Bantam Duck Page

[Robert Blosl]

Quote:
BY E. B. THOMPSON.

They are a great favorite with farmers and market poultry men, who breed this variety more extensively than all other pure breeds combined. As a fancier's fowl the Plymouth Rock has reached a popularity in this country never before known. Utility and actual worth are the basis of this popularity, and make the Barred Plymouth Rock the bird of destiny—a breed come to stay.

There are many valuable breeds of poultry among our standard varieties. Some excel in beauty of plumage and graceful forms; others in massive size and majestic carriage; while still other breeds court favor by their records as egg producers. Nearly all breeds combine some of the good qualities in some degree. Bantams are handsome and good layers of eggs proportionate to the size of the breed. The smaller a Bantam can be bred the better. They have hosts of admirers, and as pets and a breed upon which to exercise a true fancier's skill, they are valuable.

The ornamental breeds are small in size, and fanciers of such do not find their ideal fowls in a large variety—a Cochin, Langshan or Brahma—while fanciers of these massive birds cannot see their ideal in a small fowl, be it ever so gorgeous in feathers and as graceful in movement as a billowy cloud. We are speaking of fanciers in general. There doubtless are some who really love several breeds, both great and small, handsome and plain, but the majority find delight in some particular variety, although they may breed several varieties. For a person who wants a business fowl, one that never deserts its post nor shirks a duty, 1 believe the Barred Plymouth Rock fills the bill nearer than any other breed. They are always ready for business, rain or shine. They are medium in size, and if decently fed are always in good meaty condition to kill after eight weeks old. Their early maturity adapts them especially for broiler use.

The Plymouth Rocks are excellent "all the year around" layers, and will lay as many eggs as any breed that incubates and rears its young. They are the farmer's favorite. In the smaller breeds we may get better layers, but lose size. The larger breeds give us no more if as many eggs as as the Plymouth Rocks, are later maturing and lack that sprightliness and elasticity of movement so admired in a medium sized fowl.

The Barred Plymouth Rock is nearly always the largest class at our American shows, and strictly choice specimens command a higher price than any other American breed, which proves their sterling merits. New breeds come and go, but the good qualities of the Barred Plymouth Rock become more and more indelible. As a practical fowl, suited to the wants and conditions of those who desire eggs, meat and feathers combined in one breed, they acknowledge no competition.

I have bred them over twenty two years, and the experience acquired during that period is of invaluable worth to me as a breeder, and might be called business capital. That the best specimens can be produced by the double mating plan, or a separate mating for each sex, is conceded by the majority of breeders. I will describe these matings as they are made at my farm.

COCKEREL MATING.

To mate a pen for cockerels, select a male of medium dark exhibition color, of bluish shade (even from head to tail), and barred distinctly to the skin in all sections, and as straight across the feather as possible, He should be of standard weight or over, of sturdy build, broad in back, full breasted, and not too high on legs. Wings and tail must be well barred, and tail short; comb small, straight, and evenly serrated; deep bay eyes, and rich yellow legs, set well apart.

The hens and pullets to mate with this male must be large in size, with broad backs, full, round breasts, and the barring of plumage close, narrow, clear cut, and barred to the skin throughout. They must be in color medium dark to dark, eyes bay, and combs small and straight.

The male heading this pen should be a high-class show bird, and his ancestry also of the same quality, the sire and grandsire being exhibition specimens. The hens and pullets should come from exhibition sires; in short, it is necessary that both sides of the mating be strictly cockerel bred for generations back, and from the very best ancestry. From such a mating a breeder can expect high-class exhibition cockerels; the pullets will come about the color of their dams, and be valuable for the next year's breeding.

