Building and working with Columbian Patterned Birds

[NanaKat]

Rob, you and I have emailed and PMed over the past year. Thank you for starting this thread.
I raise LF Columbian Wyandotte and have a project pen for Blue Columbian Wyandotte

On the wing photos....pictures C and D represent what I look for on my birds.

Breeding for under color...in my experience...balancing a dark under color with a light under color does produce offspring with better color.

My Goals for Columbian
1). Continue strengthening type
2) work on clean backs and color higher on the neck
3) shorter compact tails on the cock...
4) clean neat combs on the cockerels

Picture of this years pen 1. Notice clean pullet in the center...daughter back to sire

Promising cockerel in the juvenile pen

Kathryn ..Oklahoma

 

[Henk69]

Undercolor and wingblack should be hints to breed good columbians with clean body etc...
It should not be the other way around. Don't use mossy to get good undercolor.

If I get a perfect lakenvelder with totally wrong undercolor, so be it.

The standard should harness breeding wisdom. That is not Always the case unfornately.

Mossiness and all black primaries can point to the wrong e-locus allele (e+)
A lakenvelder rooster that carries e+ can look decent but would throw mossy daughters

Hope that helps.

 

[Rancher3535]

Kathryn

Yes, we have talked back and forth over the last couple of years and I have enjoyed every conversation. I hope that others with the Columbian pattern no matter what breed they have will come and interject their observations, thoughts and knowledge. Scott has a ton of knowledge and hope he will start chatting in here with us.

Now moving on to your birds.
WOW! Very nice! Think you are doing really well with them. I might have to get some chicks from you this spring. Have you weighed any of them yet? After all the years I have raise the Columbians I have never weighed them live just carcass weights. I was told these were the standard weights for Wyandottes and I am well over that because I have spent so many years working on getting size.

Wyandottes 7 cock 5 hen 6 ck. 4 pullets
Mine are 8 in the cocks, hens 5.5 to 7.7 hens, cockerels 6.6 to 8.2 (they are only 7 months or so). I am still working on the pullets. We have been so fogged in and cold that I just hate being out side. I have about 40 pullets to go through. Just at a glance I am pretty sure which ones I am culling before I get to the harder ones.

When selecting the pullets I look for width of head, type, under-color, wings especially culling the ones the bleed white over, clean lacing, and leg color. I can't wait to get into them to see what is really there. There are about 6 or so that are really nice looking pullets. Have lots of size and type from looking at them afar. They are the kind that when you walk into the pen of 40, your eyes go right to them.

I still have not understood what people call mossy back. Is it the bird in picture
Later,

Rob

 

[Rancher3535]

Undercolor and wingblack should be hints to breed good columbians with clean body etc...
It should not be the other way around. Don't use mossy to get good undercolor.

If I get a perfect lakenvelder with totally wrong undercolor, so be it.

The standard should harness breeding wisdom. That is not Always the case unfornately.

Mossiness and all black primaries can point to the wrong e-locus allele (e+)
A lakenvelder rooster that carries e+ can look decent but would throw mossy daughters

Hope that helps.

Thanks for joining in!

I still have not understood what people call mossy back. Is it the bird in picture number 2 of the two pullets or something different?

 

[NYREDS]

Thanks for joining in!

I still have not understood what people call mossy back. Is it the bird in picture number 2 of the two pullets or something different?

Look at post 31. See the female to the left of the frame in the first picture? Notice some scattered black on her bak? That's a mossy back.

 

[Rancher3535]

Look at post 31. See the female to the left of the frame in the first picture? Notice some scattered black on her bak? That's a mossy back.

So the second one in 28 is not mossy back...she just has a lot of ticking?

 

[NYREDS]

So the second one in 28 is not mossy back...she just has a lot of ticking?

No, I'd say she's mossier. To my way of thinking, mossy, in a columbian bird is black in the back feathering where it should be pure white. The term mossy is also used in pencilled birds but it means something different there.

 

[NanaKat]

Rob, I have not weighed them since summer. I will weigh and give a report.

Should mention that the cock bird in the pen 1 photo in post 31 looks mossy because he singed his back feathers under a heat lamp during our single digit weather in December. ..looks a little ragged.

NYREDS, thank you for the clarification.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Sharing a Conversation between Yard full o' rocks (Scott) and myself about Columbian pattern
Rancher3535

Scott,
A couple of questions for you if you don't mind...
How do you get better under color in the Columbians? I have heard several different things and wanted to know if it is true.
1. Put a male that had dark under color on a light or white under colored female.
2. Put a male that has light under color on a female that has dark under color.
3. Put a male who is clean across the back with a female that has some ticking on the back?

So is there any truth to this?

Thanks,
Rob

Yard full o' rocks
Rob

Undercolor is a really tricky thing.....once it gets too light its really hard to get back

SO, I always keep a few "mossy backed" females (black bleeding thru). These tend to be overly dark in undercolor. I will breed them to a properly colored male and it seems to help maintain the proper undercolor.

Also, you can use a male that has almost solid black primaries (lacks the lacing the standard calls for) over a well colored female.

In columbian, your show birds will not be your breeders and your breeders will not be your show birds.....its just the way it is with this pattern
Rancher3535

What do you consider a mossy back chicken?

I have some pictures of different pullets back that I will post. Which would you consider a mossy back or do I have any?

Yard full o' rocks

Mossy backed is just "black showing thru where it should be solid white"
If you want to post it over on the Columbian thread, you are welcome to....the info I shared with you came from a long time breeder of Light Brahmas (same color pattern)

Pictures
Clean Back?
I would consider this a fairly clean back on this pullet.

Mossy Back?
I have always called this a ticking but is it mossy?

Your comments are greatly appreciated.
Rob

Rob

I'm just back from a weekend chasing rabbits. I see NYREDS (Bill) has already addressed your question regarding "mossiness"....

 

[Rancher3535]

Rob

I'm just back from a weekend chasing rabbits. I see NYREDS (Bill) has already addressed your question regarding "mossiness"....

I think he did. Hope you will join in on conversations and make lots of imput because there are people who need more knowledge and help about this pattern.

Hope you had fun chasing bunnies.
Rob