Brood #2 - Hatch Date: 4/27/20
Gabriela, my youngest black Ameraucana, lent herself as a broody for my second hatch of the year.
Before I could move her from her original nesting spot to the brooder (completely sectioned off area inside the coop) with her own food and water, she was the recipient of additional eggs being laid literally on top of her.
She was a broody that never once came off the nest on her own. Her first broodiness was most notable for me because mid-morning every day I would get her off her nest and let her go out and take care of business. After about 10-15 minutes, she would literally come running back to me to put her back with the eggs.
After a couple of days in the brooder, I put Gabriela and her chicks out into the ‘intermediate’ brooder (my original, little prefab coop with two large nests and a run now positioned in my big run), which was already occupied by Mrs. Biggles and her three 2 week old chicks, luckily only at night by now. This was really a source of worry for me because I didn’t know how they would get along, bedding down with their babies in nests next to each other. Thankfully, Gabriela eased my worries because she took her little chicks to bed
early. I was shocked at how early.
The first 3 chicks to hatch all came from my BCM hens. I don’t know why I set more of those eggs under my second broody, I guess because I just
love those eggs. They are my favorites, especially Molly’s, the darkest egg. The other two spotted eggs came from one of my other BCM’s, Effie. They are just gorgeous.
Gabriela’s Brood - my sweet little dark blob and her six chicks—soon to be just four.
(I believe the two chick death incidents were mentioned earlier in this thread.) Both chicks that died were from the BCM hens.
The next three picks show the chicks that didn’t have a BCM mother. I’m not sure which hen laid this medium brown egg, but I’m thinking my Partridge Barnevelder or possibly my Welsummer hens. This chick has yellw
This chick hatched from one of my Olive Eggers.
I am going to guess this baby hatched from my White Rock. I had two chicks from her in my first hatch last year that were identical to this chick.
Gabriela and her five, 5 day old chicks all bedded down. So cute.
Here are my sweet babies at 5 1/2 weeks old on the first night their moma returned to the roost and left them. The chick on the far right is from the BCM (feathered shanks) and a definite cockerel with a bright red comb and wattle.
The chick on the far left has had me puzzled for a while. It has had a good sized comb, to be a pullet, but the comb has never been red like the other barred bird. Of course the two in the middle are pullets, but I keep holding out hoping my little Chick #2 is a pullet with a big old comb!
Another picture and three weeks older, Chick #2’s (on right) comb is still not as red as the other one, but it is much much larger than the two for sure pullets.
Here’s a good shot of the combs and wattles and also of the coloring of their feathers. I guess there is a possibility the orange comb on Chick #2 is coming from whatever is causing the gold or red leakage in the feathers. I don’t know anything about genetics and I wish I did.
A good shot of the different leg colors of barred babies.
My two definite little girls.
Her feathering looks just like my Cream Legbar, but without the crest. She came from a green egg which would be one of my Olive Eggers, but they have white legs. But since they are a mixed bird maybe the yellow legs came through as dominant. Again, I do not know. She’s very pretty though.
Just another picture showing the difference in color between the two barred birds. I know, I know, they’re both cockerels, but hey, a girl can hope can’t she?
