Thinking of an experiment

[Parront]

I haven't. The Rangers don't breed true, so who know what I will get. Can't say I haven't thought about it, though. I could try. Best thing about those kinds of experiments is you get to eat your mistakes. Now that I have an incubator it seems a shame to not keep it going.

I will take chicken over turkey any day. Biggest CX I had was 9 lbs. Did it low and slow on the grill. Even with company, there was plenty of leftovers. Everyone loved it.

They might not breed true to what you bought as the parent "Ranger", but it could still eat good. I have a bird from the thread "Crossing my Red Rangers", it was a Ranger hen and Dorking Cock egg that my friend bought, she mated the hens she got with her Big Naked Neck cockerel. I got one of the chicks, she lays a very nice size tan egg, about 4 or 5 a week right now. This is her with some Barred Hollands, you can see how much larger she is. She grew so fast I thought she was a male!

 

[MissE]

They might not breed true to what you bought as the parent "Ranger", but it could still eat good. I have a bird from the thread "Crossing my Red Rangers", it was a Ranger hen and Dorking Cock egg that my friend bought, she mated the hens she got with her Big Naked Neck cockerel. I got one of the chicks, she lays a very nice size tan egg, about 4 or 5 a week right now. This is her with some Barred Hollands, you can see how much larger she is. She grew so fast I thought she was a male!

That's a really nice size girl. Maybe I will try a couple. Certainly no harm in it.

 

[MissE]

Day 19. Lockdown was yesterday. Just heard peeping!

Two of the SS eggs have little bits of shell under them.

Hopefully they're just hatching early because the eggs are small, not because it was too warm.

 

[MissE]

Woke up around midnight to more than just peeping in the incubator. Smiled and went back to sleep. Got up again at 3:30 to be on the road at 4:30. Had 4 chicks bopping around and number 5 hatched while I was watching.

Got home just before noon. 12 chicks had hatched. 1 more was pipped and saw the last one wiggle. It just pipped a couple minutes ago.

My incubator must have been a little too warm. Today is day 20. Not seeing any deformities so must not have been too bad.

Out of the original 21 eggs, 14 made it to lockdown and it looks like all 14 will hatch.

I moved 8 to the brooder box. They were dry and there isn't enough room for them to stand up.

Now I want to do another batch.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Oh i love babies!!

 

[MissE]

Oh i love babies!!

They are cute.

The SS eggs all have the chipmunk markings. Some are a little lighter than others, but pretty much look the same.

Of the 4 BA that have hatched, 3 are mostly black, but 1 is yellow/blonde. Number 5 still hasn't hatched.

Lord knows what's in the rooster's background so it's a total crap shoot when it comes to color. Just surprised the ones from the SS eggs all look the same and the others don't.

The BA are considerably bigger, but most of the SS eggs if get are 48-52 grams and the BA are around 70 grams.

 

[NatJ]

Of the 4 BA that have hatched, 3 are mostly black, but 1 is yellow/blonde. Number 5 still hasn't hatched.

Lord knows what's in the rooster's background so it's a total crap shoot when it comes to color. Just surprised the ones from the SS eggs all look the same and the others don't.

Really short answer: genetics.

Slightly longer answer: I think your rooster mostly has recessive genes for color, so the chicks are mostly showing the genes they got from their mothers. (The yellow/blonde from an Australorp egg sounds like the only one not following that pattern, at least so far.)

 

[MissE]

I wanted to get some individual pictures and weights, but it's in the low 30s and after checking each one over for pasty butt (a couple had a touch of poo in their feathers but nothing a damp paper towel couldn't take care of) and removing the puppy pads now that they know how/what to eat, I figured they were chilled enough. They sure have grown in the last 3 days.

The three dark ones and one solid yellow one at the top center of the picture are from the Australorp. The varying shades of chipmunk are from the Speckled Sussex.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Oh my they are sweet little thibgs .

Weights will be nice! Please let us know their weekly progress!

 

[PurpleCArTires]

I wanted to get some individual pictures and weights, but it's in the low 30s and after checking each one over for pasty butt (a couple had a touch of poo in their feathers but nothing a damp paper towel couldn't take care of) and removing the puppy pads now that they know how/what to eat, I figured they were chilled enough. They sure have grown in the last 3 days.

The three dark ones and one solid yellow one at the top center of the picture are from the Australorp. The varying shades of chipmunk are from the Speckled Sussex.

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Love that little fat one looking right at the camera