4mo Brahma Cockreel holding tail to the left

[Fluffy_Tooshy]

Hi All,

New Brahma breeder here and looking for some advice on my Cockreel.
He's still young, 5mo, but as his feathering is starting to come in I've noticed that he is holding his tail ever so slightly to the left. (See pictures). It is slight but far more noticeable in the flesh.

Just wanted to know if he should be out of my breeding program or should I hold onto him longer if it's likely to correct / just how their feathers come in when young.
Is the straight tail as important in the roosters as the hens? Due to the feathering how straight does it need to be? All my hens have good straight tails.
I don't want to stuff up my breeding program early so looking for advice however Brahma roosters are hard to come by in my area and he's the only one I have at this stage.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Trish1974]

I would definitely hold onto him longer and see if he outgrows it. I think Brahmas are slow growing?? I've never experienced this issue, but I can tell you my biggest mistake the first two years of breeding was culling males too soon. When I got pictures of what those cockerels matured into I could have kicked myself.
Best just to wait it out...

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I would definitely hold onto him longer and see if he outgrows it. I think Brahmas are slow growing?? I've never experienced this issue, but I can tell you my biggest mistake the first two years of breeding was culling males too soon. When I got pictures of what those cockerels matured into I could have kicked myself.
Best just to wait it out...

Yes I culled a Buff Brahma cockrel way to soon, just give him time.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Let him fill out but if it is wry tail (?) or whatever don't use it for breeding.

 

[Rujzin]

How long do you recommend holding onto slow-growing cockrels like this Brahma before making a decision like that? Six months? A year?

When would he likely grow out of a crooked tail?

 

[Housespider]

How long do you recommend holding onto slow-growing cockrels like this Brahma before making a decision like that? Six months? A year?

When would he likely grow out of a crooked tail?

While not a direct answer to your question, I had an Easter egger develop wry tail at 6 months. He was completely "C" shaped within the month,so it becomes clear fast in my experience.

While I was researching wry tail I came across a lot of advise saying sleep posture can cause a temporary bend in a roosters tail. Given that he is a larger bird maybe he is sleeping in a way that does not fit his size? I would check the coop at night, if he is sleeping with his tail against the wall that could be influencing this. Not an expert on this, but that is just what I was told when my rooster had this problem.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Yup^

 

[ColtHandorf]

How long do you recommend holding onto slow-growing cockerels like this Brahma before making a decision like that? Six months? A year?

With slow-maturing breeds like Brahmas and English Orpingtons unless there's a serious defect visible at an early age, don't make any decisions at all until six months. Most serious breeders I know hold onto cockerels until they are nine and twelve months before making any "serious" decisions although they may have sorted them into potential cull and keep groups before that age.

 

[Rujzin]

Hrm, I may need to do some research on this forum and/or start a new thread. I plan on hatching out a bunch of chicks again this year for the freezer and as replacements and planned on putting away the culls at five months. It looks like there might be a toss-up between young enough to fry or old enough to know who should be kept.

 

[Fluffy_Tooshy]

While not a direct answer to your question, I had an Easter egger develop wry tail at 6 months. He was completely "C" shaped within the month,so it becomes clear fast in my experience.

While I was researching wry tail I came across a lot of advise saying sleep posture can cause a temporary bend in a roosters tail. Given that he is a larger bird maybe he is sleeping in a way that does not fit his size? I would check the coop at night, if he is sleeping with his tail against the wall that could be influencing this. Not an expert on this, but that is just what I was told when my rooster had this problem.

Thanks for this! I'll double check his sleeping arrangement. I believe he perches away from any walls however I'll definitely look into this to be sure.