June Hatch-A-Long

[SnapdragonQ]

Hi....
New bator hatcher here. I set 22 eggs on Sat for a June 13 hatch date. I've got some ordered chicks coming around the 12th and plan to put them all together.

Current roo is an Australorp and I let him cover 6 hens for the eggs-
an Aussie, an Ameraucana, and 4 Sapphire Gems. I'll be very curious to see how the SG mixes come out color wise. Also interested if any of the blue eggs result in eventual pullets.
I've always had broody hens before so this first bator go around is for learning as I have no real breeding goals just yet. Hopefully it will become a useful tool in future flock plans.
Tonight will be just past day 3 and I'm hoping I'll be able to see some veins.

I must have accidentally deleted the pics of one of the black Gem/Lavender Orpington crosses. Here have 5 of the 6. This is one of the black ones....it would not hold still. I think it is a pullet.
View attachment 2153151View attachment 2153153
This is my definite cockerel in the color I really wanted.View attachment 2153154View attachment 2153156
Another black one - pullet. (The three black ones look pretty much identical).
View attachment 2153173View attachment 2153174
This is the steel grey one. When I picked it up to take a picture I noticed that it has some bronze color on the tips of some of it's feathers. It also is the only one that had feathers on its legs and a weird hairdo. The person I got them from also has Copper Marans....so wondering if a Copper Maran rooster got in with the Sapphire Gems or Lavender Orpingtons. Having a hard time deciding pullet or cockerel on this one.
View attachment 2153180View attachment 2153182View attachment 2153184View attachment 2153185
And this is my other lavender color chick. This one is the one I am most unsure about as it is starting to get color in it's waddles and it's comb has gotten bigger over the last week. I'm thinking cockerel.
View attachment 2153190View attachment 2153192
They are 5 weeks today.

I love a pretty blue or lavender bird. Could you tell me a little more about what you've mixed with your Sapphire Gems and how they turned out?

Those are some pretty youngsters.

 

[FortCluck]

Hi....
New bator hatcher here. I set 22 eggs on Sat for a June 13 hatch date. I've got some ordered chicks coming around the 12th and plan to put them all together.

Current roo is an Australorp and I let him cover 6 hens for the eggs-
an Aussie, an Ameraucana, and 4 Sapphire Gems. I'll be very curious to see how the SG mixes come out color wise. Also interested if any of the blue eggs result in eventual pullets.
I've always had broody hens before so this first bator go around is for learning as I have no real breeding goals just yet. Hopefully it will become a useful tool in future flock plans.
Tonight will be just past day 3 and I'm hoping I'll be able to see some veins.


I love a pretty blue or lavender bird. Could you tell me a little more about what you've mixed with your Sapphire Gems and how they turned out?

Those are some pretty youngsters.

I’m so glad you are joining!!!! Can’t wait to see pics. We love pics of chicks of candling and of anything even broodies!

 

[kelseyk]

Hi....
New bator hatcher here. I set 22 eggs on Sat for a June 13 hatch date. I've got some ordered chicks coming around the 12th and plan to put them all together.

Current roo is an Australorp and I let him cover 6 hens for the eggs-
an Aussie, an Ameraucana, and 4 Sapphire Gems. I'll be very curious to see how the SG mixes come out color wise. Also interested if any of the blue eggs result in eventual pullets.
I've always had broody hens before so this first bator go around is for learning as I have no real breeding goals just yet. Hopefully it will become a useful tool in future flock plans.
Tonight will be just past day 3 and I'm hoping I'll be able to see some veins.


I love a pretty blue or lavender bird. Could you tell me a little more about what you've mixed with your Sapphire Gems and how they turned out?

Those are some pretty youngsters.

I bought the Sapphire Gem cross eggs. The lady I got them from crossed her Sapphire Gems with Lavender Orpingtons. I have a suspicion that an invading rooster got in the pen though as my steel grey Gem Cross has copper on some of its feathers and also has feathers on it's legs like a Copper Maran (and I know this lady has Copper Marans as well). I also ended up with 3 black chicks out of the 6 when they all should have been shades of lavender.

 

[kelseyk]

Call duck eggs are supposed to be delivered today. Got the notification that my Swedish Flower Hens eggs and my next batch of Copper Marans eggs have shipped. Still waiting on word on the Silkie eggs and the Lavender Orpington eggs.

