What's wrong with their feathers?

[chick-among-us]

We are going to use lav/Blue maybe Am's to infuse viability and vigor and then work on egg color and stuff...you have to have a color of Am why not use the color you want to work on? One thing I thought is that the lighter color the bird the easier it is to "Notice" the fluffy trait. Seems to me the splash look like they are covered in cat fur or something....So I think we are going to go with lighter colors. We are lucky to be getting adult birds soon so we are super excited! Galanie...Don't look at me if the blue or Lav orp in your avatar pic disappears mysteriously!

 

[KellyHM]

Nicole - sorry to heart about your roo. Do you think it has anything to do with this cold snap. I didn't check on mine this morning before I left for work and I'm almost afraid to when I get home because every bird I've lost from this project seems to have been during a cold snap.

 

[ChooksChick]

Yes, unfortunately, he is not the first I've lost. I think he was one of the few original birds from Jubaby's eggs, so I knew it was a possibility with the stress of shipping and a new environment, I was just really REALLY hoping against it. I just wish there was something I could have done.

Yes- I think we all might be in for counseling if the lines don't become more divers soon!

Mine are paired up in a way that ought to only produce splits right now, with 5 different lines of Ameraucanas. I will hatch all of these (excepting some I've committed to others) and continue on in this way. I'm not putting the related birds together ever again, and ought to be able to share VERY diverse lines as time goes on. Right now I've obligated to others all of the eggs for a bit already, but will be able to share within a month or so, just as temps are PERFECT for shipping.

I'm mentally designing an orange wedge-shaped run complex with minimalist sleeping quarters for 6 breeding pairs all together in a single segmented building, with runs that wedge out as a triangle and get progressively wider for good acreage. This would give me simple access and maintenance with ample ranging room. I'll need to stake this out and get cracking on it as soon as the snow melts.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Funny several people are working on LAV Fluffy's! We are also (and maybe Blue)! ...And plan to follow a plan more like Aquaeyes puts out there...since it immediately made sense to us! Just thought we would put it out there...waiting on AFD eggs to hatch and also just obtained 9 split to Lav chicks with 11 Lav babies...so we are ready if ANY fluffies hatch if not WE even have a plan B!!

Wishing everyone great hatches and success in your projects...I've no doubt that it will take years! I am thrilled.

I think the Lavs will be fabulous! Can't wait to see what you hatch, Im sitting on my hands with 2 days to go. Praying for a fluffy blue to start this project off right

I will also be following Aquaeyes plan. Good luck with your hatch!

I'm going to leave my eggs in a a day or two more but am thinking all I'm going to get out of this hatch is the blue and a splash that hatched this morning. I am thinking I better hatch another dozen eggs as some insurance. If anyone reads the other thread and wants to team up, I would love that. Does anyone want to do an egg trade or sell me some eggs? I need eggs capable of producing a blue silkied. My Cream Legbars and Swedish Flower hens should be laying in a few months. I may have a producing trio of very nice Lavender Ameracauna in a few days. I'd perfer to trade as my hubby is letting me take over another outbuilding for chickens and I need to budget the renovation.

Erica

Erica- I'm praying your blue is a fluffy! All you need is one blue fluffy roo. Good Luck!!!!!

I just checkout the auction listings on here and there are 3 different wheaten/blue wheaten buy it now listings...check em out! Not sure exactly what you are looking for, but there is hope!!

Thanks Billiejo21. I was considering doing Wheatens also but since there are others working on them I figure I will just stick to the Lavender plan. I'm sure in a few years we will all be able to swap colors. I'm going to have my hands full anyways because I plan on out crossing the blues and splashes to my BBS stock.

Sorry to hear about the one eyed chick, I sure hope she thrives. I am a sucker for a special needs chicken. I just hatched out a BCM chick with rye neck, I have been giving him/her the polyvisol vitamins trying to help it. This chick has a strong will to live and I can't just cull it without it being in pain. I would never breed her but can't kill her either, poor thing. Good luck with your chicks!

Bad news from me today. I'm beyond frustrated right now. I lost the silkied rooster I got from alicefelldown. No idea why, just found him dead.

New game plan is to put my F1 roosters back in and keep and set every egg I get through the end of the month and hope and pray for a good hatch of silkied birds so I can choose one to replace him. I have four growing out now.

For anyone interested in joining the project or trading, I will probably have more F1 x F1 eggs available in March.

Gosh Nicole I'm so sorry! If he was doing his job than maybe you will be hatching lots of fluffies soon. Good Luck! Are you also still planning on doing Lavs?

