2021 Chick Order

[JacinLarkwell]

Bum Leg is now named Ratchet.

IDEAL came today, everyone looked great, no DOAs or weak looking ones.

Hoover apparently pushed my order back a week and didn't bother to let me know

 

[JacinLarkwell]

All of IDEAL survived, yay. Though I already know I got a substutute. Ordered 3 dark cornish, have 4. Only see one BLR, hoping it's just blending in since almost all these birds look the same as chicks. Gah.....

My replacement silkie only has 9 toes again. Guess I'm not keeping that one either.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ratchet is trying to use her leg more. But the foot crumples together when she puts weight on it. I'll try to get a picture.i feel bad, but she really doesn't seem to be in any pain. Just doesn't run around with everyone. But I imagine if it was hurting she'd be crying and she isn't.

Discovered my D'Anvers that came in the first group is a single comb. What are the chances if I pair him to a rose comb that most or all the chicks will have rose combs? I have no clue when that gene was introduced though into that breeding pen

 

[NatJ]

I already know I got a substutute. Ordered 3 dark cornish, have 4. Only see one BLR, hoping it's just blending in since almost all these birds look the same as chicks.

Blue Laced Red can really be black laced, blue laced, or splash laced.
A Black Laced Red chick might look a lot like a Dark Cornish Chick.
When they get their mature feathers, you should be able to sort them out (single laced vs. double laced), but the pattern may not be clear in the first feathers to know which is which.

Discovered my D'Anvers that came in the first group is a single comb. What are the chances if I pair him to a rose comb that most or all the chicks will have rose combs? I have no clue when that gene was introduced though into that breeding pen

It's quite common to have single comb birds show up in rose comb breeds.

You cannot tell by looking if a chicken is pure for rose comb, or if it has one copy of the rose comb gene and one copy of the not-rose gene (single comb.)

Crossing single comb to rose comb, either half the chicks should have rose combs, or all of them should have rose combs. It depends whether the bird with a rose comb has one or two genes for rose comb. Of course, all those chicks would carry the gene for not-rose comb, so when they have offspring of their own, you will see single combs show up again.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Blue Laced Red can really be black laced, blue laced, or splash laced.
A Black Laced Red chick might look a lot like a Dark Cornish Chick.
When they get their mature feathers, you should be able to sort them out (single laced vs. double laced), but the pattern may not be clear in the first feathers to know which is which.


It's quite common to have single comb birds show up in rose comb breeds.

You cannot tell by looking if a chicken is pure for rose comb, or if it has one copy of the rose comb gene and one copy of the not-rose gene (single comb.)

Crossing single comb to rose comb, either half the chicks should have rose combs, or all of them should have rose combs. It depends whether the bird with a rose comb has one or two genes for rose comb. Of course, all those chicks would carry the gene for not-rose comb, so when they have offspring of their own, you will see single combs show up again.

Okay, thanks. Reassuring about the BLRs too. They just seem to be what I keep getting shorted in this year. And the whites

So rose combs are dominant to single combs?

 

[NatJ]

So rose combs are dominant to single combs?

Yes.

Breeding out the single comb is possible, but still takes a lot of work.

You would test-mate every rose comb chicken (breed to a single comb bird, look for single comb chicks, then cull all the chicks that were produced in testing). And then when you know which rose comb birds are pure for the rose comb gene, breed them to each other for a line of pure-for-rose chickens. But because it is so much bother, hatcheries typically do not, and I think many breeders also do not bother.

Males that are pure for rose comb also tend to be less fertile than males that show rose comb but also carry the not-rose gene. So in a big flock (like a hatchery), they sire more than their fair share of the offspring. And because they are more fertile, some breeders keep them on purpose, too.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes.

Breeding out the single comb is possible, but still takes a lot of work.

You would test-mate every rose comb chicken (breed to a single comb bird, look for single comb chicks, then cull all the chicks that were produced in testing). And then when you know which rose comb birds are pure for the rose comb gene, breed them to each other for a line of pure-for-rose chickens. But because it is so much bother, hatcheries typically do not, and I think many breeders also do not bother.

Males that are pure for rose comb also tend to be less fertile than males that show rose comb but also carry the not-rose gene. So in a big flock (like a hatchery), they sire more than their fair share of the offspring. And because they are more fertile, some breeders keep them on purpose, too.

Hmmm, okay so this may be more unfortunate genetics than intentionally adding a single comb to boost numbers or a bird getting loose in the wrong pen?

 

[NatJ]

Hmmm, okay so this may be more unfortunate genetics than intentionally adding a single comb to boost numbers or a bird getting loose in the wrong pen?

Yes, that is probably what caused it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I lost a sebright and another red leghorn last night. Both were quite runty though so I'm not too surprised. Hoping my last red is actually a girl though since I need one for my buff Minorca male for my project

Also moved along 3 boys from welp. A barred Cochin and 2 extra Frizzle boys.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I see a pink comb! At about 5 weeks, that almost certainly a boy, right? Not too sure about the other two, one looks like it might be getting a V comb though?