She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[frmboyinthecity]

I've never fostered chicks to a broody before. sometimes, a broody will reject a particular chick for no particular reason that WE can figure out. Could be color related, or maybe she perceived that there was something "wrong" with the chick. I think a broody that did that would be not allowed to brood again in my flock. I had a broody who had only been setting on golf balls for about a week. I had chicks due in the bator, so I moved her to a separate coop, and slipped 4 eggs under her that night. The eggs were already in process of pipping. She had one hatchling in the morning, and an other one in process. Several hours later, I went out to check on her and found her nonchalantly off the nest, one baby chilled and on it's back screaming, and the second pipped egg mostly stripped of shell, but membrane still intact. I brought all 4 in and stuck them back in the bator. Evidently, she was more in love with the concept of brooding golf balls than taking care of noisy chicks. I cut her some slack, since I had done everything wrong in terms of fostering chicks to a broody. The ideal would be to have the broody sitting in a secure place for very close to 21 days before doing the switch. I think an inexperienced broody gets scared when silent eggs suddenly become noisy chicks. I think she may perceive the noisy chick as a threat to her nice quiet little eggy nest. Where if she has been brooding eggs, she hears them peeping in the shell and bonds to their sounds before they actually appear.

I agree. She won't be allowed to brood in my flock again. I found it interesting that she only seemed to rejecting the one, and she was having nothing doing with that one, so she lost all the chicks.

 

[lazy gardener]

How did that chick fare as the brooding progressed? What was it's gender? Was the color different than the others? Or did she do lethal damage?

 

[frmboyinthecity]

I can't tell the difference between that chick and the others. I have some EE and some Welsummers, and all 8 of them are chipmunk looking. So no discernible differences to me with that chick. It was about 2 weeks ago this happened, and all chicks appear to be fine. I honestly don't know which of them it was. All chicks have the female pattern, but I know that's not 100% accurate.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I'm Thinking I might Have an EE Pullet that will lay blue/green eggs here. Anyone think I'm right or am I Mistaken ?

How old? Looks kinda pink if still young...

It would depend on the parent breeds. If they are ameraucana\EE x Marans then likely not--the comb is too straight and I do not see peas. Pea comb is closely connected to the blue egg shell gene and then dark brown coating will made the eggs olive colored. Cute, but the down color has nothing to do with egg color.

sj is in Australia, no Ameraucanas, lol...

Is there a trick to this? I tried this with my broody when the eggs she was sitting on turned out to all be clears. She seemed to accept most of the chicks, but kicked one out of the nest. When I tried to slip it back in, she grabbed that chick in her beak and shook it back and forth like a dog would. She ticked me off enough I took all the chicks away from her. Seems to have broke her at least.

I can't help, sorry... I hand chicks straight over to my broody and she takes ever single one... never had an issue...

 

[OldMissionChick]

So when we first got our chickens I said we got a couple Araucanas and immediately "corrected" to just EE. Honestly what is the difference between Araucanas, Americanas, Easter Eggers & Olive Eggers? Heres a couple pictures

This is Tiger (I call her Poofy Cheeks) I say her eggs pink, if she wasn't hiding them I would get a picture of them too.

And this is Cheetah. She lays green eggs.

Also can someone tell me what combs they have?

 

[OldMissionChick]

here's a better comb picture

 

[lazy gardener]

Here's my take on it: Ameraucanas breed true to color. They lay blue eggs. Have beards and muffs.
Araucanas are typically rumpless, or at least carry the genetics. I believe they have the ear tufts, but not the beards.
EE do not breed true to color, may be any mixture of colors. May or may not have the beards and muffs. They may or may not lay blue eggs. May lay green brown or pinkish eggs. If your birds came from a hatchery they are most likely EE. If they came from a back yard flock, they are most likely EE, unless the person you bought them from can tell you the particular color pattern, and you can see the parent birds with the same pattern. Only certain colors are accepted in the Ameraucana SOP.
OE are a mix, using a blue egg layer and a brown egg layer to produce an olive colored egg.

Now waiting for the expert to fine tune and correct me. Because ... well, because some one else knows more about it than I do!

I would call those combs Pea. A bit of variation on pea combs as well, and I'm sure there is a SOP for pea combs as well.

 

[mixedUPturk]

CL ads of the day...

http://athensga.craigslist.org/grd/5218206398.html


http://charlotte.craigslist.org/grd/5167283107.html

I really dont like people...

 

[Cynthia12]

lazy, not going to correct you..but here is what I know..ron knows more than I do..btw..welcome ron!

I just explain things the way I have seen them..easy peazy.

EE, I usually see three rows of peas for the boy, or I will even see a single comb. They are mutskies after all. So, the EE can be any color. Their legs can be any color. They usually lay a colored egg. You may be waiting for that blue egg, and get a brown, just because your bird had green legs and a muff. Happens. :/
A pure, Auracona...can have two tufts..or one. Preferably two. And, it is usually without a full tail. But, have had them with the tufts..and a tail.

 

[Cynthia12]

Got my silkie eggs today. Will set at midnight tonight. I like setting the silkie eggs late at night. I can expect them to pip the night before, if not, I know something is up, and I can candle to make sure things are looking good. Or not. :/