Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[BlueCamas]

I would love to get a bantam barnvelder and try to get the blue double laced in a bantam. Hmm. I may have a project to start now

Anybody have bantam banvelder eggs for sale?

birdnbeast probably does, I will have them available in October.

 

[AyaBlodgett]

Oh oh! My favorite Roo, just 5 months old, has white fluff at the base of his tail. What to do? Does this disqualify him for breeding?

Aya

 

[BlueCamas]

Oh oh! My favorite Roo, just 5 months old, has white fluff at the base of his tail. What to do? Does this disqualify him for breeding?

Aya

I don't think that it's a disqualifying trait, just an undesirable one. So the less visible white fluff the better. Hopefully others can tune in as well!

 

[tls_ranch]

Oh oh! My favorite Roo, just 5 months old, has white fluff at the base of his tail. What to do? Does this disqualify him for breeding?

Aya

It's not the end of the world, just something to work on. As you breed, work towards selecting cockerels without white tail fluff. I believe it has to do with both too white of under fluff (base down color),"improper" saddle/tail coverts and tail set. It's a very common issue, but not as bad as something like squirrel tail (tail set to high) etc. My first roo had white tail fluff. I'm still working on it, but not too worried...it's just one of the many challenges of breeding and working towards the "perfect" bird.

Trisha

 

[AyaBlodgett]

It does feel like the end of the world. Both Roosters have the white showing. This breeding for the best is sure hard to do!! Guess I'm in the market for another Rooster! Thanks for all your support. Aya

 

[tls_ranch]

Post a picture of the cockerels, so we can see exactly what the issue is. If I remember correctly, they are still young and may just have yet to grow in their tails. The Johan line usually has less white than the vB or KC lines. They may show a little white anyway, but ideally there shouldn't be a big, fluffy cotton ball showing beween the saddle feathers and the tail. We're not talking about white feathers, but rather the downy part of the feather. Usually roos that have "cotton balls" will have a "break" in the way their tail sweeps up so the profile is not as clean (this is after their tails are fully grown in). I don't think it's a huge fault, rather something to be worked on like everything else. I doubt you'll find a perfect roo right off the bat. I've hatched 100's and 100's and still haven't gotten a perfect rooster or hen and that is part of the challange of breeding.

Trisha

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Oh oh! My favorite Roo, just 5 months old, has white fluff at the base of his tail. What to do? Does this disqualify him for breeding?

Aya

Hi Aya

I had a roo like that a few years ago that had white fluff that was a Ledford x KC line bird and I bred him with a Johan hen and I have been able to reduce the white fluff in that line over a couple years.

Look at the undercolor of your hens and perhaps select one with darker undercolor, this may help balance out the fluff in the next generation.

As far as showing him, how is he otherwise? We all know there is no perfect bird so as long as you go into the show knowing his weakness, I say show him.

Andy

 

[Kenshan1]

Very dark blue cockerel. The pic is a little dark, but he's the darkest so far.The red he does have is very dark mahogany colored. I don't like the white fluff in his tail, but he's still very young and I'm going to see how "bad" the fluff is after he finally gets his tail in.

Oh I totally love that blue color. Awesome. I need to get me some in my mixed flock just for the color.

 

[Kenshan1]

Just wanted to share my girl. I call her Pinky because of the band on her leg. She was a year old June 7th. She was from TailFeathers lineage. I just wanted some eye candy in my egg laying flock & boy did I get it. If I can get hubby to build me another coop on the other side of the yard I would totally start breeding but for now he's not that interested yet.

 

[mountainvieworchards]

I just received the catalog for the Pacific Northwest Poultry Association- Northwest Winter Classic show on October 13 -14 in Salem Oregon. The show has moved from its previous location in Stevenson WA. While we always enjoyed going to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, this venue closer for many Oregonians and the facility at the Oregon State Fairgrounds is excellent.

I hope some of you Barnie people plan on attending thi show in Oregon and especially in showing some of your birds. I am going to show some of my pullets that will be grown up enough by then and maybe some of my hens if they are not in full molt, like they were last October. I am planning on thinning my pullet and cockerel pens at that time and will have some to sell or trade. I will also have a few blue laced project birds that are 75% Barnevelder for someone who wants a head start on a blue project. I have several extra blue laced cockerels and perhaps a blue pullet or two.

It would be fun to get a nice showing of Barnevelders at the PNPA show, so I encourage you Northwesterners (including Nor Cal and Idaho) if you can make it please try. It is a double show so that your birds will be judged by two sets of judges on Saturday, once in the AM and once in the PM, a chance for extra feedback.

Hope to see you and your chickens there.

Andy