I believe strongly in ancestral backing, and that males should be used in mating that are bred from sires or dams having the qualities desired in the progeny. In the breeding of horses, cattle, and dogs, pedigree plays a leading part. No horseman would entertain for a moment the thought of paying a large fee for the service of a stock horse, unless such animal came from ancestors possessing pronounced quality. A heifer or bull of a family of great butter or milk producers commands a high price and ready sale on account of the reasonable certainty that these qualities will be perpetuated in the offspring. In breeding all the higher classes of animals great importance is placed on ancestral blood, and animals either registered in the respective records of the breed or entitled to registration at once assume a just superiority over individual animals having no distinct or traceable family lineage. So with Barred Plymouth Rocks, the individual quality must be right and the pedigree undisputed.

The object sought in mating this variety is to get both cockerels and pullets that conform to the standard of perfection in form and color, and to bring out the bluish tinge of the plumage ip a very visible degree. This blue color adds greatly to the beauty of the bird, as do also the "ringlets" which appear in specimens whose feathers are evenly barred and rightly placed.

PULLET MATING.

To produce the finest pullets, use the very best exhibition colored females, clean and bright in color and blue, showing the zebra striping or "ringlets" as much as possible. Discard all those that are splashy or broken in surface color. The barring must be regular and deep throughout and clear in wings and tails. The legs must be deep yellow; eyes red or bay. Let the size be standard and their bodies well rounded, with full breasts and broad backs.

Select a male of eight or nine pounds weight, of sturdy build, full, well rounded breast, broad back, strong legs (deep yellow in color), yellow beak and bay or red eyes. The plumage must be several shades lighter than for exhibition, clean and bright, entirely free from any shade of brown or smut, and even from end to end. Let the under-barring be as good as it may with these necessary qualities. Such a pullet mating as I have described will please the breeder in results, and certainly produce elegant exhibition pullets.

It is necessary that the male heading this pen be of the best exhibition blood. Never breed from a cockerel, expecting finely colored pullets, unless you know that his dam was an exhibition bird. It is important, too, that the pullets be not only exhibition color, but be bred from superior, prize-winning dams. Chance birds are of but little value to use in the breeding yard, because they will not transmit their good points to their progeny.

Some breeders advocate single mating, or one pen only, to get both cockerels and pullets. In this mating a male is used a little lighter than standard color, and females about exhibition color. The chicks from such a mating will come quite even and uniform as a flock, with a small percentage of culls. Some will show much quality and the majority average good. By persisting in this method and selecting breeders each year, whose sires and dams were of the right color, splendid chicks can be bred, and some good exhibition birds, but the finest exhibition birds produced during the past ten years have been the results of double matings, or a separate mating for each sex.

The utmost skill and care ought to always be used in making up the season's breeding pens, for a mistake at this period is fatal to success. It cannot be corrected, and may change a hoped-for profit to a decided loss.


I have here a article written by a master breeder of barred rocks and if any of you know kathyinmo got three trios of these barred rocks and they go back to Mr. Thompson who wrote this article. My point I want to make was see how he explaned how to have a double mating and what you should look for. The person who has experience breeding butterscotch or gray calls could use this kind of format. In gray calls I have searched high and low for a article like this one for barred rocks. I guess no one ever sat down and wrote such a article how they mated their female or male line of grays. You would think at a show some where a old timer sat down in the chicken barn and told a new person this is how I did it to get the color on my female or males. You would think that some one might have done this with Rouens as well. Where are the articles today.??

My hope to you is in the next twenty years if you learn the secrets to breeding calls for type or for color you will write it down and have it for the future generations.

I just got six DVDs in of VCR tapes I made ten to five teen years ago when I use to send out a Christmas tape to two of my friends. One friend sent all my tapes plus the Rhode Island Red Club tapes I made to a friend he converted my VCR tapes to DVD. I could not get over the information that I spoke on how to breed for type and color. To a beginner this is price less.

If you find articles on gray call or Rouen color or find a old judge in the North who may know the secrets of how he did it or his old mentor did it please let me know.

Some day I will then make a video on the secrets and make it available to the beginners of tomorrow. I hope some of you will put your thoughts in a blog or a web site you do not want to take your secrets to your grave like 99 percent of the master breeders do. bob

 

[linda_zeagler31002]

good job bob

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
BY E. B. THOMPSON.

