June Hatch-A-Long

[FortCluck]

Bahaha I forgot about Chubs! Is she still a massive floof?
I just love them, they’re so pretty. I would’ve got more of them but since we can only order mixed bantams here, I probably would end up with everything I don’t want and nothing that I do anyways. Haha.
oh those boys though. at least he’s their size! Haha

You must’ve seen her when she came home lo big fat cotton ball. I think I named her Chubs the instant I saw her.

My husband says she looks like she got electrocuted She’s even more floof now. I’ll have to get pics of her and post them. She’s very smart because if you say Chubs she comes running and looking.

He was riding on Chubs back and she was like a bucking bronco We were crying from laughing so hard

 

[LadiesAndJane]

My second chicken baby hatched just after midnight. It had surprised me greatly. Wasn’t expecting it till morning.

this one has a pale face vs the dark face of the other one. Not sure if that is normal or not for Americanna

but here is the little one.

View attachment 2188059

Also question about brooder bedding for chickens. Can I use an animal safe sand as the substrate? Is that safe for them? I really don’t want to use wood chips or flakes in it because unlike with ducks I can actually scoop the poop out of this brooder easily.

Little sweetie!
I have been using puppy pads in my "brooder" which is just a series of cardboard boxes. Easy cleanup.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

so do they usually make it to lockdown and just not pip? I’ve got quite a few shipped eggs that are looking good so far, but a lot of them dohave the saddle shaped air cells. Guessing I shouldn’t get my hopes up?

I had several chicks hatch this last time from saddled air cells, hatched them upright in cartons. You never know, don't give up!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Little sweetie!
I have been using puppy pads in my "brooder" which is just a series of cardboard boxes. Easy cleanup.

I use boxes when brooding inside the house too. Can tape a few together into any shape you need and when done, toss it all in the compost pile. Wish I had puppy pads though...whole lot less messy than bedding.

 

[FortCluck]

I use boxes when brooding inside the house too. Can tape a few together into any shape you need and when done, toss it all in the compost pile. Wish I had puppy pads though...whole lot less messy than bedding.

I’d rather use pine shavings. You just turn them and they’re way cleaner. I couldn’t imagine using puppy pads or paper towels. They looking disgusting after 5 seconds!

Pine shavings once they are dirty you can put in the compost pile to make soil for the next year's gardens. Puppy pads are not good for compost and anything that creates waste (trash) I do not like to use

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I’d rather use pine shavings. You just turn them and they’re way cleaner. I couldn’t imagine using puppy pads or paper towels. They looking disgusting after 5 seconds!

Pine shavings once they are dirty you can put in the compost pile to make soil for the next year's gardens. Puppy pads are not good for compost and anything that creates waste (trash) I do not like to use

I take a very "green living" approach here as well when we can but I admit that I use puppy pads under my pine pellets because it's so much easier to lift it all out and toss it. I also use press n seal plastic wrap on top of my heat plates for easy clean up. Lol, I guess chicks aren't super earth friendly at my house because I like easy clean up. Fortunately the pads and pine pellets last a while before needing to be swapped out.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My eggs day 21 will start Fri. eve. Since they were shipped, I would guess Sat. would start to hatch. I had 3 with clear tips but also movement, now just one had a clear tip, but movement also.

 

[FortCluck]

I take a very "green living" approach here as well when we can but I admit that I use puppy pads under my pine pellets because it's so much easier to lift it all out and toss it. I also use press n seal plastic wrap on top of my heat plates for easy clean up. Lol, I guess chicks aren't super earth friendly at my house because I like easy clean up. Fortunately the pads and pine pellets last a while before needing to be swapped out.

Yeah my pine shavings can go quite a bit before being swapped out in the shed brooder. We just toss fresh in with the old them we shovel it out into the compost pile.

Best soil ever is the soil we created with pine shavings from fall till spring that we just turned in the coop every other day and added fresh. my veggies this year are amazing!

 

[jolenesdad]

Isn't that how Olive Eggers are created?
So, just read the rest of the thread (I was a bit behind apparently) and have my question answered! Egg color genetics are so interesting!

That’s part of the story for olive egger. How deep do you want to go?

the best sure fire way to get a true “olive egger” is to use a dark brown layer and a pure (two-copies of the blue gene) blue layer. 100% will lay “olive.”

I put that in quotes because.... most people believe that the darkest parts of the egg color are a sex linked trait. As in.... mothers pass the trait to sons and sons pass it along to daughters.

in order to get the true olives, the dark ones that are so pleasing... you’ve got to use a cockerel that hatched from a very dark egg.

if your hen lays a dark egg and the male is the blue gene carrier, you won’t carry as much of the darkness through to the next generation.

 

[FortCluck]

That’s part of the story for olive egger. How deep do you want to go?

the best sure fire way to get a true “olive egger” is to use a dark brown layer and a pure (two-copies of the blue gene) blue layer. 100% will lay “olive.”

I put that in quotes because.... most people believe that the darkest parts of the egg color are a sex linked trait. As in.... mothers pass the trait to sons and sons pass it along to daughters.

in order to get the true olives, the dark ones that are so pleasing... you’ve got to use a cockerel that hatched from a very dark egg.

if your hen lays a dark egg and the male is the blue gene carrier, you won’t carry as much of the darkness through to the next generation.

This is why I’m keeping a Copper Maran rooster I want olive eggers