Birds and Breeding Projects

[CharliesGarden]

It's been a month since my last post, here's an update on the babies! The first clutch is 2 months old, the second is 1 month old. I am still so in love with seeing them grow and show their colors. The small ones are not a fan of staying still I'm missing a good 2 month pic of the oldest, but everyone else is here.

The older Pyle pullets have developed grey/blue tails that match their slate legs. I have no idea what genes have done this, but they look so cool. I've also noticed that all the Pyle chicks look like their Pyle mother, except that they have white hackles, from their dad, whereas mom's got red/orange there.

I am proud to say that my assumption of white/pale yellow chick=pullet=blue shanks and orange chick=cockerel=white shanks has followed through in the newer chicks, so these seem to be facts of the cross. I am so excited that I did get one duckwing cockerel in the new batch, I can't wait to see how he colors in.

We currently have 7 cross pullets (5 Pyle, 2 Duckwing) and 4 cockerels (3 Pyle, 1 Duckwing). It seems like the ratio tends to lead toward Pyle chicks.

The last 3 (terrible) photos are our very first (BB Red) Old English Game chicks, which have turned out to be 2 cockerels and a pullet. I originally guessed we had 2 pullets and one cockerel, based solely on the level of red/orange present in the chick down, a guess due to the assumption that the color-sexable trait of the crosses must have come from the Game genes. One was very red with blurred markings, and I guessed (correctly) that this was a cockerel. Another was nearly brown, with very obvious markings, and I guessed (again, correctly) that this was a pullet. The second cockerel was originally guessed as a pullet, but had traits from both of the other chicks. His markings were obvious, but he was also quite orange compared to the pullet chick. About a week ago, I noticed that the two cockerels had grown their tails, and the pullet hadn't, and I started to guess that the questionable one was indeed a cockerel. I don't know if this breed is usually sexable as chicks by color and/or feathering rate but, from this small batch, it seems like mine may be...mostly.

 

[MysteryChicken]

It's been a month since my last post, here's an update on the babies! The first clutch is 2 months old, the second is 1 month old. I am still so in love with seeing them grow and show their colors. The small ones are not a fan of staying still I'm missing a good 2 month pic of the oldest, but everyone else is here.

The older Pyle pullets have developed grey/blue tails that match their slate legs. I have no idea what genes have done this, but they look so cool. I've also noticed that all the Pyle chicks look like their Pyle mother, except that they have white hackles, from their dad, whereas mom's got red/orange there.

I am proud to say that my assumption of white/pale yellow chick=pullet=blue shanks and orange chick=cockerel=white shanks has followed through in the newer chicks, so these seem to be facts of the cross. I am so excited that I did get one duckwing cockerel in the new batch, I can't wait to see how he colors in.

We currently have 7 cross pullets (5 Pyle, 2 Duckwing) and 4 cockerels (3 Pyle, 1 Duckwing). It seems like the ratio tends to lead toward Pyle chicks.

The last 3 (terrible) photos are our very first (BB Red) Old English Game chicks, which have turned out to be 2 cockerels and a pullet. I originally guessed we had 2 pullets and one cockerel, based solely on the level of red/orange present in the chick down, a guess due to the assumption that the color-sexable trait of the crosses must have come from the Game genes. One was very red with blurred markings, and I guessed (correctly) that this was a cockerel. Another was nearly brown, with very obvious markings, and I guessed (again, correctly) that this was a pullet. The second cockerel was originally guessed as a pullet, but had traits from both of the other chicks. His markings were obvious, but he was also quite orange compared to the pullet chick. About a week ago, I noticed that the two cockerels had grown their tails, and the pullet hadn't, and I started to guess that the questionable one was indeed a cockerel. I don't know if this breed is usually sexable as chicks by color and/or feathering rate but, from this small batch, it seems like mine may be...mostly.

Looks like splash based pyles, so that would mean the Silver Duckwing have blue.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They are very pretty.

 

[CharliesGarden]

Looks like splash based pyles, so that would mean the Silver Duckwing have blue.

This would make so much sense!!! I hadn't considered it, since my Silvers are all black and white, but Splash definitely makes the tails of the chicks make sense! Is there a way that Blue can be hidden on a bird, and would that mean my Pyle hen carries Blue, since Blue + Blue = Splash?

