Larkwell Valley (2023)

[JacinLarkwell]

@The Moonshiner , I didn't get an answer as if if you wanted to see the egtopsy results or not. If you don't, just ignore this message.

Spoiler: Eggtopsy

Severe cross beak and lack of an eye. Thankfully this one would have never pipped and hatched as it was. BGD.

Very swollen head. This egg began to weep this morning however and the shell popped when we cracked it. Still had a yolk however, so it wasn't one that just became trapped, however it was filling the egg. It likely couldn't turn to get into position the last few days. BSD

Normal, didn't see anything off about this one. BSD

This one was hard to convey in an image what was wrong. Looking at this bird, me and Mom both agree the head isn't right. Almost like it had a soft vaulted skull and a short beak. BBD, probably my splash.

Because so many things can go wrong in shipping eggs, and because off the bat I had 7 not even begin to develop, I am leaning towards these issues being because of trauma done while shipping. I had a similar cross beak issue when I had quail eggs shipped years ago. Although I will say that one of my Cornish bantams does tend to throw chicks with swollen heads like the 2nd image shows, which all have had to be culled, so I do know that that particular issue isn't a guarantee to die in the egg. Hers are not large like this one was however

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'll skip the pics but it's interesting to hear about.
I never check my unhatched eggs so don't know what goes on in them.
As far as hatched chicks I've had weak ones that just didn't thrive and splayed leg but that's it.

 

[Isadora]

I never check my unhatched eggs so don't know what goes on in them.

Why?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Cause........... Ew

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'll skip the pics but it's interesting to hear about.
I never check my unhatched eggs so don't know what goes on in them.
As far as hatched chicks I've had weak ones that just didn't thrive and splayed leg but that's it.

The 9 that made it seem to be doing really good. They even put up with the 3 muscovy babies that insist on somehow forcing themselves into the little pen each night.

Cause........... Ew

Very fair. The #2 chick that I posted started to weep in the incubator today, and it was probably the grossest one I've had yet, even holding it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So @The Moonshiner , if these silver ladies are bred to males that (should, I dunno what the h e double hockey sticks Rusty and Khaki carry since they don't look anything like their parents) are gold duckwing, will I end up with silver looking males and gold females?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Great, I lost my BGD. I don't know what happened, all 9 were alert and normal last night and she was just in the middle of their pen, stiff. The other 8 seem like they're doing okay though. She was the one I bumped though, so I can't rule out that the trauma to her egg messed something up internally

 

[NagemTX]

I'm going to be culling the cross beak this weekend. It's starting to get as bad as Sister's was.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Nothing really to update right now. Lost a few cochin mama babies, but that's about it. Ducklings are growing, broodies are sitting (still.... so.... many.... broodies.....). Golden Child still has all her chicks, I think. Butterball is on one egg and it should hatch soon, along with the other hem in that area.

White Phoenix, Auntie, Java and several Cornish bamtams are all on nests, as well as the silkies, the last araucana, my naked neck pullet and the sexlink again.