They are a great favorite with farmers and market poultry men, who breed this variety more extensively than all other pure breeds combined. As a fancier's fowl the Plymouth Rock has reached a popularity in this country never before known. Utility and actual worth are the basis of this popularity, and make the Barred Plymouth Rock the bird of destiny—a breed come to stay.

There are many valuable breeds of poultry among our standard varieties. Some excel in beauty of plumage and graceful forms; others in massive size and majestic carriage; while still other breeds court favor by their records as egg producers. Nearly all breeds combine some of the good qualities in some degree. Bantams are handsome and good layers of eggs proportionate to the size of the breed. The smaller a Bantam can be bred the better. They have hosts of admirers, and as pets and a breed upon which to exercise a true fancier's skill, they are valuable.

The ornamental breeds are small in size, and fanciers of such do not find their ideal fowls in a large variety—a Cochin, Langshan or Brahma—while fanciers of these massive birds cannot see their ideal in a small fowl, be it ever so gorgeous in feathers and as graceful in movement as a billowy cloud. We are speaking of fanciers in general. There doubtless are some who really love several breeds, both great and small, handsome and plain, but the majority find delight in some particular variety, although they may breed several varieties. For a person who wants a business fowl, one that never deserts its post nor shirks a duty, 1 believe the Barred Plymouth Rock fills the bill nearer than any other breed. They are always ready for business, rain or shine. They are medium in size, and if decently fed are always in good meaty condition to kill after eight weeks old. Their early maturity adapts them especially for broiler use.

The Plymouth Rocks are excellent "all the year around" layers, and will lay as many eggs as any breed that incubates and rears its young. They are the farmer's favorite. In the smaller breeds we may get better layers, but lose size. The larger breeds give us no more if as many eggs as as the Plymouth Rocks, are later maturing and lack that sprightliness and elasticity of movement so admired in a medium sized fowl.

The Barred Plymouth Rock is nearly always the largest class at our American shows, and strictly choice specimens command a higher price than any other American breed, which proves their sterling merits. New breeds come and go, but the good qualities of the Barred Plymouth Rock become more and more indelible. As a practical fowl, suited to the wants and conditions of those who desire eggs, meat and feathers combined in one breed, they acknowledge no competition.

I have bred them over twenty two years, and the experience acquired during that period is of invaluable worth to me as a breeder, and might be called business capital. That the best specimens can be produced by the double mating plan, or a separate mating for each sex, is conceded by the majority of breeders. I will describe these matings as they are made at my farm.

COCKEREL MATING.

To mate a pen for cockerels, select a male of medium dark exhibition color, of bluish shade (even from head to tail), and barred distinctly to the skin in all sections, and as straight across the feather as possible, He should be of standard weight or over, of sturdy build, broad in back, full breasted, and not too high on legs. Wings and tail must be well barred, and tail short; comb small, straight, and evenly serrated; deep bay eyes, and rich yellow legs, set well apart.

The hens and pullets to mate with this male must be large in size, with broad backs, full, round breasts, and the barring of plumage close, narrow, clear cut, and barred to the skin throughout. They must be in color medium dark to dark, eyes bay, and combs small and straight.

The male heading this pen should be a high-class show bird, and his ancestry also of the same quality, the sire and grandsire being exhibition specimens. The hens and pullets should come from exhibition sires; in short, it is necessary that both sides of the mating be strictly cockerel bred for generations back, and from the very best ancestry. From such a mating a breeder can expect high-class exhibition cockerels; the pullets will come about the color of their dams, and be valuable for the next year's breeding.

I believe strongly in ancestral backing, and that males should be used in mating that are bred from sires or dams having the qualities desired in the progeny. In the breeding of horses, cattle, and dogs, pedigree plays a leading part. No horseman would entertain for a moment the thought of paying a large fee for the service of a stock horse, unless such animal came from ancestors possessing pronounced quality. A heifer or bull of a family of great butter or milk producers commands a high price and ready sale on account of the reasonable certainty that these qualities will be perpetuated in the offspring. In breeding all the higher classes of animals great importance is placed on ancestral blood, and animals either registered in the respective records of the breed or entitled to registration at once assume a just superiority over individual animals having no distinct or traceable family lineage. So with Barred Plymouth Rocks, the individual quality must be right and the pedigree undisputed.

