no they were sposed to be show stock birds . and you cant see from the picture but there ear lobes are white just like a minorcas are ??? dont think they are pure but not sure what they are crossed with ??? thanks john w when i get over there agian i will try to take some better pics and post them !!!
Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous breeders out there who ought not to be calling themselves "breeders" at all. Sigh. That said, we all need to remember that just because a chick came from stock that has been proven in the show ring does not necessarily mean the offspring will be. In fact, I find I keep only about 10% of my hatchlings for showing/breeding. Cull heavily, and you will end up with nice stock. However, the fact that they do not have yellow on the bottoms of their feet is definitely not a good sign...plus the white lobes...not a good sign at all, I'm sorry to say. I DO know of a very prominent breeder (name all over the place) who sells their cull stock as "pet quality" - they are those without yellow feet, etc. This person recently got out of chickens completely, so hopefully that issue will not be reproduced. The problem comes when buyers are told they are getting purebred stock...which they ARE...but when some buyers hear "purebred" they equate that to "show quality" which is never the case. You need to ask a lot of questions, and come right out and ask, "Are these your culls? If so, can you show me why you will not be using them as breeders?" Most breeders are happy to let you know why they will not be using a certain bird for breeding.
To clarify, I didn't know you were the seller (I didn't recall reading that). My comment was not directly specifically at you - if I've offended you, that was not my intention. I have always said that the buyer is just as responsible to know what they are getting as the seller should be for letting them know. There simply isn't a perfect bird out there, hence why we have the SOP to breed to.
I would tend to agree that might be the case. If you look in the last photo that 4hmother posted the lobs look very similar.
Interesting that you mentioned this - on another thread just this morning, we've been discussing Marigold extract. Apparently, oil of Marigold used to be put into most commercial feeds, but is not longer added. Some are saying that if you put a few drops of the extract into your waterers, it will have the same effect that adding corn to your feed routine will. I may try it, just for fun!
Goondess, I didn't even notice it. You definitely have to have a thick skin if you're going to breed. Just do the very best you can - no one can fault you for that!
