atsw Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) Evening all, It's been a while, but this week I've added three new additions to the flock. A hatch of 6 eggs resulted in 1 healthy chick on Monday (sadly, 3 others were DIS, the other 2 eggs were infertile, always a risk with eBay eggs) and today 2 White Leghorn POL hens became available. The chick is a Blue or Black Araucana (again, eBay, who knows!). The chick struggled to exit the shell independently (very strong shell and inner membrane) and after 12hrs I assisted it (not something I'd usually do, but it was clearly struggling by that point). Glad I did, as it's a healthy chick and is thriving so far (now 4 days old, hatch day in the pictures). Edited June 6, 2020 by atsw Reduce picture size 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) Hi Astw! i was thinking it had been a long time since we heard about your Chicken adventures. They look lovely! I’m down to 3 now. Crunch time coming. Do I restock... Edited June 6, 2020 by Patricia W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) Hi Patricia - I’ve been incredibly busy with work since I last posted, hence not having the time to post much. However the flock are doing well, we lost a few hens over the last 18 months, all down to old age, so this year it’s time to restock. Chicks and new POL at the same time weren’t the original plan, but Nutmeg went broody early in May and we wanted blue eggs again (Xena was one of the hens we lost last year). Then the POL Leghorn hens we wanted became available this weekend, so now we have both!!! I’m retiring from work (after 38 years) at the end of the month, so will have more time for the forum from July. Edited June 6, 2020 by atsw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Patricia W said: Hi Astw! i was thinking it had been a long time since we heard about your Chicken adventures. They look lovely! I’m down to 3 now. Crunch time coming. Do I restock... Go on, you know you want to! 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 With you too there, it’s looking as though I won’t have an option! Andrew, are any of mine you hatched still alive? I now only have three left. Two millefleur Barbu D’Ucle , Dilly, and Willie, formerly known as Millie, and Madonna, the white Poland, who I think was the mother of one or more of those you hatched. A friend hatched from them a couple of years ago, and they were all fertile eggs. However, Madonna, only lays occasionally these days so doubt they are fertile. Interestingly, she is white with one black feather, but her babies from two years ago ( father Willie) were black, one hen and a spectacular Cockerel. Genetics are very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted June 7, 2020 Author Share Posted June 7, 2020 Of the four Poland eggs you gave me back in 2014 all hatched and we got 3 girls and one boy. We kept 2 girls, and called them Mel and Sue (from Bake Off), and re-homed the other two. https://photos.app.goo.gl/V2WXuTX4jxqTZNFz8 - Mel https://photos.app.goo.gl/xQfnSF69yhnQyqHX6 - Sue Sue was interesting, she was jet black, had five toes, and I don’t think ever laid any eggs, buy she was a ‘she’. Mel was White, very feisty, and would always hold her own with the big girls in the early days. She laid little white eggs occasionally! Sue died about a year ago, Mel disappeared, literally, about two months ago. We’ve no idea what happened to her. No signs of an attack, she just vanished one day while they were in the garden. She was going a bit blind in her old age (6), and became more timid In her later years, so could have been spooked and flown up and over our fences, but our neighbours never saw her in their gardens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Great to see you back - and the new additions! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Interesting Mel disappeared without trace. One of my first Poland’s just vanished in the same way. Never found even a feather. I have noticed that they do seem to go blind as they get older. Their eyesight isn’t the best anyway even when they’re younger. Mel’s likely Mum, Madonna is still going strong though at 8. Her eggs are white and pointy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Just read your post about assisting little bit. I’ve just hatched 2 araucana bantams and they unzipped the shell all the way around but couldn’t tear the membrane. I helped them both to a successful hatch in the end. I assumed I’d got something wrong with the humidity but maybe it’s an araucana thing. I’ve hatched pekins and Wyandotte’s in the last and never had to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
