Nankin Bantams

[MROO]

Love the pics, need more pics though

Evie has a new little sibling! Remember the eggs my broody, Pepper, swiped from her sisters in the middle of the first week of setting? Well, she walked away from five leftover eggs once her babies were mobile. I candled the ones left, tossed two and put the last three into the incubator. Well, today we came downstairs to a new baby! That brings us up to six ... a single, four and another single, about 10 days apart. We still have two eggs left in lockdown. With all of this "crossing," my poor fingers are going to be permanently crooked!

Meet Jackie (Male or female - short for "Hi-Jacked!)

 

[cobra3073]

WOW Dawn!!

You have a nice flock going now!

Today (Day 10 since I received them) was the first day Iet my 8 Nankin juveniles out of the coop into the primary run.They really seem to be enjoying it...bathing in the cedar chips and trying to follow the Sun in the mostly shaded run.

Both of the young cockerels are trying to crow and trying to convince the pullets to come to alleged “goodies” they have found ...HILARIOUS!

So far, there has been no obvious feuding. I have noticed these Nankins love to be near each other, though. If one goes off alone, pretty soon the others will follow.

I am looking forward to seeing whether or not they go into the coop on their own tonight.

BT

 

[MROO]

Sad, Sad ...
About midday today, we noticed an external pip in one of the two remaining Nankin eggs in the incubator. It's the egg way in the back behind Jackie in his/her debut portrait. The baby was apparently resting, because the little beak-tip was barely out, but not moving much. An hour later, it wasn't moving at all, and we figured it must be resting after all of that hard work. We figured wrong. We have a fully-formed, externally pipped chick dead in the shell. It looks so perfect; it's not even shrink-wrapped. The poor little thing just quit!
We have one more egg in the 'bator. There is a huge air sac and we can see the baby, alive and moving, but I can't shake the blues. The last one came so close. This one almost scares me, now.

 

[MROO]

WOW Dawn!!

They really seem to be enjoying it...bathing in the cedar chips

BT

So do you (have a good flock going)! But NO NO NO to the cedar chips! Get 'em outta there and replace them with pine! Cedar gives off a toxin that can build up and kill your new babies!
I love how they all stick together, too. It's like having a flock of very tiny, chestnut-colored sheep. They all stand back and study something, then one will venture ahead ... and all of them try to follow at once. It's pretty funny!

 

[cobra3073]

Dawn,

I meant to say Pine; don’t know where my mind and/or fingers were.

BT

 

[cobra3073]

...and very sorry to read of your losing the chick.

BT

 

[cobra3073]

These Nankins are SUPER intelligent!

My young flock members ALL found their way back into the coop as the Sun began to set.

While I attribute their actions to my having kept them “incarcerated” for 10 days prior to letting them into the “run”, the First Lady claims it is the result of the lead pullet (who just happened to be named after her) being “smart” like her namesake.

Strange how someone who had the stated intention of not assisting me in this endeavor is now “all in.” LOL

BT

 

[cobra3073]

well i lost the last one right before lockdown, should have given it my bnatam cochin, so i broke down and ordered hatchery chicks, will be here thursday, a friend is driving them up from texas, I am in Oklahoma, too hot for shipping babies- i hope in the fall to order from a breeder for better quality. I love the new babies you have!! Love the pics, need more pics though

So Robin, are your hatchery chicks coming from Ideal?

I hope you will continue to post on this thread because I would REALLY like to obtain “First Hand” and current information on the quality and overall type of the Nankins coming out of the hatcheries.

Prior to my obtaining my juveniles, I was considering ordering from Purely Poultry but could not get a straight answer as to from where they were sourcing their Nankins...I believe I had read at one time it was from “Ideal.”

Anyways, I would like to follow you on your “journey” with the hatchery acquired Nankins.

BT

 

[artsyrobin]

i am sorry you lost the baby, my last egg made it to lockdown and died-

Well the babies made it fine, i don't expect show quality, being a hatchery, yes ideal, but i know of one person that got them from ideal and they have the temperament- so my cochin is brooding them- they do have the head dot lol and are about serama size chicks

 

[MROO]

Congratulations on your new arrivals! They are too, too cute. Nannies are the sweetest little babies - so tiny and perfectly yellow "peep-colored" ... at least for the first few days. Evie is already going chestnut (hopefully not an Adam!) and Jackie's is coming through with a pretty, pale buff - and he/she's only a few days old. And the babies in the coop? Wow, I'd forgotten how fast the really tiny ones change!
And as far as "Show Quality" goes, how many Nankins have you seen at local shows? They may not be National quality, yet, but with the low numbers we see at local shows and fairs, you're liable to bring home more ribbons than you realize. We just all need to remember that, while breed-standard birds are the goal, they aren't always the norm, right now, but we still need to get them out there.
I know that doesn't sound very good, because it sounds like I'm saying, "Don't worry about the standard." That's not what I'm saying at all. Nankin breeders and showers have a bigger responsibility than simply finding the perfect bird (if such even exists!) We also share the burden of everyone else who takes on an endangered breed. We need to make sure people know about these little gems. More importantly, we need to encourage people to WANT these little gems! So the treasure doesn't disappear forever!
Alright - I'm off my soapbox again ... it's time to shut down for the night ...
Have a good one!