Weekly Chick Growth - Marans, Olive Eggers, Cream Legbar, Buff Orphington, Wyandotte

[heidibee]

Week 5

Crested Cream Legbar
This one is a bully! She's been pecking everyone in the tail and back. I separated her for a few days and when I reintroduced her she kept doing it... Not sure if she's too small to try pinless peepers, but I might need to get some. Her crest has grown more and the salmon color is coming back to her chest more.

Olive Egger #1
Starting to think this one is a pullet! Her feathers are coming in really coppery and her waddles are still flesh toned. She was supposed to be from a Copper Maran over a Cream Legbar, but she has a pea comb. The breeder also had aruacanas too, so she must have that mixed in.

Olive Egger #2
This one has looked femine to me since she was a week old chick! She had eyeliner markings that are blending into her markings as she gets older. She is really jumpy around me and afraid of me still.

Olive Egger #3
This one has been looking like a cockerel for about 2 weeks already. He comes right up to me and is super friendly! His waddles are growing fast.

 

[Erin80]

What did you end up with? They’re all very pretty!

 

[heidibee]

What did you end up with? They’re all very pretty!

I'm still unsure about my rose comb Wyandotte and even more unsure of the copper colored pea comb Olive Egger (#3)! My Orphington is the youngest, so I keep going back and forth on that one too. The larger darker Marans is also iffy, large comb and waddles, but not as red as the definite cockerels.

I'm sure I have two pullets and two cockerels, and fairly certain my Wyandotte is a pullet.

It's raining today, so I'll have to get good pictures another day. Here are some group shots from last week.

Week 6

Black Copper Marans #2 is the one looking up. Large comb but I'm still holding out for an early maturing pullet.

Black Copper Marans #2 on left, Black Copper Marans #1 on right. #1 looked like a cockerel much sooner and has always had more red, a smaller body, and less advanced feathering (well someone picked out his tail feathers on the sides) which is why I'm holding out that #2 could be a pullet.

Wyandotte looking pretty red combed some days, but feathering looks so pullet ish.

Olive Egger #1 hopefully looking pullet ish. The comb type is throwing me off. This one gets in little fights jumping and raising neck feathers with the others. There's a pretty Cream Legbar tail sticking up too.

 

[heidibee]

Week 7

Black Copper Marans #1 - cockerel

Black Copper Marans #2 - mystery, but leaning toward cockerel. Sad to see my only two Marans turn out that way. No chocolate eggs for me! I have a glimmer of hope holding on since the other Marans has a much more red face.

Buff Orphington - pullet
This one is maybe a week or so younger than the rest. The comb is still small and yellow!

Wyandotte - pullet? So I know this comb is pretty pink, but I read that Wyandotte's tend to mature faster. I'm holding out hope! She's so pretty!

Cream Legbar - pullet

Olive Egger #1 - cockerel? This one has been getting into fights jumping breast to breast with neck feathers out.

Olive Egger #2 - pullet

Olive Egger #3 - cockerel

 

[Kim chee]

I love the little mo hack on your creme leg bar!

 

[heidibee]

I love the little mo hack on your creme leg bar!

It's the cutest feature!

 

[heidibee]

9 weeks
(though some are closer to 10 weeks)

I think I have 4 cockerel and 4 pullets.
Cockerels: 2 Olive Eggers, 2 BCM
Pullets: 1 Olive Egger, 1 Buff Orphington, 1 Wyandotte, 1 Cream Legbar

My cockerels are the black/copper colored stealing all of the greens. The most coppery one started crowing over the weekend! He's getting louder every day. I need my neighbors to not notice for just one more week!! The boys will go to their new home on a 6 acre permaculture farm about an hour and a half away from here on Sunday! They get to live on beautiful land with lots of lady hens.

 

[elimasmz]

They are all so pretty! Thank you for the photos

 

[heidibee]

Week 10

The boys went to their new home today! They moved to a 6 acre farm with lots of hens to call their own! They were tough to wrangle into a cage for the car ride, but were very good for the 1.5 hr ride once we got going. They settled in immediately scratching in their awesome new free range area. They're going to have a great life!

The ladies are doing well without the boys crowding them! I'm looking forward to less poop, and food/water lasting longer now that I only have these four. I kept the Buff Orphington, Cream Legbar, Wyandotte, and an Olive Egger. I'm extending their run to double the size soon! I have the wood cut, I just need to get it sanded, sealed, and put together!

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you muchly for letting us see them develop. You certainly take great photos.