The object sought in mating this variety is to get both cockerels and pullets that conform to the standard of perfection in form and color, and to bring out the bluish tinge of the plumage ip a very visible degree. This blue color adds greatly to the beauty of the bird, as do also the "ringlets" which appear in specimens whose feathers are evenly barred and rightly placed.

PULLET MATING.

To produce the finest pullets, use the very best exhibition colored females, clean and bright in color and blue, showing the zebra striping or "ringlets" as much as possible. Discard all those that are splashy or broken in surface color. The barring must be regular and deep throughout and clear in wings and tails. The legs must be deep yellow; eyes red or bay. Let the size be standard and their bodies well rounded, with full breasts and broad backs.

Select a male of eight or nine pounds weight, of sturdy build, full, well rounded breast, broad back, strong legs (deep yellow in color), yellow beak and bay or red eyes. The plumage must be several shades lighter than for exhibition, clean and bright, entirely free from any shade of brown or smut, and even from end to end. Let the under-barring be as good as it may with these necessary qualities. Such a pullet mating as I have described will please the breeder in results, and certainly produce elegant exhibition pullets.

It is necessary that the male heading this pen be of the best exhibition blood. Never breed from a cockerel, expecting finely colored pullets, unless you know that his dam was an exhibition bird. It is important, too, that the pullets be not only exhibition color, but be bred from superior, prize-winning dams. Chance birds are of but little value to use in the breeding yard, because they will not transmit their good points to their progeny.

Some breeders advocate single mating, or one pen only, to get both cockerels and pullets. In this mating a male is used a little lighter than standard color, and females about exhibition color. The chicks from such a mating will come quite even and uniform as a flock, with a small percentage of culls. Some will show much quality and the majority average good. By persisting in this method and selecting breeders each year, whose sires and dams were of the right color, splendid chicks can be bred, and some good exhibition birds, but the finest exhibition birds produced during the past ten years have been the results of double matings, or a separate mating for each sex.

The utmost skill and care ought to always be used in making up the season's breeding pens, for a mistake at this period is fatal to success. It cannot be corrected, and may change a hoped-for profit to a decided loss.


I have here a article written by a master breeder of barred rocks and if any of you know kathyinmo got three trios of these barred rocks and they go back to Mr. Thompson who wrote this article. My point I want to make was see how he explaned how to have a double mating and what you should look for. The person who has experience breeding butterscotch or gray calls could use this kind of format. In gray calls I have searched high and low for a article like this one for barred rocks. I guess no one ever sat down and wrote such a article how they mated their female or male line of grays. You would think at a show some where a old timer sat down in the chicken barn and told a new person this is how I did it to get the color on my female or males. You would think that some one might have done this with Rouens as well. Where are the articles today.??

My hope to you is in the next twenty years if you learn the secrets to breeding calls for type or for color you will write it down and have it for the future generations.

I just got six DVDs in of VCR tapes I made ten to five teen years ago when I use to send out a Christmas tape to two of my friends. One friend sent all my tapes plus the Rhode Island Red Club tapes I made to a friend he converted my VCR tapes to DVD. I could not get over the information that I spoke on how to breed for type and color. To a beginner this is price less.

If you find articles on gray call or Rouen color or find a old judge in the North who may know the secrets of how he did it or his old mentor did it please let me know.

Some day I will then make a video on the secrets and make it available to the beginners of tomorrow. I hope some of you will put your thoughts in a blog or a web site you do not want to take your secrets to your grave like 99 percent of the master breeders do. bob

I am not aware of such an article for Calls, but I am aware that Jim Konecny is in the process of writing a two part article on gray Calls for the NCBA newsletter. There are a bunch of folks who are eagerly awaiting this article; what it will contain, I don't know.

