Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Pozees]

Pathfinders, what an interesting line of questions! I would guess Bob selects for something that goes along with slow tail feathering, do you know what his priorities in selecting pullets are? What do his males' tails look like compared to yours?

This is how all of us learn, thank you for putting this up for us to watch!

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Hi Walt,
Is this cushion thing in the females a recessive trait? Neither of my girls have them , yet when I bred 1/2 bro to 1/2 sister, I got some of them in the mix.
Is this warning blood that I have reached the limits of inbreeding with this gene pool? Or do I just need to inbreed some more and look for females without the cushions? Is this cushions thing like if I see some have it ,all are carriers? Or can I have some with it , and the ones without a cushion are free of it genetically?
The 1/2 sister pullets (same 3x Grand Ch. sire) are also very different. Phenotypically they look a lot like. But March (the older) just wants to sit eggs and raise chicks. So far she has gone broody on me 3 times this year. When bred to her 1/2 bro, she throws 75% chicks ( 3 of 4) with a wonky wing thing, but no cushions. The 2 large wing feathers stick out noticeably to the side. I culled them.
Now her 1/2 sister May (younger), is a rock star with laying. Never went broody on me at all ( eggs incubated). But 75% of the pullets have noticeable cushions, but no wing problems. Her male get are lovely reproductions of the sire, my stud cock. I cannot decide if the extra feathering I am seeing at the base of their tails is that stunning saddle feathers of their father or some cushioning from their mother.
Right now the 16 chicks are circa 5-6 months old. ( hatched April 1,15,28 , of them, 15 are from Junior ex May; one pullet hatched 2/28 from Junior ex March). They're in their adult plumage now, aren't they? I really need to trim this flock for winter and not sure how much of a gainsayer this cushioning is.
Thanks,
Karen

 

[Pathfinders]

Pathfinders, what an interesting line of questions! I would guess Bob selects for something that goes along with slow tail feathering, do you know what his priorities in selecting pullets are? What do his males' tails look like compared to yours?

This is how all of us learn, thank you for putting this up for us to watch!

I don't know what his priorities are other than no cushions! LOL.

Here are two photos to compare, one of Bob's cockerels from last year, one of my cockerels from this year. I think his bird is older than mine are in these, but am not sure. I do think the tails on mine are a bit longer than his, but that may just be me...


GILBERT COCKEREL 2012 (I think)


HAGGARTY COCKERELS 9/2013

 

[write2caroline]

This is what you are talking about right? My Grandmother above in Washington State in the 1917ish. My Grandfather raised a few thousand head of cattle in Washington when he was a young man between 1920 and 1960. He had champion Angus, Charlay - I know I am misspelling it, Herefords, Jersey's Brama's not a holstein in the bunch. He drove a 20 mule team and was an epic kind of Cattleman and yes he died with his boots on! He was a Rodeo riding bronco buster too! Not everyone is going to raise the best quality of chicken or bovine. Doesn't mean they are not out there. Sometimes, you just have to improve the breed your self with selective breeding and getting good stock.
Caroline

 

[ocap]

This is what you are talking about right? My Grandmother above in Washington State in the 1917ish. My Grandfather raised a few thousand head of cattle in Washington when he was a young man between 1920 and 1960. He had champion Angus, Charlay - I know I am misspelling it, Herefords, Jersey's Brama's not a holstein in the bunch. He drove a 20 mule team and was an epic kind of Cattleman and yes he died with his boots on! He was a Rodeo riding bronco buster too! Not everyone is going to raise the best quality of chicken or bovine. Doesn't mean they are not out there. Sometimes, you just have to improve the breed your self with selective breeding and getting good stock.
Caroline

reminds me of a television show with Borax for a sponsor "20 mule team borax" with Ronald Reagan as the intro speaker.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Thank you, Bob, I am glad you are feeling a little better.

Thank you, Joseph, yes, this is my first year, a batch of 30 McMurray SG Dorkings. Tonight was my 10 week weigh-in night. The cream-breasted pullet, along with the lighter-weight pullets and cockerels have been moved to the "free-range" pen first, just in case I discover I have a predator problem I did not know about. The heavier birds are still in their safe pen. I do have a trio from Urch coming after the weather cools off.

