New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Aww, they are so cute. So 100% hatch rate, that's great.

 

[speckledhen]

Aww, they are so cute. So 100% hatch rate, that's great.

Well, not really 100% because on Day 18, I found one crushed and couldn't save the baby, but other than that one, they all did hatch, which is usual for these. They seem to be strong, healthy chicks. I'm sure the other one would have hatched too if it had not been damaged. Thea is loving motherhood, I can tell.

And that Bonnie! She is still broody after four weeks. She's going to kill herself, I'm afraid. I grabbed her out of the dark nest box she was in and put her up in the hospital cage with a little fan blowing on her so she has no actual nest. I may try to give her one chick and see how she reacts, but I hate to take even one away from sweet Thea. Makes you wonder what is wrong with a hen who goes broody once every quarter and even sits with no eggs. But, if I don't give her a chick, she may not break up at all. And she's already very thin.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Geez, old lady moment, I had already forgot about the crushed egg, I'm a bit distracted this week. Sorry about that.

I've had some of my bantam hens stay broody for a few months. Some are quite determined and stubborn aren't they. I'm always relieved when broody season is done, though I have had a few bantams broody in the dead of winter.

 

[speckledhen]

Doing great with mama Thea today. There is one tiny one, same as last time, (at the waterer alone), but they almost always are male and always seem to catch up later on with the others in size.

@junebuggena and @Sjisty you don't see a splash in the lightest chick, do you? I don't think it's yellow/light enough for that, but my customer is dying for one.

Lightest chick on the far right in pic below. More likely blue partridge than splash partridge, I'd think, but what do you think?

This last picture is the biggest chick of all four.

 

[junebuggena]

You can't tell which are black, blue or splash from the chick down. You have to wait till they start feathering in.

 

[speckledhen]

You can't tell which are black, blue or splash from the chick down. You have to wait till they start feathering in.

Hopefully, one of the two lighter ones will be splash for my customer. I know it's pretty hard to say if one will be black or blue at the beginning, considering that blues come in all shades from super dark to very light, but I guessed a splash at hatch from the down on a chick not long ago, though it could have been just a lucky guess. I'd never seen one this shade hatch before him. It was super yellowish with no chipmunk stripes at all. This little guy. Gosh, he was a cutie!

And he became this handsome patchwork quilt guy:

 

[speckledhen]

More Brahma baby action today, dustbathing time! They're about a week old now. I don't think these can technically be feather sexed, right? One or two seem to have "girly wings", but we'll know as soon as they feather in more, of course. I mostly took the wing pics for my customer, who was very interested in how they were feathering.

 

[speckledhen]

Brandy is full-on broody as of yesterday, her 3rd time. My husband said not to monkey around trying to break her so she has 7 Brahma eggs under her in the dog crate. I may give her another if Betsy or Bonnie lays today. Sigh. Bash doesn't really need a lot more hens, but I can give Brahma girls to my BR roosters if I keep any. They seem to have a thing for bearded ladies so maybe furry legged ladies would also suit them, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

Took more pics for my customer today. I don't believe he's getting a splash chick in this batch so he may elect to wait for Brandy's seven to hatch. I stacked the deck with eggs from what I think are Betsy and Bonnie, the blue pt girls, so there would be a better chance.

 

[1muttsfan]

No splash, but I believe I see a blue