What's wrong with their feathers?

[NicoleRM]

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Incredibly frustrating, for sure! I'm thinking of moving mine into a different coop. It's the most secure and has the most shade of any on my property, and these guys are definitely my "least easily replaceable" birds. My remaining F1s are 20 weeks old today. I can't wait to get that first egg!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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So.... what did you really mean to say Steve. Yes/No? That was too much to process right now and I need it simple today

No one can say yes or no for sure, but if you work it out mathmaticlly, the chances of a highly linebred offspring cropping out from the second scenario as silkie feathered are very near 100%................................ less for them not showing stubble on the legs, or an extra toe, or a walnut comb, or heavy red bleed on the males; but still probable. [I'm not knowledgable enough to figure the percentages of an impure Silkie crossed to an EE to figure out the chance of 4 toe offspring being produced when the roo is impure for 5; but since some of the offspring show more of a walnut look than pure pea combs, and heavy red bleed, I have always thought the second scenario is probable.]

Thank you Steve and I tend to agree with you. They are still a great challenge to work with and Chooks--I am in the same boat with you. Spontaneous death of high degree. I hatched over 30 chicks and am down to 3. My original hen is still doing well but alas no roos. It's all good though and I enjoy looking at her.

 

[ChooksChick]

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No one can say yes or no for sure, but if you work it out mathmaticlly, the chances of a highly linebred offspring cropping out from the second scenario as silkie feathered are very near 100%................................ less for them not showing stubble on the legs, or an extra toe, or a walnut comb, or heavy red bleed on the males; but still probable. [I'm not knowledgable enough to figure the percentages of an impure Silkie crossed to an EE to figure out the chance of 4 toe offspring being produced when the roo is impure for 5; but since some of the offspring show more of a walnut look than pure pea combs, and heavy red bleed, I have always thought the second scenario is probable.]

Thank you Steve and I tend to agree with you. They are still a great challenge to work with and Chooks--I am in the same boat with you. Spontaneous death of high degree. I hatched over 30 chicks and am down to 3. My original hen is still doing well but alas no roos. It's all good though and I enjoy looking at her.

I think the wait for eggs with the fuzzy girls has been the worst, because they will be a year in 4 weeks. The one who is 1/2 pure black Ameraucana started laying at 8 mos, but the pure fuzzy girl just started, and I've only gotten 3 eggs from her. None of the others made it to laying.

Very frustrating. I'm going to be putting a pure Wheaten in there for more genetic diversity, and we'll see how it goes.

 

[Gerry2011]

Aaarrrrgggghhhhhhh! I found this site 2 days ago and I am madly in love!!

I'm only up to page 80

at this time and will not have time to read more until tomorrow.....that's killing me!

My DH says I'm addicted...he is soooo right! Those are beautiful birds.

It is so great that you all are doing this.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

I haven't been on here much lately, as I haven't had much good to report.

My original cockerel died this winter, as did a pullet from Kathy(inmo). Then Julie sent me another cockerel this spring. He crowed once, and was never seen mating. After several months of touch and go health, he passed away in a heat wave a couple weeks ago.

I do have another young fuzzy bird from eggs from Julie. I think it's a cockerel. I have one blue F1 as well, that is still hard to sex. I think it's rumpless though, which poses it's own issues for breeding.

The fuzzy guy is vigorous and strong, and I hope that I can manage to keep him alive over the winter, as I don't expect he'll be able to mate until then. Of course, my Ameraucanas don't lay at all in the winter... I have a whole flock of Wheatens just waiting for fuzzy rooster to do his job, but keeping them alive into their mating years is indeed a problem!

Keep trying! It will only take a couple more vigorous birds with silkied feathers to get this project in safe territory. I'm wishing everyone good luck with the flush of fall eggs. May you get at least a few dozen before molting time begins!

 

[Hurley]

My 5 blue F1s from AliceFellDown are doing well. I've got 2 cockerels, 3 pullets, just reddening up in the combs, so hoping for eggs soon.

I've also got a variety of blue and black Ameraucana along with some lavenders and a wheaten pullet that are not from a fuzzy project that are vigorous and very pretty birds. Will likely cross them into the fuzzy Am project. If I can't get viable fuzzy chicks from the F1s, then I'll cross the fuzzy split roo out to the other hens and hold back chicks to identify some carriers. See if I can add some outcross vigor to the line. Given the severity of the winters here, at least some of them will be coming indoors to be protected. Didn't lose any chickens in the winter last year, but gun shy with this project, don't want to lose it due to lack of vigor in the cold. They've done well in the heat this summer, though.

 

[Redcatcher]

My three F1s are doing fine but I'm not having success in hatching their eggs. The chicks break into the air cell and then die, perfectly formed. Not even any yolk sac showing. Some quit early on, too. It's the same problem I had with the silkied eggs

 

[aggies2011]

Does Anyone have any eggs or chicks of this kind?

 

[alicefelldown]

Some bad news to report - of the three batches of Fluffy chicks I hatched this year, I have now lost two of them.

It appears that their immune system is incredibly weak - they will be running around fine one day, and the next will have dropped dead. I suspect coccidiosis, however, all the chicks hatched and raised alongside them have shown no symptoms or deaths.

I have the remaining ones on Sulmet treated water with my fingers and toes crossed.

They are incredibly adorable though - the blue fluffy ones are STUNNING! I have one that is such a dark blue/navy that it appears to be black!!! (genetically impossible of course).

 

[jeremy]

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Pictures!