I did call Brinsea this week and placed my order, Linda, but unfortunately they have told me that the Egg Lume has been discontinued. They have none in stock at any distributor that they are aware of, not even in the UK. I also called Cutler Supply and they had sold them all. I am very disappointed about this, because not only did I want another for myself but I have referred a bunch of people to buy these. So it seems we're out of luck...my husband thinks a police tactical light should be bright enough if you can make a cone for the end to make the light source more concentrated to one area, but I don't know, I've never used one. All I can is, this really stinks that they discontinued that light, because a lot of people like them for very dark eggs.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
BY E. B. THOMPSON.

They are a great favorite with farmers and market poultry men, who breed this variety more extensively than all other pure breeds combined. As a fancier's fowl the Plymouth Rock has reached a popularity in this country never before known. Utility and actual worth are the basis of this popularity, and make the Barred Plymouth Rock the bird of destiny—a breed come to stay.

There are many valuable breeds of poultry among our standard varieties. Some excel in beauty of plumage and graceful forms; others in massive size and majestic carriage; while still other breeds court favor by their records as egg producers. Nearly all breeds combine some of the good qualities in some degree. Bantams are handsome and good layers of eggs proportionate to the size of the breed. The smaller a Bantam can be bred the better. They have hosts of admirers, and as pets and a breed upon which to exercise a true fancier's skill, they are valuable.

The ornamental breeds are small in size, and fanciers of such do not find their ideal fowls in a large variety—a Cochin, Langshan or Brahma—while fanciers of these massive birds cannot see their ideal in a small fowl, be it ever so gorgeous in feathers and as graceful in movement as a billowy cloud. We are speaking of fanciers in general. There doubtless are some who really love several breeds, both great and small, handsome and plain, but the majority find delight in some particular variety, although they may breed several varieties. For a person who wants a business fowl, one that never deserts its post nor shirks a duty, 1 believe the Barred Plymouth Rock fills the bill nearer than any other breed. They are always ready for business, rain or shine. They are medium in size, and if decently fed are always in good meaty condition to kill after eight weeks old. Their early maturity adapts them especially for broiler use.

The Plymouth Rocks are excellent "all the year around" layers, and will lay as many eggs as any breed that incubates and rears its young. They are the farmer's favorite. In the smaller breeds we may get better layers, but lose size. The larger breeds give us no more if as many eggs as as the Plymouth Rocks, are later maturing and lack that sprightliness and elasticity of movement so admired in a medium sized fowl.

The Barred Plymouth Rock is nearly always the largest class at our American shows, and strictly choice specimens command a higher price than any other American breed, which proves their sterling merits. New breeds come and go, but the good qualities of the Barred Plymouth Rock become more and more indelible. As a practical fowl, suited to the wants and conditions of those who desire eggs, meat and feathers combined in one breed, they acknowledge no competition.

I have bred them over twenty two years, and the experience acquired during that period is of invaluable worth to me as a breeder, and might be called business capital. That the best specimens can be produced by the double mating plan, or a separate mating for each sex, is conceded by the majority of breeders. I will describe these matings as they are made at my farm.

COCKEREL MATING.

To mate a pen for cockerels, select a male of medium dark exhibition color, of bluish shade (even from head to tail), and barred distinctly to the skin in all sections, and as straight across the feather as possible, He should be of standard weight or over, of sturdy build, broad in back, full breasted, and not too high on legs. Wings and tail must be well barred, and tail short; comb small, straight, and evenly serrated; deep bay eyes, and rich yellow legs, set well apart.

The hens and pullets to mate with this male must be large in size, with broad backs, full, round breasts, and the barring of plumage close, narrow, clear cut, and barred to the skin throughout. They must be in color medium dark to dark, eyes bay, and combs small and straight.

