BLRW?'s

[cpartist]

I'll soon be separating my spring hatchlings into breeding pens and could use some input.

This is actually a two part question. I have these 2 older (pics were taken at age 12-14 weeks) BLRW roo's:

I also have 12, 8 week olds. 6 are roo's. I'd thought to raise them all up and choose the best, but so far, while some of
the younger are looking very nice, I'm not seeing any looking better than the two older at their age. I have a local person
ready to take my extras roo's now, and that would help with the feed bill...should I let the younger ones go now, while I have a buyer?

I'm new to the breed, so do these young cockerels look to be promising enough to you BLRW experts to be keepers?
The photo of the splash was taken a couple of weeks after the blue, but he is larger and longer than the blue.
Both sets of chicks came from parents of Foley stock, but blended with another (Sterling for the older, Penny the younger),
so there would a little more out-crossing putting the older 2 over the younger pullets. I like that one is dark and one light,
and they've been raised together so hopefully they will continue to get along.

Second question: Two of the 6 younger pullets are single combed. I'll be keeping them as layers, just not sure where. I've read
you sometimes need to introduce the single comb to help with fertility, but do you wait until you are having fertility problems to
add them to the breeding pen? I have other breeding pens of birds that lay dark eggs and blue eggs, so if I put them in with them I'll
easily be able to tell their eggs apart.

I also have Buff Orpingtons and have read of some doing projects with these. How difficult...how many generations would this take?
Would you be looking for Blue Laced Buff, or Buff Laced Red Orpingtons? I have one dark blue and one splash...which to use, or both?

 

[hoppy]

Quote:
this is what I normally do. I choose one of the older birds that I like the looks of and one younger and sell off the rest. (if you have the room, maybe hold back 2 youngers birds because at this point, you might not see a really promising bird).
You want a short back, not a long back for true wyandotte type.
the straight comb you " add in for fertility" . if your birds are laying and the rooster is not making the eggs fertile this is where the straight combs will help, those eggs from your straight combed hens will hatch, while your rosecomb hens will lay infertile eggs. since rosecomb is a dominate gene, select your next hens and roosters from the straight combs should help prevent fertility problems (select for rosecomb knowing they probably carry straight comb)
but you will still get the occasional straight comb.
as far as buff orpingtons in your blue laced combo- buff is a screwy gene and you might not be happy with what you get by doing that cross if you are wanting a nice laced bird. check out the genetics calculator.

 

[encorepistol]

Not sure from the pic of the first bird but it appears to have Andalusian lacing on the blue meaning it has a light blue laced by darker blue and this is not suppose to be and not something you want to keep breeding into them.

 

[onthespot]

I got a pullet like that too, plus brassy color. I just took pics today to show. Hopefully no one minds me sharing my pic on this thread.
You can really see it the best on the hackles.

 

[cpartist]

Thanks for your input everybody... I will have to reconsider letting the younger ones go just yet.
I will have to check out the older Blue in person to see if he has the lacing, or it is my camera, but I have noticed his
lacing was "crisper" and had more definition, especially the hackles, like onthespot's.

Here are a few more pics of the 14 week olds:

And a couple of the 8 week olds:

These are from another breeder, do they have the lacing thing going on?

Any other insight and advice is much appreciated

.

 

[onthespot]

wish you were closer. I have a few roos I am growing out that don't have that lacing, and they have nice mahogany brown streaked hackles too, not straw colored.