hey sommer just wanted to report that all eggs except one from the pumpkin pen are showing veins, fingers crossed for a spectacular hatch.
The Aloha Chicken Project
- Thread starter alohachickens
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Ooooio awesome I only have 2 quitters, and about 6 infertile? Maybe? They're still in the bator but I'm pretty sure I'm right......what kind of bator do you use notinoz?
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Great news on the fertility, Notinoz! Go Pumpkin Roo and Garry Farms Roo!
Jbolt, the fertility in the SW pen tends to be kind of low from time to time . . . that roo is a doofus sometimes. LOL!
Jbolt, the fertility in the SW pen tends to be kind of low from time to time . . . that roo is a doofus sometimes. LOL!
Great news on the fertility Notinoz - keep us posted - when are they due?
I'll give an update on my Exchequer Leghorns even though there isn't much to report yet. They were 3 weeks old yesterday and have been in the brooder since they arrived. I bought a couple of pens from Deerfield, that her DH made and they are really nice pens, about 5x5x2' high. They delivered the first to me on Monday evening, and yesterday morning I moved all of the chicks outside for their first taste of the outdoors. The green grass was foreign to them but it didn't take them long to get excited about it. They stayed outdoors last night since the overnight low was forecast to be in the 60's, but we have wintry weather moving in (more snow on the way? Seriously? In May????) so they will be back in the brooder this afternoon, probably for several days.
There are 21 chicks in the brooder (I let my broody hen have a couple to raise). The order consisted of:
15 Ex. Leghorns
2 Buff Catalana
2 Buckeye
2 Mottled Java
2 Ancona
2 Barnevelder
When they arrived, I couldn't tell who was who, other than the Buff Catalanas. Unfortunately, I lost 4 chicks in the first couple of days, I assume due to shipping stress. One was a Buff Catalana, and one was a chipmunk. Two were yellow and black and I had no idea if they were leghorns, mottled javas or anconas since all of those chicks look alike. I also threw two chicks I had hatched the same day these guys hatched, into the mix, but I at least do know which they are.
Anywho.....I can now tell one Mottled Java. It still looks the same as the others except it is twice the size of any of them. I keep looking for another big one like it but I'm not seeing another that stands out so its possible one of those early black/yellow losses was an MJ, which really is good news, because I didn't want to lose too many Leghorns - the main project birds.
Here's the thing: these leghorns are feathering out incredibly slowly. The ones that started as chipmunks are now covered in more feathers than down. The opposite is true of the leghorns, who are still almost all down, except for the wing feathers. NONE of the leghorns has a tail yet, except the one that is under the broody hen - I noticed last night that she is sprouting tiny little tail feathers. All of the chicks in the brooder have zip for a tail - yet. So - it is still way too early to determine mottling, since all I have right now are some yellow/black chicks, with white and black wing feathers, but even those aren't at all mottled - each feather is about half white and half black.
I am guessing (hoping?) that mottling starts to come out with the teenage molt, or this is going to be a somewhat disappointing project starter. Interestingly, all of the chicks that started out as chipmunks, show a ton of mottling in the feathers they are growing in, even though they aren't mottled breeds. Buckeyes should be a solid dark red in color but there is no chick with even the slightest dark red look to it yet. So I guess they will change as they go through their teenage molt too. They are only hatchery birds but I would hope they'd at least have some resemblance to their nominal breed
So there is my 3 week update - exciting wasn't it?
I'll give an update on my Exchequer Leghorns even though there isn't much to report yet. They were 3 weeks old yesterday and have been in the brooder since they arrived. I bought a couple of pens from Deerfield, that her DH made and they are really nice pens, about 5x5x2' high. They delivered the first to me on Monday evening, and yesterday morning I moved all of the chicks outside for their first taste of the outdoors. The green grass was foreign to them but it didn't take them long to get excited about it. They stayed outdoors last night since the overnight low was forecast to be in the 60's, but we have wintry weather moving in (more snow on the way? Seriously? In May????) so they will be back in the brooder this afternoon, probably for several days.
There are 21 chicks in the brooder (I let my broody hen have a couple to raise). The order consisted of:
15 Ex. Leghorns
2 Buff Catalana
2 Buckeye
2 Mottled Java
2 Ancona
2 Barnevelder
When they arrived, I couldn't tell who was who, other than the Buff Catalanas. Unfortunately, I lost 4 chicks in the first couple of days, I assume due to shipping stress. One was a Buff Catalana, and one was a chipmunk. Two were yellow and black and I had no idea if they were leghorns, mottled javas or anconas since all of those chicks look alike. I also threw two chicks I had hatched the same day these guys hatched, into the mix, but I at least do know which they are.
Anywho.....I can now tell one Mottled Java. It still looks the same as the others except it is twice the size of any of them. I keep looking for another big one like it but I'm not seeing another that stands out so its possible one of those early black/yellow losses was an MJ, which really is good news, because I didn't want to lose too many Leghorns - the main project birds.