The male heading this pen should be a high-class show bird, and his ancestry also of the same quality, the sire and grandsire being exhibition specimens. The hens and pullets should come from exhibition sires; in short, it is necessary that both sides of the mating be strictly cockerel bred for generations back, and from the very best ancestry. From such a mating a breeder can expect high-class exhibition cockerels; the pullets will come about the color of their dams, and be valuable for the next year's breeding.

I believe strongly in ancestral backing, and that males should be used in mating that are bred from sires or dams having the qualities desired in the progeny. In the breeding of horses, cattle, and dogs, pedigree plays a leading part. No horseman would entertain for a moment the thought of paying a large fee for the service of a stock horse, unless such animal came from ancestors possessing pronounced quality. A heifer or bull of a family of great butter or milk producers commands a high price and ready sale on account of the reasonable certainty that these qualities will be perpetuated in the offspring. In breeding all the higher classes of animals great importance is placed on ancestral blood, and animals either registered in the respective records of the breed or entitled to registration at once assume a just superiority over individual animals having no distinct or traceable family lineage. So with Barred Plymouth Rocks, the individual quality must be right and the pedigree undisputed.

The object sought in mating this variety is to get both cockerels and pullets that conform to the standard of perfection in form and color, and to bring out the bluish tinge of the plumage ip a very visible degree. This blue color adds greatly to the beauty of the bird, as do also the "ringlets" which appear in specimens whose feathers are evenly barred and rightly placed.

PULLET MATING.

To produce the finest pullets, use the very best exhibition colored females, clean and bright in color and blue, showing the zebra striping or "ringlets" as much as possible. Discard all those that are splashy or broken in surface color. The barring must be regular and deep throughout and clear in wings and tails. The legs must be deep yellow; eyes red or bay. Let the size be standard and their bodies well rounded, with full breasts and broad backs.

Select a male of eight or nine pounds weight, of sturdy build, full, well rounded breast, broad back, strong legs (deep yellow in color), yellow beak and bay or red eyes. The plumage must be several shades lighter than for exhibition, clean and bright, entirely free from any shade of brown or smut, and even from end to end. Let the under-barring be as good as it may with these necessary qualities. Such a pullet mating as I have described will please the breeder in results, and certainly produce elegant exhibition pullets.

It is necessary that the male heading this pen be of the best exhibition blood. Never breed from a cockerel, expecting finely colored pullets, unless you know that his dam was an exhibition bird. It is important, too, that the pullets be not only exhibition color, but be bred from superior, prize-winning dams. Chance birds are of but little value to use in the breeding yard, because they will not transmit their good points to their progeny.

Some breeders advocate single mating, or one pen only, to get both cockerels and pullets. In this mating a male is used a little lighter than standard color, and females about exhibition color. The chicks from such a mating will come quite even and uniform as a flock, with a small percentage of culls. Some will show much quality and the majority average good. By persisting in this method and selecting breeders each year, whose sires and dams were of the right color, splendid chicks can be bred, and some good exhibition birds, but the finest exhibition birds produced during the past ten years have been the results of double matings, or a separate mating for each sex.

The utmost skill and care ought to always be used in making up the season's breeding pens, for a mistake at this period is fatal to success. It cannot be corrected, and may change a hoped-for profit to a decided loss.


I have here a article written by a master breeder of barred rocks and if any of you know kathyinmo got three trios of these barred rocks and they go back to Mr. Thompson who wrote this article. My point I want to make was see how he explaned how to have a double mating and what you should look for. The person who has experience breeding butterscotch or gray calls could use this kind of format. In gray calls I have searched high and low for a article like this one for barred rocks. I guess no one ever sat down and wrote such a article how they mated their female or male line of grays. You would think at a show some where a old timer sat down in the chicken barn and told a new person this is how I did it to get the color on my female or males. You would think that some one might have done this with Rouens as well. Where are the articles today.??

My hope to you is in the next twenty years if you learn the secrets to breeding calls for type or for color you will write it down and have it for the future generations.

