What's wrong with their feathers?

[billiejo21]

Here's some pics of the chicks:

Six healthy, happy chicks! (hoping one of those blues is a silkied roo

)

Three of the splash chicks.


And here's a pic of the one with only one eye:

His other eye is closed, but you can see that there is a void on that side...I tried to get a pic from the top of his head, cause it's more obvious, but I was just using my phone and I couldn't get it to turn out! You can also see in this pic that he has a bit of a cross beak. I would blame this on incubation if I was still using my LG's, but these guys were in my Sportsman 1502, and temps and humidity throughout the hatch were absolutely perfect...we had a dip in humidity during the hatch to 35% (I was at work and DH wasn't watching it!!)...but I imagine these flaws occurred much earlier in development. Thoughts???? This one was out of Alicefelldown's B line, btw. So far, he's still doing ok, but we'll see how he does with eating and drinking...I'm concerned he might not thrive...but I still have my fingers crossed...I just hate culling babes....

 

[welasharon]

As few of these as they are I would give him every chance I could...especially since it is more likely from hatch issues and not genetic. Good luck!

 

[NicoleRM]

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.

Silly birds! One of mine keeps going broody, but only for a little while. As soon as I decide to give her some eggs to hatch, she changes her mind.

The olive egg thing is so strange. I wonder where those genes came from.

Your plan sounds awesome. I think you are definitely the closest to black fluffies now, right? I'd love to have some eggs whenever you have them to spare. Despite the losses, it's still so exciting to see progress being made!

 

[billiejo21]

Ok...so I swear I'll stop posting pics!! I just wanted to get opinions on silked vs splits. I have 5 out of 5 who have wing feathers like this:



And just one blue with feathers like this:




Could 5 out of 6 really be silkied???

Is it too early to tell???

 

[billiejo21]

As few of these as they are I would give him every chance I could...especially since it is more likely from hatch issues and not genetic. Good luck!

I agree...I totally would have blamed my incubation, except with my sportsman...I had ZERO issues this hatch!! I am used to spikes and humidity problems with my LG's...so if I would have been using them, I would have written it off...hmm. Guess we'll see how it goes!

 

[ChooksChick]

Here's some pics of the chicks:

Six healthy, happy chicks! (hoping one of those blues is a silkied roo

)

Three of the splash chicks.


And here's a pic of the one with only one eye:

His other eye is closed, but you can see that there is a void on that side...I tried to get a pic from the top of his head, cause it's more obvious, but I was just using my phone and I couldn't get it to turn out! You can also see in this pic that he has a bit of a cross beak. I would blame this on incubation if I was still using my LG's, but these guys were in my Sportsman 1502, and temps and humidity throughout the hatch were absolutely perfect...we had a dip in humidity during the hatch to 35% (I was at work and DH wasn't watching it!!)...but I imagine these flaws occurred much earlier in development. Thoughts???? This one was out of Alicefelldown's B line, btw. So far, he's still doing ok, but we'll see how he does with eating and drinking...I'm concerned he might not thrive...but I still have my fingers crossed...I just hate culling babes....

The thing that would concern me the most is the extent to which that beak is already crossed- it will become significantly moreso as he ages. The birds with significantly crossed beaks generally end up starving to death because they can't pick up food correctly.

 

[galanie]

Galanie...Don't look at me if the blue or Lav orp in your avatar pic disappears mysteriously!

She's blue. And thanks Olive is a favorite around here.

 

[KellyHM]

Ok...so I swear I'll stop posting pics!! I just wanted to get opinions on silked vs splits. I have 5 out of 5 who have wing feathers like this:



And just one blue with feathers like this:




Could 5 out of 6 really be silkied???

Is it too early to tell???

I think the 5 just haven't come through enough to tell yet. I think it's still too early. Give it a few days. I know it's hard, but be patient!

 

[Silkie-Feet]

I would defidently love to have some eggs if yall ever had some to spare?

Yall say there are problems hatching, as i do believe that that is somthing that needs to be worked out of the breed. But have any of you tried to hatch these eggs with broody hens? my hatch rates are always better with hens... just a suggestion. good luck with the project

 

[ladyfaeden]

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.

I am so sorry to hear this!