Lavender patterned Isabel duckwing barred - lavender brown cuckoo barred - project and genetic dis

[ChicKat]

Thanks for the good wishes. Of 20 lockdown eggs, only 1 hatched.

Since it is such a busy time -- I don't have much spare time to devote to spending with the little lonely chick...so I bought a gold sex link at the feed store. Two chicks there in the brooder now.

And now one of my Legbars went broody....so I put 6-eggs under her, and set 20 more in the incubator that works. (I hope it is working LOL)---

Have rehomed two more hens and 1 cockerel -- and there are now 4 people who are awaiting my chickens -- when I put the house on the market. These spring hatchlings should be POL by then... They all know that the chickens could have virus (MS) - and won't sell or show chickens, and three of them already have some of these....the 4th will be a first-timer.

 

[Kiki]

Thanks for the good wishes. Of 20 lockdown eggs, only 1 hatched.

Since it is such a busy time -- I don't have much spare time to devote to spending with the little lonely chick...so I bought a gold sex link at the feed store. Two chicks there in the brooder now.

And now one of my Legbars went broody....so I put 6-eggs under her, and set 20 more in the incubator that works. (I hope it is working LOL)---

Have rehomed two more hens and 1 cockerel -- and there are now 4 people who are awaiting my chickens -- when I put the house on the market. These spring hatchlings should be POL by then... They all know that the chickens could have virus (MS) - and won't sell or show chickens, and three of them already have some of these....the 4th will be a first-timer.

Sorry to hear they didn't hatch well. Did the eggs grow any? Was it a bator problem? Do you have an idea what happened?

 

[ChicKat]

Hi KikisGirls!

My guess is that it is what we used to call in the computer world a 'SUE'* Instead of taking the eggs that had been around 90 for a couple days and showed no signs of development, I should have just tossed them & started fresh right at that time, I'm thinking.

Yes, at lock down time they all looked viable with the correct proportion of darkness and air sac. This one that hatched pipped on Saturday and didn't hatch until Monday--- sometimes it seems they go from pip to zip to hatch in 20 minutes. So this was slow motion -- but perfectly healthy and 100% normal chick.

Temperature was probably my problem -- I let these eggs incubate for about 23 -24 days and then did the 'float test' and didn't detect movement. Oddly, I had kept the two hens one man wanted until just hatch day so I would continue to have an abundance of eggs -- to reset if need be. The eggs in there now are on about day 4.... I'll candle tomorrow or the next day as time permits.

*Stupid User Error

 

[ChicKat]

Chick Day -- Hooray!

The Cream Legbar Broody came through - today I saw 5 chicks -- I think 3 boys and 2 girls and there may be an egg or two yet to hatch.

There is an example of the sexual dimorphism in the chicks - male on the left with headspot, female on the right with more noticable dorsal stripe head V, and no headspot in this case.

I think that there are 3 males and 2 females.

 

[Kiki]

Chick Day -- Hooray!

The Cream Legbar Broody came through - today I saw 5 chicks -- I think 3 boys and 2 girls and there may be an egg or two yet to hatch.

We need pictures, asap!

 

[ChicKat]

Girl on left, Boy on right foreground and I think top blurry chick is also male.

boy showing headspot!

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 1400307
Girl on left, Boy on right foreground and I think top blurry chick is also male.
View attachment 1400317
boy showing headspot!

They are precious!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

They are so cute!

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Adorable! I can't wait to see them feathered out.

 

[ChicKat]

Thank you my friends! And "Sissy" the proud surrogate mom and "Iris" the egg mom -- thank you too. They really are cute and so little -- and so nonchalant. That's a chick for you. They are in a coop with a ramp --and this afternoon one of them was hollering bloody murder. IT had gotten down the ramp and lost in the lower story. When I picked it up it had cold feet...
So today I saw 3 female and 3 male I think -- and if I recall there may be one more egg. Food and water are in there and I saw a couple of them drink.
For the first time I saw chicks grab the hen's wattles and she would scream and lift up her head (must hurt) I think the chicks thought it was food. ?? Never saw that before. What? Baby cannibals?

Thought sure I heard a cheep from the incubator --and the humidity had bumped up to 69 -- I was just out there to check humidity -- so tomorrow morning I will set up the brooder (was wondering IF I could sneak the baby under this hen...but decided not to risk it.
For sure it's spring around here.