Norman the Rooster

[AustralorpsAU]

Have a look at this roo. Silkie x Jersey giant they think but i want one!

 

[GingersHuman]

Wow! Nice!

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[summerb123]

THAT'S A GREAT CROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[drumstick diva]

something great bears repeating!!!!

 

[QueenMisha]

Have a look at this roo. Silkie x Jersey giant they think but i want one!

Wow - reminds me of a Langshan.

 

[QueenMisha]

Just some photos of Norman and Norma in their crate. They haven't had the opportunity to get out in a couple days - it's been raining cats and dogs out here in Cali! Yesterday the entire backyard of the shop flooded - easily a few inches of water on the highest ground. Thankfully all the coops are on pallets so the birds were all able to stay dry. I'm sure Norman and Norma are happy to be housed indoors with the Seramas this time of year.

 

[summerb123]

I love his one long tail feather!

 

[dekel18042]

I had a couple thoughts if you are trying to come up with a Norman/Norma line and Norman is not cooperating. There may be a plan B.(I showed and bred cats for many years and found if things didn't work out there was more than one way to skin a cat or pluck a chicken or perhaps advance your project if all else fails.) You said Norma was a sister so I'm going on the assumption she carries similar genes. If you can't get fertile eggs through Norman can you pick a rooster with at least some of the similar qualities you want and breed to Norma? At least the chicks would be related. Then grow them out. If there is a cockerel most similar to his mother or better yet, his uncle, breed him back to his mother. At that point you are working with similar genetics and can figure out where to go from there.
If there are some young pullets perhaps if you put them with Norman he would get comfortable with them and breed them and you could also go from there with related genetics.
I don't know about chickens but often in the parrot world, hand fed baby parrots will never breed. Parrot breeders if possible let parents raise birds they hope to breed from or try to distance themselves if they want breeders.
I didn't realize you could AI a chicken. It's very common in dogs but not really done in cats.
One last thought, wouldn't it be easier to check for fertility before you set the eggs? It seems tough to keep setting the eggs and hoping and then have nothing happen. Also checking first would tell you if the egg were fertile or infertile. Not sure if there could be another problem going on. Good luck.

 

[WVduckchick]

I had a couple thoughts if you are trying to come up with a Norman/Norma line and Norman is not cooperating. There may be a plan B.(I showed and bred cats for many years and found if things didn't work out there was more than one way to skin a cat or pluck a chicken or perhaps advance your project if all else fails.) You said Norma was a sister so I'm going on the assumption she carries similar genes. If you can't get fertile eggs through Norman can you pick a rooster with at least some of the similar qualities you want and breed to Norma? At least the chicks would be related. Then grow them out. If there is a cockerel most similar to his mother or better yet, his uncle, breed him back to his mother. At that point you are working with similar genetics and can figure out where to go from there.
If there are some young pullets perhaps if you put them with Norman he would get comfortable with them and breed them and you could also go from there with related genetics.
I don't know about chickens but often in the parrot world, hand fed baby parrots will never breed. Parrot breeders if possible let parents raise birds they hope to breed from or try to distance themselves if they want breeders.
I didn't realize you could AI a chicken. It's very common in dogs but not really done in cats.
One last thought, wouldn't it be easier to check for fertility before you set the eggs? It seems tough to keep setting the eggs and hoping and then have nothing happen. Also checking first would tell you if the egg were fertile or infertile. Not sure if there could be another problem going on. Good luck.

I don't know about any of the breeding options you are proposing, but checking for fertility -- is there a way, other than breaking it open to check? I've not seen one (other than some intra-egg stuff they are working on). Because if you crack it open, it could have been a perfectly incubate-able egg that now has no chance of being incubated! Plus, eggs cracked open and checked on the day laid, or even the day after being laid are not as easy to tell if they are fertile or not. Day 2-4 is better to see a bullseye. Waiting 3-6 days to see veining in an incubator is the better option, in my opinion!