What's wrong with their feathers?

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Julie - it maybe crazy and maybe you already have, but do you have any marked eggs in the Silkie girls new nest boxes? I mark a couple eggs with a marker so I do not pick them up, and leave them in the nest boxes. When I get a new box or two, I plop a marked egg in so the girls know it is safe to lay in there.

Just a thought - not that I want them to start or anything

My 3 little black APA Ameraucana chicks are looking good.

 

[alicefelldown]

Or wooden eggs from a craft store or golf balls. I don't think I'd trust my girls with real eggs lol!

 

[averytds]

We used the fake plastic Easter ones. With 3 kids, there's always one or two somewhere.

I would think after we have more to work with selecting for the fluffy vs ropey would just be something else to add to the AM standards for our breeding/culling selections.

My BBS AM chicks are bust again. She did figure out there is something wrong with her turner though. Four did manage to hatch and I'll be heading down to pick them up. Right now I'm

in the Okies thread for some older AM pullets. They've got a big goings on BYC meet-up this weekend.

Someone's going or knows of someone that can help me out.

 

[Jubaby]

I do have some fake eggs, but didn't think to put them in there. I'll do that tonight. Thanks!

 

[alicefelldown]

There is a lot that is probably missing and or wrong here - but I made a quick and dirty Google spreadsheet of everyone's progress on these birds. I don't know if it will help anyone, but I'm very much a charts and graphs kind of girl.

:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ailikev1tNnDdEFfak96bS1sS3EyeGM3SDUtX2hrcWc&hl=en

It's viewable and editable by all - please feel free if you've got a moment to update with your chick's progress - or not - no pressure!

 

[averytds]

Pretty nifty alicefelldown, ty.

Added my name. Nothing else to add yet.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

You could add my name if you wish. My first try at hatching was 0/10

It is a hard trip on eggs to get to Reno.

I do have APA Black Ameraucana chicks growing out now, who were to be crossed with my silkie hatch.

 

[Jubaby]

alice - I'll try to make some notes for your chart on Monday.

Here are some pictures I took today:

This is the strange coloring on the chick I was talking about. Each wing has a red patch, plus her feathers are more the stringy/ropey type. I will wait a while until she is completely feathered and then maybe cull her later.

This is Junior and the three mature hens. They look a little grungy, but had just been dirtbathing:

Here are the three January hens. The one blue rooster is from some EE stock and I am about to sell him. He is pretty, but from olive green eggs.:

Here are the same young hens, but you can see one is much smaller than the others. They are from the same hatch:

 

[Jubaby]

Here is a closer photo of Junior's comb:

And here is Ozzie for comparison:

Here are some of the young blue/black ameraucanas I got from Paul Smith. There are some various Tractor Supply chicks mixed in. I should be able to separate the amer's to their own pen at the new barn next week.

 

[Jubaby]

Here are a few pictures of the younger chicks. I have 15 fluffies of various ages, and there are two black silkies in the pictures, which I hatched from Kathy's silkie hens.