Pyncheon chickens. Anyone else have any?

[mama24]

Thank you! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope you did, too! Priscilla has continued laying in her cage every day, and has been alert and friendly. This morning, she threw a fit when she heard the girls outside her window, so I let my son take her outside and release her. She's resting in the bantam coop, but I think she's a lot happier outside. I totally think being comfortable is important for healing quickly, so I'm letting her stay out there and will just check her wounds every day to make sure they don't get an infection.

I really think shes going to be fine, thank G-d!

I have noticed the hawks hanging out a lot more in our trees. I guess now that the leaves are mostly gone, they can see and fly better, and it's not as safe for my flock.

I need to go get some fencing and maybe I can get it up with my hubby's help before Monday.

 

[SunnyChic]

OMG! So sorry to hear about the hawk attack; I'm so glad Priscilla is doing better. GO ELVIS! What a brave little fellow; I'll bet that was something to witness, a Pyncheon cockerel trying to beat up a hawk. I had my first hawk fatality this past September; a Cooper's Hawk killed one of my OEGB hens. No more free-ranging.

 

[mama24]

I'm sorry I missed it (well, I'm more sorry it happened at all!), I'm sure it was amazing!!! But Elvis is now completely neurotic and puts up a fuss anytime anything comes down from the sky, even leaves! Poor little guy is traumatized! But he's a sweetie. He does his little wing dance for my girls, but doesn't push it when they ignore him like every other rooster I've had. He's a real gentleman! LOL. He also loves to feed everyone, even the half grown chicks we have! He will even pick something up and run over to the group to offer it up! He's so stinkin cute!

And Priscilla is broody.

In mid-December!!! wth? Silly bird! It is NOT a good time of year for hatching babies, though the 60 degree days we've been having may be fooling them! I'd let her set some eggs just b/c I am so excited about Pyncheon babies, but she is still with both Elvis and Darth Vader, our black Minorca bantam roo. I would rather wait until I have her and Elvis separated to let her go broody so she's spending her energy on some nice Pyncheon babies, not mutts, though I have to admit I love seeing what the little mixed breeds turn into as they grow!

 

[mama24]

We're letting her sit. Yesterday something killed our only Sultan hen and my 12yo son is absolutely heartbroken! Priscilla and Annie (the Sultan) were his 2 favorite girls, and he is very attached to all of our birds.

So I decided last night on a whim to put all of the Sultan's eggs plus 2 of Priscilla's under her since she didn't want to quit being broody. LOL. So she's been out there all night and morning fluffed out over 8 eggs! She looks so cute! I guess as soon as they hatch we should know who the dad is. If Elvis is the dad over Priscilla, the babies will be Mille Fleur of course, black if Darth Vader is the dad, and over Annie, they will be white either way, but since they're mixed breeds either way, it doesn't really matter. So sad about poor poor blind (b/c of her head poof) Annie! I'm not sure if it was a fox or raccoon. If any of Priscilla's end up being purebred, I will post pics for sure after they've hatched! Hopefully being in the fridge didn't kill them all! I'll have to get some more sultans in the spring, even though I swore I wasn't going to get any more "blind" birds!

 

[SunnyChic]

So sorry to hear about Annie.

With Priscilla's eggs, you can candle them around 8 days and should see spidery veins - good luck with the hatch!

 

[mama24]

LOL. These broody banties just crack me up!

 

[mama24]

She quit over a week ago, but we still hatched both of her eggs and 4 of Annie's in the incubator.

The darker brown chipmunk striped one is hers, and my bantam Minorca is obviously the father, though I am confused about how the chick is stripey like that instead of black like I was expecting. Slate legs, so Elvis is obviously not the dad. The lighter chipmunk one confuses me. It has white legs, so Elvis is a possibility as the dad, but Priscilla did not look like that as a chick! Does the lighter one look like it might be a Pyncheon chick to you? I seem to remember her bing buff and caramel colored with a little gray here and there. Definitely not striped!

 

[tadkerson]

Nothing to write.

 

[mama24]

If it is sex-linked, that means only one parent passes it on to their offspring. I understood what Pyncheon Guy was saying. I don't kno much about chicken genetics, but I did take a semester of human genetics in college. He is saying that only the fathers pass the melanized gene (he did clarify that's what he meant by blue later in the thread. Blue (melanized) on top of yellow=willow. Blue on top of white = blue.) He didn't mean they don't carry it, he meant they don't pass it to their offspring. I understood what he meant in context to what was asked. And I am the one he was trying to explain to.

 

[tadkerson]

Nothing to write again