There are not any baby Dodger chickens living in Silver Lake, or at least on our corner of Manzanita street (no wonder their season ended so badly). That's right, we do NOT have a Blue Ameraucana. How did this come to be?
Yesterday I decided that my chicks had grown enough feathers, and were starting to grow their weird head pieces, that some person well versed in chicken knowledge should be able to discern their breed. As I discussed before, this was no easy task for the novice lay person for three reasons: (1) I didn't know whether I received a Black Cooper Maran or a Blue Splash Maran; (2) Easter Eggers, because they are a hybrid, can look like any chicken; and (3) Blue Ameraucana's can be blue, black or splashy white. So after applying some logic and reasoning that I haven't used since taking the LSAT, I determined that the black bird had to be my barred Plymouth Rock (confirmed), and the all yellow/now white feathered bird (the blond bitch) had to be a Blue Splash Maran (confirmed). But the other chicks didn't add up, especially because both were supposed to have slate colored feet and only one did.
So, like any 21st century urban chicken owner would do, I emailed the online website that shipped my the chickens, mypetchicken.com. This morning I received the following response:
FINALLY! A "guess that breed" email that is easy!! (I had one where the lady had ordered 30 chicks from 3 different assortments, and sent pictures in before the chicks had any feathers! I almost lost my marbles trying to guess them all!)
Anyway, here are my best guesses for your pretty little babies:
Rare Marans--(Blue Splash)NOT a Blue Ameraucana-- Suspected Ancona==> Requesting RefundEaster Egger
Barred Plymouth Rock
I am sorry, you didn't get your Blue Ameraucana! I checked the packing slip, and it shows the hatchery (thought they) sent a Blue Ameraucana...but it happens sometimes that the chicks jump in and out of the boxes and brooders. Sneaky chickens.
I have noted the mistake in your order and requested a refund for the missing chick. Normally, you would see your refund in 7 to 10 business days.
My heart sank. No Dodger blue eggs? Duchess, named after the Duke, will grow up so confused. Even worse? Ancona's are WHITE EGG layers! She would have been immediately eliminated based on my calculating criteria for picking breeds.
There are some positives, though. First, Ancona's are prolific egg layers, extremely efficient with their large eggs, and are early to start laying (as early as 20 weeks). Second, mypetchicken is issuing a refund, which makes this a FREE chicken. (As they should, the blue ameraucana was $19, as opposed to the $2-4 price tag the other chicks touted, and is extremely hard to find). Adding the first two points together, this chick is more bang for your buck. I will need this point to convince Dan, the second cheapest guy I know (sorry Dad), that this chicken is still worthwhile even though she is no longer a Dodger.
But the final positive is most important. This chick "jump[ed] in and out of the boxes and brooders." She is independent and makes her own adventure. I can identify with that spirit, as can my best canine friend that lives with us. And I believe that is exactly what she did. As per my last post, she is the goofiest, craziest, was the first to fly, is the chick that sits on top of the feeder, and has so far been my favorite. She wants to be here. Sneaky chicken...
And now all hope rests on the Easter Egger. She will lay brown, pink, white, green, or blue. Fingers crossed that we will get some color in our baskets of eggs!
Yesterday I decided that my chicks had grown enough feathers, and were starting to grow their weird head pieces, that some person well versed in chicken knowledge should be able to discern their breed. As I discussed before, this was no easy task for the novice lay person for three reasons: (1) I didn't know whether I received a Black Cooper Maran or a Blue Splash Maran; (2) Easter Eggers, because they are a hybrid, can look like any chicken; and (3) Blue Ameraucana's can be blue, black or splashy white. So after applying some logic and reasoning that I haven't used since taking the LSAT, I determined that the black bird had to be my barred Plymouth Rock (confirmed), and the all yellow/now white feathered bird (the blond bitch) had to be a Blue Splash Maran (confirmed). But the other chicks didn't add up, especially because both were supposed to have slate colored feet and only one did.
So, like any 21st century urban chicken owner would do, I emailed the online website that shipped my the chickens, mypetchicken.com. This morning I received the following response:
FINALLY! A "guess that breed" email that is easy!! (I had one where the lady had ordered 30 chicks from 3 different assortments, and sent pictures in before the chicks had any feathers! I almost lost my marbles trying to guess them all!)
Anyway, here are my best guesses for your pretty little babies:
Rare Marans--(Blue Splash)NOT a Blue Ameraucana-- Suspected Ancona==> Requesting RefundEaster Egger
Barred Plymouth Rock
I am sorry, you didn't get your Blue Ameraucana! I checked the packing slip, and it shows the hatchery (thought they) sent a Blue Ameraucana...but it happens sometimes that the chicks jump in and out of the boxes and brooders. Sneaky chickens.
I have noted the mistake in your order and requested a refund for the missing chick. Normally, you would see your refund in 7 to 10 business days.
My heart sank. No Dodger blue eggs? Duchess, named after the Duke, will grow up so confused. Even worse? Ancona's are WHITE EGG layers! She would have been immediately eliminated based on my calculating criteria for picking breeds.
There are some positives, though. First, Ancona's are prolific egg layers, extremely efficient with their large eggs, and are early to start laying (as early as 20 weeks). Second, mypetchicken is issuing a refund, which makes this a FREE chicken. (As they should, the blue ameraucana was $19, as opposed to the $2-4 price tag the other chicks touted, and is extremely hard to find). Adding the first two points together, this chick is more bang for your buck. I will need this point to convince Dan, the second cheapest guy I know (sorry Dad), that this chicken is still worthwhile even though she is no longer a Dodger.
But the final positive is most important. This chick "jump[ed] in and out of the boxes and brooders." She is independent and makes her own adventure. I can identify with that spirit, as can my best canine friend that lives with us. And I believe that is exactly what she did. As per my last post, she is the goofiest, craziest, was the first to fly, is the chick that sits on top of the feeder, and has so far been my favorite. She wants to be here. Sneaky chicken...
And now all hope rests on the Easter Egger. She will lay brown, pink, white, green, or blue. Fingers crossed that we will get some color in our baskets of eggs!
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