Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[hallerlake]

It was told me to me by a bantam white rock breeder a few years ago to breed the silver gene into white birds, and that's what prevented them from turning brassy in the sun. I asked him because there were probably 80 bantam white rock entries at that show, and maybe 20% of them looks bright white, his being some of them. He stated that he runs them outdoors all year long and never gets a brassy feather.

For what it's worth, my Spitz have the silver dominant gene, are out in the sun all summer, eat corn, and never show any sign of brassiness.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I would like to open the tails on my welsummers. I'd love any advise on how you get a better spread on the tails.

 

[catdaddyfro]

My study on the brassiness in the ones that are effected its is always in the pyle zone/area hackle,wing bow&bar, the saddles and sometimes the tail sickles all of these are the male sex feathers and and are of a different consistency/make-up,hence the shine and look of them and too the ones that more than likely hold more oils so to say, hence they either get stained easier or the oil causes/enhances this effect and the oils also cause some of the gleaning iridescent purple on the surface of the black feathers like oil on the water surface has the purple/maroonish hue to it, or it simply exacerbates it, maybe.(hypothosis,LOL)

ETA maybe all this has an extra effect on the autosomal gold/genetic issues associated with brassiness/yellowing


Jeff

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I have white Silkies. A complete newbie to all of this but it does seem that some stay MUCH whiter than others and some hatch much yellower. ALL my birds get time outside and lots of sweet corn in season as a treat. When I chimed in about the silver v. gold gene, I got support from the breeders. I have since been keeping notes.

 

[cukooformarans]

Thought you might be interested in seeing a photo of one of our Dorkings dressed. I'd say our roasters average 4- 4 1/2/lbs dressed at 6months of age. Each year there is a general increase. This year we're beginning the season with a majority of breeders that meet or excel the Standard requirements for weight. I think we'll see continued progress this year. The trick seems to be that the birds need to match the Standard both to the eye and in the hand:

Yay for success!!!!!!!!! This is even better than the last one! Just had to figure out how to look! ( again, about a year old post but just what I was looking for!)

 

[NanaKat]

Throwing this out for confirmation or refute:
in white breeds, white downed chicks will show no brassiness while yellow downed chicks will show brassiness. I believe this has to do with dominant or recessive white and the addition of silver vs gold.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
It occurs to me when looking at this picture, I should be vacuum sealing my culls. I have the unit .... (suffice to say, it didn't occur to me before seeing this picture that I might take advantage of modern inventions when "culling".) <sigh>

 

[Texasmja]

Throwing this out for confirmation or refute:
in white breeds, white downed chicks will show no brassiness while yellow downed chicks will show brassiness. I believe this has to do with dominant or recessive white and the addition of silver vs gold.

I hatched 6 eggs to test my new incubator out before I tried the expensive shipped ones. Sire - SLW Dam - NH I am attaching pictures of them just born and then one of the only pullet I kept. They had no brassiness, but were yellow down. Although I noted when they hatched the black markings were different, when they feathered in, they were all identically marked...





Here is a pullet that is 3 months old in this picture.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Throwing this out for confirmation or refute:
in white breeds, white downed chicks will show no brassiness while yellow downed chicks will show brassiness. I believe this has to do with dominant or recessive white and the addition of silver vs gold.

Well, White Leghorns, which are dominant white, are yellow. Our Dorkings run a range from yellow to white(r). I try to keep to the lighter chicks.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

Which promted the last question. All in all this is a mute point as it comes down to the genetics.