Trish

 

[NicoleRM]

Nicole - sorry to heart about your roo. Do you think it has anything to do with this cold snap. I didn't check on mine this morning before I left for work and I'm almost afraid to when I get home because every bird I've lost from this project seems to have been during a cold snap.

I thought about that. Hindsight being 20/20, I wonder if I should have brought him in the house. I just don't know. He was a good boy and I was pretty attached to him already. The roosters seem to have so much more personality to me than the hens.

I hope yours are all staying warm and happy!

Gosh Nicole I'm so sorry! If he was doing his job than maybe you will be hatching lots of fluffies soon. Good Luck! Are you also still planning on doing Lavs?

Trish

Yes, I am. Putting my blue F1 boys back in will give me a (small) chance of hatching black fluffies now that I have the two blue girls, which will make lavender much easier to accomplish if I can luck into a roo.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

Yes- I think we all might be in for counseling if the lines don't become more divers soon!

Mine are paired up in a way that ought to only produce splits right now, with 5 different lines of Ameraucanas. I will hatch all of these (excepting some I've committed to others) and continue on in this way. I'm not putting the related birds together ever again, and ought to be able to share VERY diverse lines as time goes on. Right now I've obligated to others all of the eggs for a bit already, but will be able to share within a month or so, just as temps are PERFECT for shipping.

I'm mentally designing an orange wedge-shaped run complex with minimalist sleeping quarters for 6 breeding pairs all together in a single segmented building, with runs that wedge out as a triangle and get progressively wider for good acreage. This would give me simple access and maintenance with ample ranging room. I'll need to stake this out and get cracking on it as soon as the snow melts.

Ohhh, I so need to see pics of that complex! Sounds nice!!! I once saw an Octagon breeding complex online and thought it was amazing, but of course I don't have the skill and hubby is tired of building chicken coops

I promised him the 3rd coop would be "the last one"

I hope you share pics when it's complete. Good luck with your hatches and chicks, sounds like you have great plans for the fluffies!


Trish

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

I thought about that. Hindsight being 20/20, I wonder if I should have brought him in the house. I just don't know. He was a good boy and I was pretty attached to him already. The roosters seem to have so much more personality to me than the hens.

I hope yours are all staying warm and happy!

Yes, I am. Putting my blue F1 boys back in will give me a (small) chance of hatching black fluffies now that I have the two blue girls, which will make lavender much easier to accomplish if I can luck into a roo.

Hope you get lucky with a black! Maybe we can swap eggs in the future. I have Blehm line Lavender already and then I have your Lavs (Shaffer line) hatching out on the 15th. That will give me two separate lines to breed the fluffies with. Planning on following Aquaeyes breeding layout. Good luck!


Trish

 

[KellyHM]

Interesting discovery today - I have 2 girls in my older F2 group, a black and a blue. One of them started laying recently, nice blue eggs, and I *thought* it was the black one because she is the one I've seen huddled in the nesting box acting strangely. Well, today I collected the same nice blue egg and then I WATCHED the black hen lay an OLIVE egg. Stupid bird has been fooling me the whole time and it has been the blue one laying all along! I also don't know where the olive color is coming from since I hatched both of these girls out of nice blue eggs, although I didn't hatch their dad and so I suppose he could have contributed the olive genetics.

Next on the agenda, I removed the F2 boys from both F2 pens and put them in their own little bachelor pad (where my Tolbunt Polish rooster is currently teaching them who's boss

). I am going to give the girls a couple weeks and then pen all the F2 girls together with one of the silkied blue roos, so I should be well on the way to black fluffies since the roo is blue and I have 3 blue girls and 1 black girl. Nicole - if you want some of these eggs when I get them set up let me know.

 

[billiejo21]

I'm sorry to question like this,but are you SURE? We,once thought one of ours had only one eye,since the lids can be really hard to see and sometimes it seems they don't know that they have two of them or something....it just opened it later...if it is completely missing or something sorry I asked...just trying to help.

well, I'm almost poitive, that side of his head is sunken and I don't even see eye lids...but I'm not culling (as long as he's not suffering) so I guess you never know!! I'll snap a pic of it!

 

[billiejo21]

Oh my gosh...this is terrible!!!

This little chicks already mean so much...I can't imagine how devestating it would be to raise them finally to the age of breeding...and then find them dead!! Get ahold of me when you are ready to sell some eggs!

Bad news from me today. I'm beyond frustrated right now. I lost the silkied rooster I got from alicefelldown. No idea why, just found him dead.

New game plan is to put my F1 roosters back in and keep and set every egg I get through the end of the month and hope and pray for a good hatch of silkied birds so I can choose one to replace him. I have four growing out now.

For anyone interested in joining the project or trading, I will probably have more F1 x F1 eggs available in March.