I just got six DVDs in of VCR tapes I made ten to five teen years ago when I use to send out a Christmas tape to two of my friends. One friend sent all my tapes plus the Rhode Island Red Club tapes I made to a friend he converted my VCR tapes to DVD. I could not get over the information that I spoke on how to breed for type and color. To a beginner this is price less.

If you find articles on gray call or Rouen color or find a old judge in the North who may know the secrets of how he did it or his old mentor did it please let me know.

Some day I will then make a video on the secrets and make it available to the beginners of tomorrow. I hope some of you will put your thoughts in a blog or a web site you do not want to take your secrets to your grave like 99 percent of the master breeders do. bob

I am not aware of such an article for Calls, but I am aware that Jim Konecny is in the process of writing a two part article on gray Calls for the NCBA newsletter. There are a bunch of folks who are eagerly awaiting this article; what it will contain, I don't know.

I did call Brinsea this week and placed my order, Linda, but unfortunately they have told me that the Egg Lume has been discontinued. They have none in stock at any distributor that they are aware of, not even in the UK. I also called Cutler Supply and they had sold them all. I am very disappointed about this, because not only did I want another for myself but I have referred a bunch of people to buy these. So it seems we're out of luck...my husband thinks a police tactical light should be bright enough if you can make a cone for the end to make the light source more concentrated to one area, but I don't know, I've never used one. All I can is, this really stinks that they discontinued that light, because a lot of people like them for very dark eggs.

Find an old slide projector or 8mm projector on ebay. The light is strong enough to light up any egg.

Walt

 

[duckluck]

Well, I'm sure that's bright enough, but I think part of what we're looking for here is ease of use and portability to be able to quickly and accurately view a drawer full of eggs in good detail...at least I know that's what I was looking for when I bought mine, and good enough detail to be able to know when an internal pip is happening versus a duckling poking at the membrane without breaking through.

 

[linda_zeagler31002]

Quote:
I am not aware of such an article for Calls, but I am aware that Jim Konecny is in the process of writing a two part article on gray Calls for the NCBA newsletter. There are a bunch of folks who are eagerly awaiting this article; what it will contain, I don't know.

I did call Brinsea this week and placed my order, Linda, but unfortunately they have told me that the Egg Lume has been discontinued. They have none in stock at any distributor that they are aware of, not even in the UK. I also called Cutler Supply and they had sold them all. I am very disappointed about this, because not only did I want another for myself but I have referred a bunch of people to buy these. So it seems we're out of luck...my husband thinks a police tactical light should be bright enough if you can make a cone for the end to make the light source more concentrated to one area, but I don't know, I've never used one. All I can is, this really stinks that they discontinued that light, because a lot of people like them for very dark eggs.

Find an old slide projector or 8mm projector on ebay. The light is strong enough to light up any egg.

Walt

Walt, the problem I am trying to overcome or figure out is: When I use my coolight candler and candle a call duck egg, It is what to me appears to be the bill at the large end of the egg, pecking at what appears to me to be, hang on, When I candle a call duck egg at 26-28 days or hatch time, the bill appears to me ALWAYS at the large end of the egg trying to peck/tapping with bill or with its bill trying to make a hole to start the hatch process and get out, but there is no rippling or cracking/chipping of the outside of the eggshell, so that makes me then seeing what is appearing to me as that duck trying to fight his way out and causes me to go in after him, by first tapping a small hole in that egg shell, then upon looking in he is still in that first white outer egg sac layer and the second membrane film egg sac, and I am just going in after them too soon causing most of my call eggs death, but again, when I candle them it appears to me a bill, and it tapping inside that large end of the inside of the egg shell. So, there was suggestions that I might be seeing a reflection of the bill actually still in the egg sac, I wish some one would record this process and youtube or link it, but of all the youtube candling, hatching, and god knows hours of looking through this process is not to be found by me. So, that was the just of the egg candling, if it is my candler I will purchase another. Again, I may not even be saying the darn terminology correct to explain what I am enduring.