 

[CharliesGarden]

They are very pretty.

Thank you!!! They're definitely some of the prettiest birds I've raised <3

 

[MysteryChicken]

This would make so much sense!!! I hadn't considered it, since my Silvers are all black and white, but Splash definitely makes the tails of the chicks make sense! Is there a way that Blue can be hidden on a bird, and would that mean my Pyle hen carries Blue, since Blue + Blue = Splash?

No, not really, Blue is a dominant gene so it can't be hidden. But it can be so dark it looks almost black.

 

[CharliesGarden]

No, not really, Blue is a dominant gene so it can't be hidden. But it can be so dark it looks almost black.

I think their dad is black patterned, but I very well could be wrong. Here are their parents The rooster by himself is the father of the pullets with the blue tails and their brothers, and the rooster with the hen is the father of the second round of crosses, in the brooder. I put them into the genetics calculator, and it looks like there's a chance the hen could be carrying blue that doesn't show (due to her white earlobes, I've become less and less sure that she's pure Game), and if the rooster is actually a very dark blue, then some of their chicks would come out splash patterned. I did see a Silkie the other day that looked black, but the owner said it was a very dark blue, which blew my mind as I'd never seen a blue so dark on a bird.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I think their dad is black patterned, but I very well could be wrong. Here are their parents The rooster by himself is the father of the pullets with the blue tails and their brothers, and the rooster with the hen is the father of the second round of crosses, in the brooder. I put them into the genetics calculator, and it looks like there's a chance the hen could be carrying blue that doesn't show (due to her white earlobes, I've become less and less sure that she's pure Game), and if the rooster is actually a very dark blue, then some of their chicks would come out splash patterned. I did see a Silkie the other day that looked black, but the owner said it was a very dark blue, which blew my mind as I'd never seen a blue so dark on a bird.

The hen is Splash Based Pyle. Some lines of American Gamefowl do have white earlobes. Blue Face Hatch. As an example have them occasionally.
This is my Blue Face Hatch hen.

 

[CharliesGarden]

The hen is Splash Based Pyle. Some lines of American Gamefowl do have white earlobes. Blue Face Hatch. As an example have them occasionally.
This is my Blue Face Hatch hen.View attachment 4204496

Oh she's so pretty! I didn't even know American Game were a thing! I looked at photos of them and compared them to OEG, but I'm not sure which breed mine resemble more. This handsome lad is my Pyle hen's full brother. I thought I'd show him, since breed and type are often easier to judge in males. Their parents are both heterozygous dominant white Red Pyle, like the hen is. About half of their siblings, including another roo, came out Pyle and the rest BB Red like my boy. Both my Games' and Phoenixes' parents came from the same breeder, and I've wondered if there is a chance that one of them got into the others' pen at some point generations ago, resulting in these Games having the same white earlobes as my Phoenix. I don't know how much sense that makes, but I really don't know much about these two breeds aside from the research I've done. It took me over a year (during which I had the SOP in my hands the whole time ) to realize OEG aren't supposed to have white earlobes, which broke my heart because I thought this guy was so beautiful.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh she's so pretty! I didn't even know American Game were a thing! I looked at photos of them and compared them to OEG, but I'm not sure which breed mine resemble more. This handsome lad is my Pyle hen's full brother. I thought I'd show him, since breed and type are often easier to judge in males. Their parents are both heterozygous dominant white Red Pyle, like the hen is. About half of their siblings, including another roo, came out Pyle and the rest BB Red like my boy. Both my Games' and Phoenixes' parents came from the same breeder, and I've wondered if there is a chance that one of them got into the others' pen at some point generations ago, resulting in these Games having the same white earlobes as my Phoenix. I don't know how much sense that makes, but I really don't know much about these two breeds aside from the research I've done. It took me over a year (during which I had the SOP in my hands the whole time ) to realize OEG aren't supposed to have white earlobes, which broke my heart because I thought this guy was so beautiful.

Dominant White can hide splash, or blue.

The white lobes can crop up even in old english. It is a fault in this case.

If they got crossed, I'd expect slate legs. Some may have White/pink legs though.

If your Old English came from Cackle, they're actually American Gamefowl.