This site is going to get me in trouble! LOL! I keep reading posts and seeing chicken breeds that I have not seen before so I google them. I am now wanting some Welsummers! My July incubator list is filling up!

 

[FortCluck]

Call duck eggs are supposed to be delivered today. Got the notification that my Swedish Flower Hens eggs and my next batch of Copper Marans eggs have shipped. Still waiting on word on the Silkie eggs and the Lavender Orpington eggs.

This site is going to get me in trouble! LOL! I keep reading posts and seeing chicken breeds that I have not seen before so I google them. I am now wanting some Welsummers! My July incubator list is filling up!

Oh snap... time to ban you don’t worry I’ll be hatching in July too. I’ll stop hatching at the beginning of July though because I have vacation.

 

[kelseyk]

Oh snap... time to ban you don’t worry I’ll be hatching in July too. I’ll stop hatching at the beginning of July though because I have vacation.

My current June incubation list...
Wheaten Marans for friends
Pheasants for FIL
Call ducks
Silkies
Swedish Flower Hens
Lavender Orpingtons
Copper Marans

Possible July incubation list...Might be able to squeeze some of these into a late June hatch...
Pheasants for Hubby
Another batch of Goldneck d'Uccles for my son
Wheaten Marans?
Welsummers?

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I bought the Sapphire Gem cross eggs. The lady I got them from crossed her Sapphire Gems with Lavender Orpingtons. I have a suspicion that an invading rooster got in the pen though as my steel grey Gem Cross has copper on some of its feathers and also has feathers on it's legs like a Copper Maran (and I know this lady has Copper Marans as well). I also ended up with 3 black chicks out of the 6 when they all should have been shades of lavender.

Oh dear...oopsie.

I know the history on the SGs are rather vague at the moment. Some hatcheries swear its some secret secret mix and others call them a simple blue rock hybrid sex link. Mine were gorgeous youngsters late last fall (got the chicks early Sept) but since coming into lay in Jan they are starting to look more like typical scraggly comet/sex link egg making machines. Wonderful personalities though!

I chose the 4 biggest (fuller bodied) and most robust looking four of the bunch for the eggs and am hoping I can get something that isn't black and has a more pleasing plump shape. I know SGs aren't supposed to breed true but the idea of crossing with a lavender breed is an interesting one. Hmmmm.....

 

[SnapdragonQ]

My current June incubation list...
Wheaten Marans for friends
Pheasants for FIL
Call ducks
Silkies
Swedish Flower Hens
Lavender Orpingtons
Copper Marans

Possible July incubation list...Might be able to squeeze some of these into a late June hatch...
Pheasants for Hubby
Another batch of Goldneck d'Uccles for my son
Wheaten Marans?
Welsummers?

I loved my BCM and Welsummers! I used to have a larger farm and much more space for all kinds of poultry. Good think I did NOT have an incubator then!!

 

[2102Simm]

Oops I did it again I sat some more eggs, got lost in the hatch oh baby baby
Yea I have a problem clearly. So last month we had a total of 17 healthy babies hatch and are now happy in the brooder. Then I may or may not have set another 30 eggs to see what kind of baby's my new roo Butters (White Rock x BO) over my BO, Australorp, RIR, and SLW will produce.

On a positive note I sold 6 babies in the brooder bringing the number down to 11. On a less positive note yesterday my neighbors dog killed 4 of my young birds as they were going in to roost. All the birds lost were my kids personal favorite birds and we lost our little cockerel Dos. He was turning into such a beautiful little boy despite being a franken baby I wish I had gotten more pics of him before he'd been killed.

 

[FortCluck]

Oops I did it again I sat some more eggs, got lost in the hatch oh baby baby
Yea I have a problem clearly. So last month we had a total of 17 healthy babies hatch and are now happy in the brooder. Then I may or may not have set another 30 eggs to see what kind of baby's my new roo Butters (White Rock x BO) over my BO, Australorp, RIR, and SLW will produce. View attachment 2160968
On a positive note I sold 6 babies in the brooder bringing the number down to 11. On a less positive note yesterday my neighbors dog killed 4 of my young birds as they were going in to roost. All the birds lost were my kids personal favorite birds and we lost our little cockerel Dos. He was turning into such a beautiful little boy despite being a franken baby I wish I had gotten more pics of him before he'd been killed.

I just laughed so hard reading that. You redo songs just like me. Great job.