Buff Sussex Rooster Selection

[Faraz1]

Hello,

So I have 3 Buff Sussex roosters that are around 17 weeks old now. I am thinking of getting rid of 2, and keeping 1 for breeding purposes.
Could you guys please take a look at the attached pictures and some recommendations on which one to keep.

The 3 roosters with a brief description are as follows:

Rooster_A:
Largest of the lot, Is at the top of the pecking order. Has a long shiny tail, however suffers from a small defect in its foot which is curled to one side. I have raised all 3 from chicks and this one was put in a split to straighten it out however it didn't make much difference.

Rooster_B:
Slightly smaller and slimmer than Rooster_A but I find him overall well proportioned with no visible defects. Tail seems to be shorter than Rooster_A as well and it not as flowing but short and upright. So far likes to challenge Rooster_A occasionally resulting in a staredown.

Rooster_C
'Fatter' than rooster B, and tail seems non-existent. If it wasn't for the deep greenish tail feather i would have thought he was a hen ! I dont know why his tail is not developing as fast as the other 2 ?

 

[NatJ]

If it was me:

I would not keep Rooster A for breeding, because of his foot. It could be caused by incubation conditions, or it could be caused by genes. Since I do not know what caused the foot issue, but I would not want to see foot issues in the next generation, I would not breed from him.

I would prefer not to keep Rooster C for breeding, because he is the slowest to mature. I prefer chickens that mature earlier.

So if there is no obvious problem with Rooster B, he would be my choice. But if Rooster B has a problem, then I would keep Rooster C despite the slower maturity (he's not THAT far behind).

Are Buff Sussex supposed to have red earlobes or white earlobes? I see some white in the earlobe of Rooster B and maybe Rooster A, but not Rooster C.

I don't know enough about that specific breed to tell which one is better in most respects

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

I would say B or C based on better appearance. However this doesn't count for if you want to breed for meat, layers or looks. If you just want layers but don't want to potentially pass on defects I'd skip A and either B or C work. If you want the prettiest feathers between those two B stands out more however if C is a bit heavier but not so heavy he would hurt the ladies he may bring a larger bodied chicks and a better pick for dual just on size alone.

 

[Amer]

I would pick C. He has the best type. Even though his tail is slow to develop, I believe it will develop soon, and it’s more important that the body is fast to develop than the feathers.

 

[Faraz1]

Oops, 3.votes (including mine) to keep A and 1 vote to keep C.... Interesting points raised so far ! Thanks guys

 

[NatJ]

3.votes (including mine) to keep A

Do you have a typo here? I'm not seeing anyone (except perhaps yourself) that recommends keeping A, the one with the crooked foot.

 

[Amer]

Are Buff Sussex supposed to have red earlobes or white earlobes?

Red

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

I don't see the 3 counts for A though we don't know your vote for favorite. If you're being practical you need to think will this foot be passed on through genetics? How bad could it get? B is a nice looking bird but C is better for a dual purpose standpoint. Who cares if he's slow to get feathers what matters is the temperament of the bird you are going to keep to breed with. If he's a lower totem guy now it may benefit you to consider B or C more because the more dominant. Reading through again their temperaments given that B is already challenging A that makes C the bottom so go for C. He will fill out fine and be good for a dual purpose breeder.

 

[Faraz1]

Do you have a typo here? I'm not seeing anyone (except perhaps yourself) that recommends keeping A, the one with the crooked foot.

Oops yes sorry i meant for rooster B !

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

Typo's happen when you post pics and try and keep all the things your thinking in your head but also have to respond and keep the one your thinking about and why from being what you type.. lol. B is the prettier option, C is the dual purpose option.