed the eggs and hatched these three.

This is Red growing up.

This is Red today. I think I have my camera working. Darn thing.

 

[Denninmi]

Shaun -- CONGRATS a hundred times over. That is great. All of the weeks of worry paid off.

 

[Shaun]

How cool

- I think I may have TWO of those - 3 I believe have to be Lavender - they're very pale all over. one looks like a classic Blue Slate, and we've got two of the mixes

Thanks for the good wishes - now if I could just get my old incubator that I want to use as the brooder to work!! It was fine, but a little under temp yesterday, Hubby adjusted it last night, now it won't hold temp at all. May have to go back to the big Rubbermaid container and a heat lamp for these guys!!

 

[TsaLaGi Acres]

I now need lavender poults or eggs... are they from the Blue Slate or are they a breed all their own?? They are just BEAUTIFUL!!!
Shaun you sellin babies now?? *grins*

 

[Shaun]

Lavenders, if I understand it correctly, are part of the complicated Blue Slate family. A BS x BS cross gives you 25% Lavenders, 50% Blue Slates, and 25% Black poults. A Lavenderx BS gives you only BS and Lavender poults.
My Lavender hen is a very pretty pale gray. Pretty hard to see any purple in there, but she is very delicate (quite an accomplishment for a turkey

) and beautiful. I don't want black poults, or not many of them, as I wish to sell turkeys to eat, and black ones are always a pain to pluck and make look nice. So I'm hoping for a nice Lavender Tom.

 

[OmaBird]

If you cross that red poult back on a slate or lavender you can get a bird that looks like this. Its a nice color to pluck.

 

[TsaLaGi Acres]

Quote:
I wish you lived closer, we'd purchase all the young black one that you get. I've got ideas rolling around like mad lol