Newbie from Alaska

[StarFlower99654]

Hello BYC folks. I thought I had already joined the last time I was here searching info and since I am always here looking up something or other about chickens, I finally joined.
I have a flock of a welsummer roo and 10 assorted hens with 4 cuckoo maran chicks in the brooder hoping to get at least one female. Yesterday and today had my very first hatchlings from my own flock. And I used a homemade hoopty-bator complete with duct tape, lol. We also have heritage turkeys (red bourbon & blue slate)
I have decided to work on getting olive egg layers as well as dark brown, hence the addition of the marans.
Looking forward spending more time here and meeting others!
~Laura

 

[kidcody]

from washington state glad you joined us!

 

[Fierlin1182]

Hello and

Congrats on your hatch, that's awesome news!
Glad to have you onboard, you sound pretty experienced.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have, and enjoy the site.

 

[Kevin565]

 

[greymane]

 

[The Red Rooster]

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[Buckhunter76]

Welcome to BYC

 

[Kibi78704]

Hi and welcome from Central Texas!
Congratulations and best wishes on your hatchlings.

If you already know this, please forgive my lesson in eggs and egg genetics!
White and blue eggs are solid colored throughout the entire depth of the shell. Brown eggs are white shells with a brown pigment overlay which is applied internally after the shell is formed. Green and olive eggs happen when a blue egg gets the brown overlay, with darker brown overlays producing darker green (i.e., olive) eggs.
To get olive layers, you need a dark brown egg laying parent and a blue egg laying parent. If you don't get a female from your Marans hatch, breed the Welsummer to an Ameraucana, an Araucana, or a Creme Legbar, all of which lay blue eggs. If you do get a female Marans, you need a roo of one of those blue egg laying breeds.

BTW - the blue egg gene is dominant, so a roo of those breeds will always have (first generation) offspring that produce either blue or green/olive eggs, depending on the mama's egg color. So, if mama lays white eggs, her babies will lay blue eggs when daddy's gene is for blue eggs. If mama lays light brown eggs, her babies will lay green eggs, etc.
The brown egg color is polygenous (carried on multiple genes).

 

[Jenn907]

Hello to my fellow Alaskan! I live in Wasilla, too

I am brand new to the chicken world (newbie)... getting my coop delivered this week and picking up some young pullets this weekend. I am super excited!

Looking forward to learning all kinds of great stuff on this site.