Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[samouw]

Ok, did a 5 day candle of my Sunday set, and it's confirmed. I have a gorgeous black rooster that is 0% fertile in 75 degree weather. The splash is still 95%, and the girls all came from the same batch, so it's not the girls. I've wasted space in the incubator for the last time. I have a gorgeous black rooster that won't reproduce. Now I have a dilemma, and 3 options:
1. Leave the black with those girls and wait 6 more months until I can replace him with a blue from the splash pen, basically ruining my whole year with 4 laying hens.
2. Put those light blue and splash hens in with the splash rooster, and get more chicks, but take the chance of diluting those blues even further.
3. Take my blue rooster with the leakage, put him with the light blues, and hope he produces a non-leaky black to replace him this year.

Trimming feathers is not an option for me. I'm not manscaping a bird just to see if it will work when his brother is 95%. He's getting on the girls, I've seen it. He's either infertile, or has horrible aim. He won't reproduce, so he has to go. It's a shame, because he's the closest to SOP I have.

My blue rooster is gorgeous. He's the biggest, most well shaped rooster of the 3. He was the alpha before the pen split, and is currently in an OE pen with BCM culls. For those of you that don't know, my issue with him was leaky shoulder feathers, and that's why he was put in the OE pen.

Someone once told me to build the barn before I paint it. Do I put this big blue in with the girls, keep all the cockerels and grow them out to see who leaks and who doesn't, then hopefully get a non-leaky blue or black to take his place? If I do that, am I compromising the females by breeding carriers? What would you guys do?

Oh boy...that is rough. I sure hate that.

As to your options, I would put the girls in with the splash rooster, then take those chicks back to black next year. I wouldn't use the rooster with the leakage - even if you don't see it in the first generation, it will haunt you down the road.

PS - check your ovations
That would be my choice.

 

[DnDFarm]

PS - check your ovations
That would be my choice.

That sounds good to me. Could I interest you in a beautiful, sterile rooster?

 

[samouw]

That sounds good to me. Could I interest you in a beautiful, sterile rooster?

Gee, that is tempting...he might taste good for Sunday dinner.

 

[Saris]

Woot. My last hatch of the season, includes project level choc/split choc and Lav/split Lav Ameraucanas. I'm excited. My 2 little slpashes are coming along nicely, you can see one getting dark splash marks in it's wings already. I'm sure it will be very pretty. ^_^ now if only I know how to sex them at 5 days old.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Ok, did a 5 day candle of my Sunday set, and it's confirmed. I have a gorgeous black rooster that is 0% fertile in 75 degree weather. The splash is still 95%, and the girls all came from the same batch, so it's not the girls. I've wasted space in the incubator for the last time. I have a gorgeous black rooster that won't reproduce. Now I have a dilemma, and 3 options:
1. Leave the black with those girls and wait 6 more months until I can replace him with a blue from the splash pen, basically ruining my whole year with 4 laying hens.
2. Put those light blue and splash hens in with the splash rooster, and get more chicks, but take the chance of diluting those blues even further.
3. Take my blue rooster with the leakage, put him with the light blues, and hope he produces a non-leaky black to replace him this year.

Trimming feathers is not an option for me. I'm not manscaping a bird just to see if it will work when his brother is 95%. He's getting on the girls, I've seen it. He's either infertile, or has horrible aim. He won't reproduce, so he has to go. It's a shame, because he's the closest to SOP I have.

My blue rooster is gorgeous. He's the biggest, most well shaped rooster of the 3. He was the alpha before the pen split, and is currently in an OE pen with BCM culls. For those of you that don't know, my issue with him was leaky shoulder feathers, and that's why he was put in the OE pen.

Someone once told me to build the barn before I paint it. Do I put this big blue in with the girls, keep all the cockerels and grow them out to see who leaks and who doesn't, then hopefully get a non-leaky blue or black to take his place? If I do that, am I compromising the females by breeding carriers? What would you guys do?

Sell your females as culls or ee's. I wouldn't keep any females from that breeding. Males will show the leakage if they carry it, so keeping some of the males to see would be about your best choice. Or put the girls with the splash and see what you get. But, it would be nice to have another nice male to start a different line with.

 

[DnDFarm]

Sell your females as culls or ee's.  I wouldn't keep any females from that breeding.  Males will show the leakage if they carry it, so keeping some of the males to see would be about your best choice.  Or put the girls with the splash and see what you get.  But, it would be nice to have another nice male to start a different line with.

That is also an option. I was wondering about what to do with the girls. EE is a great idea

 

[MrsBachbach]

That is also an option. I was wondering about what to do with the girls. EE is a great idea

Another thing you must consider since you do have a blue male that leaks, is that female relations to him may possibly be carriers also. He might have some sisters in your flock that are carriers, so, you could see some leaky males in your future and go blaming JUST an obvious male, when it may very well be only half of your problem. If you, or anyone for that matter, wants a flock of birds that do not leak, you have to, have to, grow out a male from every female in your flock to find the girls that are hiding leakage. So, there are some advantages to keeping a small flock.

 

[DnDFarm]

Another thing you must consider since you do have a blue male that leaks, is that female relations to him may possibly be carriers also.  He might have some sisters in your flock that are carriers, so, you could see some leaky males in your future and go blaming JUST an obvious male, when it may very well be only half of your problem.  If you, or anyone for that matter, wants a flock of birds that do not leak, you have to, have to, grow out a male from every female in your flock to find the girls that are hiding leakage.  So, there are some advantages to keeping a small flock.

Sounds to me like I need to keep and grow out the next several batches of chicks

 

[MrsBachbach]

That is also an option. I was wondering about what to do with the girls. EE is a great idea

Also, if you do get a non leaky male from a pairing, you will want to track any offspring from him, even female offspring. Males from them should be checked. It could be a long haul with no positive results, but if all other attributes of the original male are desirable, it could be worth it.

 

[DnDFarm]

Also, if you do get a non leaky male from a pairing, you will want to track any offspring from him, even female offspring.  Males from them should be checked.  It could be a long haul with no positive results, but if all other attributes of the original male are desirable, it could be worth it.

Ok, after thinking about all of this, throwing the leaky roo into the mix just complicates things. What I need to be doing is breeding to the splash, then watch those offspring to see if the girls are carrying. Yes, this is an advantage to a small flock. I hope to have several flocks one day, and best to nip this in the bud now. In the grand scheme of things, one year isn't that long