Best wishes,
Angela

Today I asked Mr. Urch about this pullet, and he said to be patient, just give her more time to develop the salmon breast feathering.

AND he is shipping my trio today!!

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Hi Walt,
Is this cushion thing in the females a recessive trait? Neither of my girls have them , yet when I bred 1/2 bro to 1/2 sister, I got some of them in the mix.
Is this warning blood that I have reached the limits of inbreeding with this gene pool? Or do I just need to inbreed some more and look for females without the cushions? Is this cushions thing like if I see some have it ,all are carriers? Or can I have some with it , and the ones without a cushion are free of it genetically?
The 1/2 sister pullets (same 3x Grand Ch. sire) are also very different. Phenotypically they look a lot like. But March (the older) just wants to sit eggs and raise chicks. So far she has gone broody on me 3 times this year. When bred to her 1/2 bro, she throws 75% chicks ( 3 of 4) with a wonky wing thing, but no cushions. The 2 large wing feathers stick out noticeably to the side. I culled them.
Now her 1/2 sister May (younger), is a rock star with laying. Never went broody on me at all ( eggs incubated). But 75% of the pullets have noticeable cushions, but no wing problems. Her male get are lovely reproductions of the sire, my stud cock. I cannot decide if the extra feathering I am seeing at the base of their tails is that stunning saddle feathers of their father or some cushioning from their mother.
Right now the 16 chicks are circa 5-6 months old. ( hatched April 1,15,28 , of them, 15 are from Junior ex May; one pullet hatched 2/28 from Junior ex March). They're in their adult plumage now, aren't they? I really need to trim this flock for winter and not sure how much of a gainsayer this cushioning is.
Thanks,
Karen

Karen

I'm not sure of the "genetic" answer to this, but in my Rocks, it seems I fight cushions more so when length of back is too short. I have several this year with great tails, good color, nice front ends but one heck of a cushion.....in each case, the backs are shorter than I like. I know that in mine, it is a direct affect of the brahma influence that was crossed in some years back. The Asiatic influence (cochin or brahma) is tough to fight

 

[Pathfinders]

This is what you are talking about right? My Grandmother above in Washington State in the 1917ish. My Grandfather raised a few thousand head of cattle in Washington when he was a young man between 1920 and 1960. He had champion Angus, Charlay - I know I am misspelling it, Herefords, Jersey's Brama's not a holstein in the bunch. He drove a 20 mule team and was an epic kind of Cattleman and yes he died with his boots on! He was a Rodeo riding bronco buster too! Not everyone is going to raise the best quality of chicken or bovine. Doesn't mean they are not out there. Sometimes, you just have to improve the breed your self with selective breeding and getting good stock.
Caroline

OHEMGEE I love this photo. Is this one you actually own? Adorable!

My Ggrandfather had Herefords, some sort of swine, waterfowl, chickens, and of course, American Saddlebreds. All that was left by the time I came around were the horses, some geese, and some chickens. By the time I was a teen all there was were horses, sadly...

 

[thedragonlady]

Karen

I'm not sure of the "genetic" answer to this, but in my Rocks, it seems I fight cushions more so when length of back is too short. I have several this year with great tails, good color, nice front ends but one heck of a cushion.....in each case, the backs are shorter than I like. I know that in mine, it is a direct affect of the brahma influence that was crossed in some years back. The Asiatic influence (cochin or brahma) is tough to fight

Same thing in Orps. Cushions, and short backs go together. Then the egg laying is reduced with short backs, and broodiness increased.

 

[AletaG]

Same thing in Orps. Cushions, and short backs go together. Then the egg laying is reduced with short backs, and broodiness increased.

That is SO interesting. And counter-intuitive! It seems like more eggs more broodiness would make logical sense... but instead it's the opposite? Or is it the broodiness that decreases the total amount of egg laying over time, but while laying, lay on a similar schedule to the non-broody longer backed hen? Hmm.