Recent content by NatJ

  1. NatJ

    Breed and gender of 1 week old chick?

    With that information, we do know what "breed" the chick is: a mix of the parent breeds. So it could be called a BYM (backyard mix or barnyard mix), or a Leghorn-something-Ameraucana mix. If it grows up to lay blue or green eggs, it could also be called an Easter Egger (because that refers to...
  2. NatJ

    Roost canopy.

    I have seen ideas for a "roosting closet" in chicken books from about a hundred years ago. I think it was more to keep drafts off the roosting chickens, than to actually contain body heat. Basically, some walls and maybe a roof inside a larger building, to shelter the roosting area. I haven't...
  3. NatJ

    Breed and gender of 1 week old chick?

    If your friend is breeding purebred chickens, they can probably tell you what breed the chick is. Otherwise, the chick is most likely a mix of some sort. There are so many chicken breeds, and so many possible mixes, that guessing is almost hopeless. If you have a list of what breeds your friend...
  4. NatJ

    Duck incubation questions: lockdown, humidity and what happens if they hatch and I’m not there?

    Probably too late to do for this hatch, but if you have a similar situation in future: maybe set up a camera that you can check remotely. That could give you some idea of when the first ones hatch (so you know how long they're in the incubator before you come get them out), and might also give...
  5. NatJ

    new research debunks trad views on nutrition

    For weeds in a crack of the sidewalk, I like to cook them with a little boiling water. A tea kettle works nicely for pouring it.
  6. NatJ

    I could use some breed suggestions or a reality check.

    Araucanas have tufts, Ameraucanas have muffs & beards. Different genes, slightly different results. I wonder if any of the culls from the Araucana breeder would suit you? Due to the way the tuft gene works, Araucanas will always produce some chicks with no tufts. I'm not sure if there will be...
  7. NatJ

    Progeny from heroic rooster

    Sounds like a good plan. I hope it goes well, no matter which option you end up with!
  8. NatJ

    Gender of these 2?

    When they have the same comb type, males do tend to have wider or thicker combs than females. That can be useful if you are trying to sex a group of chickens that all share one type of comb. But it's not very helpful if there is just one chicken with each comb type because the difference between...
  9. NatJ

    Progeny from heroic rooster

    If you want to try putting the young chicks under her, I would probably give her some fake eggs to sit on until then. There's a reasonable chance she would accept the, but of course there is no way to guarantee it. If you don't give her chicks, or if she doesn't accept them, I agree that it...
  10. NatJ

    What color are these silkie chicks?

    I'm bad at recognizing Silkie colors so I'll ask @MysteryChicken to give an opinion about the colors of your adult Silkies. I'm seeing a lot of brown on one, that I was not expecting on a "black" or "blue" chicken. I was assuming they would be black all over, or blue all over, without other...
  11. NatJ

    Gender of these 2?

    Regarding combs: they have different types of combs. The wide one is either a rose comb or a walnut comb. Those kinds are always wide, no matter what sex the chicken is. The narrow one is a single comb. Single combs are always skinnier than rose or walnut combs, no matter what sex the chicken...
  12. NatJ

    Sex links?

    There is a chance, but I think probably not. The way they could be sexlinks: gold father (Buff Orpington) and silver mother (Black Australorp might be silver under the black) would produce gold daughters and silver sons. But the problem is the black. A Black Australorp should be producing...
  13. NatJ

    Show me your bielefelder crosses.

    The barring gene makes white lines across the feathers. Certain other genes or combinations of genes can cause lines of black and brown with no white, like what I see in your picture. I don't see anything that would prove her to be from one rooster or from the other rooster.
  14. NatJ

    I made a HORRIBLE mistake ordering from a hatchery! (Graphic Photos)

    Grogel is a green gooey stuff that some hatcheries put in the box with the chicks for them to eat. Some hatcheries also sell packets to make the stuff at home, for people that want to give it to chicks after they arrive. Here are two hatchery pages talking about it...
  15. NatJ

    I could use some breed suggestions or a reality check.

    For breeding the "right" color of Rhode Island Reds, it is mostly a matter of choosing ones with the right color to use as breeding stock. Hatcheries are more likely to breed the best layers, no matter what shade of red they are. Someone who cares about color will breed the ones with the...
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