Here's the thing: these leghorns are feathering out incredibly slowly. The ones that started as chipmunks are now covered in more feathers than down. The opposite is true of the leghorns, who are still almost all down, except for the wing feathers. NONE of the leghorns has a tail yet, except the one that is under the broody hen - I noticed last night that she is sprouting tiny little tail feathers. All of the chicks in the brooder have zip for a tail - yet. So - it is still way too early to determine mottling, since all I have right now are some yellow/black chicks, with white and black wing feathers, but even those aren't at all mottled - each feather is about half white and half black.
I am guessing (hoping?) that mottling starts to come out with the teenage molt, or this is going to be a somewhat disappointing project starter. Interestingly, all of the chicks that started out as chipmunks, show a ton of mottling in the feathers they are growing in, even though they aren't mottled breeds. Buckeyes should be a solid dark red in color but there is no chick with even the slightest dark red look to it yet. So I guess they will change as they go through their teenage molt too. They are only hatchery birds but I would hope they'd at least have some resemblance to their nominal breed
So there is my 3 week update - exciting wasn't it?
jbolt and notinoz, Congrats on your developing eggs!!!!!! So exciting!
hechicken, that is so peculiar how slowly those leghorns are feathering in!
My Buff Sussex chicks arrived today from Colorado. Twelve were shipped but one didn't make it. The others are all healthy, happy and zipping around. I'm so thrilled to finally have some of these birds. I think their contributions to color and type are going to make them well worth the large numbers of pennies I spent to get them here!
In the meantime, I have my huge New Hamp hens with the Aloha rooster and will start collecting their eggs, along with the three remaining Aloha hen's eggs to incubate in about a week. I'm keeping my numbers down so will only do about a dozen but it should be interesting to see what I get. My solid Aloha/New Hamp cross hen keeps laying double yokes. I hope she slows down on the double yokes so I can get something hatched from her.
Last night, a pack of coyotes tried to get through my electric fence. They didn't make it through but managed to lay one of the posts over at a 45 degree angle. I took all the penned birds and put them in the hen house -- it was dark so it was easy enough. Then I closed all of the birds in the house just in case the coyotes came back and tried again. They didn't. The German NH rooster and the Aloha rooster were doing fine so I thought it would be okay to leave them out to enjoy the sunshine and warmth before the cold front comes through. They were fine until sometime in the late afternoon when the Aloha rooster beat up the GNH (twice the Alohas size) terribly. His comb was almost pecked clear through and it was torn. What an awful sight. I'm putting the pen inside the house tonight so the GNH can still be with the other birds but be safe while he heals. Sheesh.
In the meantime, I'm still growing out all 16 of the Alohas hechicken hatched. They are ready to go outside but I don't want to move them until after this next cold front moves out. I've really put it off because of our crazy weather.
hechicken, that is so peculiar how slowly those leghorns are feathering in!
My Buff Sussex chicks arrived today from Colorado. Twelve were shipped but one didn't make it. The others are all healthy, happy and zipping around. I'm so thrilled to finally have some of these birds. I think their contributions to color and type are going to make them well worth the large numbers of pennies I spent to get them here!
In the meantime, I have my huge New Hamp hens with the Aloha rooster and will start collecting their eggs, along with the three remaining Aloha hen's eggs to incubate in about a week. I'm keeping my numbers down so will only do about a dozen but it should be interesting to see what I get. My solid Aloha/New Hamp cross hen keeps laying double yokes. I hope she slows down on the double yokes so I can get something hatched from her.
Last night, a pack of coyotes tried to get through my electric fence. They didn't make it through but managed to lay one of the posts over at a 45 degree angle. I took all the penned birds and put them in the hen house -- it was dark so it was easy enough. Then I closed all of the birds in the house just in case the coyotes came back and tried again. They didn't. The German NH rooster and the Aloha rooster were doing fine so I thought it would be okay to leave them out to enjoy the sunshine and warmth before the cold front comes through. They were fine until sometime in the late afternoon when the Aloha rooster beat up the GNH (twice the Alohas size) terribly. His comb was almost pecked clear through and it was torn. What an awful sight. I'm putting the pen inside the house tonight so the GNH can still be with the other birds but be safe while he heals. Sheesh.
In the meantime, I'm still growing out all 16 of the Alohas hechicken hatched. They are ready to go outside but I don't want to move them until after this next cold front moves out. I've really put it off because of our crazy weather.
That is so crazy about those coyotes. I wonder why they are so active in your area - we see and hear them here but not in any great number and so far they haven't given me any trouble [knocks on wood]. I'm so glad you didn't lose any birds to them this time.
Thanks for the update on the Aloha chicks too. If I'm remembering correctly they are 6 weeks old now, yes?
Thanks for the update on the Aloha chicks too. If I'm remembering correctly they are 6 weeks old now, yes?
i just use a still air hovobator with a turner and hygrometer. they're due on the 13th
HEChicken, your consolidated kansas link is really the fox survival story. I used to live there, so wanted to stalk all the chicken people in KS, lol. but fascinating recovery story for your CM
Promising aloha chicks....
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