 

[linda_zeagler31002]

Quote:
duckluck, Maybe that is the terminology I am trying to use, I googled the definitions, but oh my sweet jesus, that though is what I think I am trying to say "good enough detail to be able to know when an internal pip is happening versus a duckling poking at the membrane without breaking through", that is my issue, I am going in too fast not knowing or able to tell the difference with call duck eggs, now all my other eggs, they hatch with the hatching process, the egg shell goes to flaking and crackling/chipping away in layers or flakes, now I did this winter have some issue with dried egg shell on a few backs stuck, but we were without power 3 days and I am just glad they hatched.

 

[Robert Blosl]

I am not aware of such an article for Calls, but I am aware that Jim Konecny is in the process of writing a two part article on gray Calls for the NCBA newsletter. There are a bunch of folks who are eagerly awaiting this article; what it will contain, I don't know.



As Secretary of the Plymouth Rock Fanciers Club I had the top breeders in the USA wrote articles on the different color patterns of our breed. It was a project that took two years to do and these are articles that are classics they are so good we could put these articles s in a year book or I could write a book on how to Breed Plymouth Rocks and use these articles on how to breed for each color pattern.
The last color pattern was Partridge Color and I was really fearing that I would not have enough breeders to help me with this how you do it segment. Would you be leave that after I got done interviewing four different breeders and asking others how they did it with their partridge color I had more information for my newsletter and I had to put it in two newsletters.

I think I am just going to call up the top breeders of Gray Calls and brainstorm with them along with some of the top judges and that will get me the information I need. I know there is a science to breeding Gray Calls just a I s I have learned on the color pattern of Rhode Island Reds. I am just going to do the same think as I did 24 years ago and call these folks up and pump their brains out like I did the great old time Red Breeders. Then when I have the information I need I will put it down in writing or put it on a DVD as I did for Rhode Island Reds.
So many color patterns need this same help. Maybe some of you who breed these color patterns or breeds will do the same for the future breeders of tomorrow. I can see why so many people get rare breeds of chickens and ducks and leave the breed in two or three years. They have no guidance or support to help them.
Well got to get out and check my incubators tomorrow and see if they still work. Bob

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Maybe it is not as portable as you like, but I have a projector set up by my incubator and it has worked fine for me for years. There is no problem seeing detail in any kind of egg. Maybe I have more space than you. Just put it out there as an option.

BTW: it works very well on BEI eggs and mine are pretty black. I can do a 100 eggs in minutes.

Walt

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Maybe it is not as portable as you like, but I have a projector set up by my incubator and it has worked fine for me for years. There is no problem seeing detail in any kind of egg. Maybe I have more space than you. Just put it out there as an option.

BTW: it works very well on BEI eggs and mine are pretty black. I can do a 100 eggs in minutes.

Walt

Well Linda, this might be the answer to your problem. I myself have plenty of space and *could* use this option, but with the old candler working it would be impractical for me. It's an idea to have in my back pocket anyway in case the Egg Lume croaks, unless Brinsea can bring that clever little device back online. But I think too, what you may have to do is going to be trial and error, and you may lose some eggs while you figure this out: when you see those guys jumping around in there, you might have to see how much time elapses between when you start seeing that and just wait it out and maybe try and narrow down the time it is you are losing them, so you can try to figure out a midpoint when you're going to try and go in after them. I know this sounds awful, and it certainly isn't an option I'd want for myself, but I'm thinking it's your only option until you can get something brighter to use and can see the process better in the egg, and be able to train your eye enough so that you know which have broken through and which haven't. I'd candle three times a day at this point when you are hand turning and try to narrow this time frame down. Some of them are sneaky and will look like they have popped the membrane, and upon opening a tiny bit of shell they haven't, and then I have had to go and put a hole in the membrane myself. Again, take a moment to see if the duckling will move, and then I try to locate the bill which is where I will make a tiny tear and try to gently widen it from there so that at least one nostril is clear. I don't let a tiny bit of blood scare me, but I do go slow and very gently. A tiny bit of blood from a capillary is not so bad, it's too much blood that you want to avoid.