Spring Chicks

You know I love rare heirloom animals, and most of the animals I raise are both rare and heirloom.  But every once in a while I end up fascinated with a breed that is not necessarily an heirloom, but none-the-less rare, and in addition, very interesting.  

This just happens to be the case with my new spring chicks.

These fellas are sure cute, but there's actually something quite special about them and how they came to be.  Here's how the story goes:

There is an unusual type of black chicken that has recently risen to popularity, described as Fibro Melanistic, meaning the black pigment present in their genetics is so strong, it permeates throughout the bird's body--even into its bones.  These birds are not only ebony black on the outside, but on the inside too!  As you might expect, this unusual trait makes them coveted by breeders worldwide, and by default, also makes them extremely expensive--up to four figures! 

Definitely out of my price range.  Or so I thought...

Ogye Yeonsan Chickens courtesy of Fibro Farms

Funny things happen sometimes when you're least expecting them, and such was the case for me late last summer when I got a phone call from my best-est breeder buddy who just happens to be on the leading edge of this Fibro Phenomenon. 

Don't take this the wrong way, but I love it when he calls me.  My husband is fully aware of this, and he's fine with it.  Really.

I love these phone calls because it usually means something chicken-related and very exciting is about to happen, and this time was no different. 

My buddy had hatched a plan, and after hearing his ideas and having no desire to question the authority of an expert, I quickly agreed to it. 

To make a long story short, within a few hours I was the proud owner of a few Ogye Yeonsan fibro melanistic roosters whose job it was to breed with my Lavender Orpington and Isbar hens.  The eventual offspring would be a black-bodied bird with lavender feathers, and a black bodied bird that would lay a blue egg, respectively.  In the ever-evolving world of rare chicken breeding, these creations might eventually be quite desirable. 

Jumping ahead to mid-January of this year, when I finally had time to concentrate on this effort, I gathered and set several eggs in the incubator, and waited to see what would happen. 

Three weeks later, while passing by the incubator on the way to the laundry room, I heard a faint peeping coming from inside.  Inside the incubator, not the laundry room, just to be clear. 

Anyway, I peeked through the top window of the incubator and immediately forgot all about the laundry.

Because this is what I saw...

How exciting!  You see why I forgot about the laundry, although later I did have to explain to my husband why he had no clean pants to wear to work.  Having the video helped me out, though--it's always good to have proof to back up your stories.

I filmed the entire hatch for this particular chick, but since it took him almost an hour to emerge, I've shortened this clip down to the most exciting part.  It's still over ten minutes long, but if you have some free time and aren't feeling squeamish, then check it out. 

Goodness, that wore me (and him) out!  What a feat of nature, though. 

After resting for a few hours, he recovered quite nicely.  Here he is, all cute and cuddly...

He was soon joined by several other chicks, and as we speak they are all living it up in my mud room in an old aquarium-turned brooder. 

Here are a few of his friends:

This fella looks a lot like his daddy--black all over.

And this little lady looks more like her mama, with hints of lavender in her fuzzy feathers.

And then there's this crazy chick, who looks a bit like both parents and who thought it would be funny to stand in the feed jar and show me his hiney. 

He was right.  It was funny.

There are eleven chicks so far, and there are more still hatching.  The colors vary on each of them, but this is to be expected since it takes a couple of generations to stabilize the characteristics we're aiming for.  But the good news is that I'll have plenty of sweet little chicks hatching out this year, and eventually they'll mature into some pretty incredible chickens. 

Oh the fun of farm life!  And newly hatched spring chicks make it even more so, even if technically it is still winter.  Who cares what the calendar says!