Brabanters and Spitzhaubens--The Differences PIC HEAVY!

[JK]

@hallerlake: you say you should be able to tell the difference between your young chicks of the spitz/brabanter and brabanter/spitz by looking at their beards? I didn't think that this factor is a sex-linked gene? Just curious, maybe I miss the point here?

 

[hallerlake]

@hallerlake: you say you should be able to tell the difference between your young chicks of the spitz/brabanter and brabanter/spitz by looking at their beards? I didn't think that this factor is a sex-linked gene? Just curious, maybe I miss the point here?

You didn't miss the point. You missed my history. Beardedness is an incomplete dominant trait. I crossed a beardless, but otherwise beautiful, Brabanter to my beardless Spitz rooster. Two non bearded parents produce non bearded offspring, so my Spitz/Brabanters will be beardless. I had a bearded Spitz (obviously some bearded Polish in it's background) who I crossed with my bearded Brabanter rooster. Two bearded parents will produce bearded offspring, so my Brabanter/Spitz will be bearded. I was lucky in having suitably bearded or beardless candidates for outcrossing.

If I'd crossed beardless and bearded chickens, the offspring would all have small beards.

 

[hallerlake]

I've found a kid to clean my coops. Maybe I'll be able to keep some of these chicks. I've decided to put the month old chicks outside during the day. They might as well poop and throw dust there rather than in my laundry room.

 

[EweSheep]

Sounds like a great idea, Hallerlake!

 

[hallerlake]

I have a Spitz/Brabanter crowing at four weeks.

 

[allen wranch]

I have a Spitz/Brabanter crowing at four weeks.

It happens sometimes. Congratulations...

 

[allen wranch]

I came home from work to find Bowie dead. He was fine yesterday. There's not a wound on him, so he must have broke his neck or something. I'm sure glad that I got a few chicks before he died. Thanks again, Jess.

RIP you pretty fella, you.

(Late in replying.)
I am sorry you lost Bowie. I know you miss him.

From a few necropisies I had done on perfectly healthy looking & acting birds, the cause of death was usually heart related, even on young birds. One of my beautiful blue/wheaten Ameraucana roosters dropped dead a week ago. One minute he was fence sparring with his son, the next he was dead. I assume it was a heart attack.

 

[EweSheep]

I've had that happened too!

 

[showmesilkies]

I love my (cream) Brabanters!

 

[Mikey D]

I've had that happened too!

Howdy folks - I know I've not posted but once or twice here. I love the spitz and had (operative word "had") a bunch. Are they pretty delicate in general? I have lost so many to various and sundry causes and now have a 3 month old pullet who is acting "lazy" - falls over like she is drunk, droopy wings & the like. She appears to be fine otherwise, no discharge from anywhere and smells like a chicken.

I got them from Ideal (Yes I'm sorry they are hatchery birds but I cannot find a breeder around here so I'm doing the best I can) and out of about 14 birds I have 4 left. None of my other breeds have died off like this - none of the others have died of anything except being eaten by us. (Barred Rock, Black Australorp, Production red, Gold sex links, and a couple of Wellsummers)

I am planning on breeding them and have 2 pullets that will be worth starting with. I'm going to get 5 straight run Spitz chicks (From a friend who is placing an order with Cackle) and hope to wind up with a good roo. I'll be following your (all'yall!) guidelines on what to look for in the breed but I'm just a noob at this. Several of the birds from Ideal had messed up or missing toenails so those will be out from the get go.

The one on the left was scalped by an older hen (shouldn't affect here genes though

) which is why her crest looks a tad bit short front to back.

Today was the first day I let them roam around out of the grow out pen.



I guess the real question is:

Are the App Spitz rare because they are so delecate? or are they just not yet popular with the general population?

Thanks for all of the information I've been getting from this thread!

Mikey