Miscellaneous Meeps - Hatching my Dreams

[wrathsfarm]

The grow outs just got their run finished yesterday so still aren't venturing out yet. Hopefully tomorrow they'll be out and about and I can get some photos in the natural light.

These two mauves are almost identical in color and seem to be uniform, no variation in their color like the Piper mauve cockerel. So interesting! The one does have a straight comb but I will breed her anyway, if very many chicks hatch with a straight comb I may remove her, but if not, these are just pet quality adorable floofs anyway but I'll pair them with either Mini Muffin or the chocolate frizzle (the mauve frizzle of course would not get this option).

This photo makes them look more different in color than the naked eye, the one on the left is the frizzle

View attachment 3863987
This shows the color better. It's like the color of the water when washing your car after a long drive down a dirt road
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And the Piper cockerel
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Might he be a fun cross with my two satins? He had some chipmunk stiping as a chick.

I'm still working on digesting the Wheaten genetics this might take me awhile!

Off topic a bit but how do you gender these? They all look alike... Serious question, what identifiers are you looking at? By what age?

Also looking forward to seeing more pics of course.

 

[2ndTink]

I'm no therapist here, (or anger management teacher) but it seems to me your giving him anxiety and a complex.

I would just give in to the biting because that's just your connection and bond with him. I mean after a few months the skin will scar and callous and it won't be as painful....

I think you are on to something here, I'd hate to give him anxiety. Instead I will give myself anxiety by offering my arm for him to chomp

It's funny, because it hurts a bit but not horrendous, but still, I'm gla bit jumpy about trying to touch him. And especially when I intentionally offer my arm, there's this battle in my brain of "its not that bad, hold still" and "oh my gosh, I'm going to be bitten, don't make me stay here you fool!"

 

[2ndTink]

Off topic a bit but how do you gender these? They all look alike... Serious question, what identifiers are you looking at? By what age?

Also looking forward to seeing more pics of course.

Ooh, coming out of the gate early morning with the tough questions!

I have a few things I look for, not all 100% accurate. I have three 16 week old "pullets" (please be pullets!) I think they are, not really anything there as far as a comb goes, slight thickening but no wattles.

As small chicks, upright posture can indicate a cockerel, a broader comb area than its siblings can also indicate cockerel. 100%? No, but it gives me guesses. At 8 to 10 weeks I've had some silkies crowing. It seems if I have a suspicious its a cockerel at any age, it is. So when I say I have "pullets" it mostly means they haven't given me any cockerel indications.

In an eggshell, posture, comb, attitude. Generally if they are waffle stomping the other chicks at a really young age, it's a boy.

These two mauves, I was sure that one hatched from my mauve hen (paired with a blue rooster) and one from my blue wheaten / partridge, hey she was pretty whatever she was, hen (chocolate split to chocolate rooster). The thing is, my blue rooster could never give me a mauve pullet, so it must be two mauves from my black split to chocolate rooster, which means these two are sexlinked!

This was them at hatch

 

[wrathsfarm]

Ooh, coming out of the gate early morning with the tough questions!

I have a few things I look for, not all 100% accurate. I have three 16 week old "pullets" (please be pullets!) I think they are, not really anything there as far as a comb goes, slight thickening but no wattles.

As small chicks, upright posture can indicate a cockerel, a broader comb area than its siblings can also indicate cockerel. 100%? No, but it gives me guesses. At 8 to 10 weeks I've had some silkies crowing. It seems if I have a suspicious its a cockerel at any age, it is. So when I say I have "pullets" it mostly means they haven't given me any cockerel indications.

In an eggshell, posture, comb, attitude. Generally if they are waffle stomping the other chicks at a really young age, it's a boy.

These two mauves, I was sure that one hatched from my mauve hen (paired with a blue rooster) and one from my blue wheaten / partridge, hey she was pretty whatever she was, hen (chocolate split to chocolate rooster). The thing is, my blue rooster could never give me a mauve pullet, so it must be two mauves from my black split to chocolate rooster, which means these two are sexlinked!

This was them at hatch

View attachment 3864167View attachment 3864168View attachment 3864169

Thanks for the info...and holy cute!!

 

[2ndTink]

Thanks for the info...and holy cute!!

It's interesting that it appears the chipmunk stripes didn't lead to any visible pattern on their juvenile feathers. I was expecting a little bit of something, but at this point they are both solid colors. I'm curious to see their adult feathers and if they develop any frosted feather tips or anything else.

 

[wrathsfarm]

It's interesting that it appears the chipmunk stripes didn't lead to any visible pattern on their juvenile feathers. I was expecting a little bit of something, but at this point they are both solid colors. I'm curious to see their adult feathers and if they develop any frosted feather tips or anything else.

That would be neat...

 

[2ndTink]

I have a bunch of broody silkies still, I decided to swap boys. Both of the black hens who aren't broody went and checked the new guy out. Rainier couldn't get enough of him. They stood beak to beak and quietly chattered away for quite awhile.





He's proud

 

[2ndTink]

We have some coop drama going on today. I had swapped boys as I mentioned in my previous post and this morning he was pacing the side of the coop like he wanted in with the grow outs. I wasn't sure why but as I was in there feeding everyone I saw my one broody hens would bustle over there, growl at him, and peck him. The poor guy is afraid of this growling broody no wonder he was trying to get out of there.

She'd just growl and do a peck or two and walk away, but after a few minutes she'd be back, growl, peck, and leave. Each time as she'd walk away though one of my black silkie hens would run over and peck the broody. It was like she didn't want to get in the middle, but she'd sure let Miss Broody butt know her opinion after the fact. This scenario kept repeating. No feathers flying and no risk of injury (other than Star's pride...) so they get to sort this thing out on their own.

The splash broody on the right coming in to be a pest


The growl and peck


The black hen after she'd pecked the broody on her exit, the broody is already back on the far right you can just see her booty.

 

[2ndTink]

This is a young cockerel, about 13 weeks now, from my satin paint rooster over a layer breed hen, his leakage and feather sheen is so cool.

It's of course way more vibrant in person, but the camera got the gist.

 

[TwoCrows]

This is a young cockerel, about 13 weeks now, from my satin paint rooster over a layer breed hen, his leakage and feather sheen is so cool.

It's of course way more vibrant in person, but the camera got the gist.
View attachment 3873826

Wow, he is dashing, just gorgeous!!