Chantecler Thread!

[hellbender]

Thats a great question! I would love someone to comment that is well versed in chicken genetics. I am just in the kindergarten level and learning more about color influence.

With respect to Chanteclers, you and I are in pretty much the same level of learning and I have a situation that's not entirely unlike Mary's.

I have a very nice cockerel that, at three months old, is very large, broad backed and deep. He has a perfect comb and is standing on solid legs and feet..Or is he?

He's not nearly so active as the other 3 or 4 cockerels I'm considering but in every way except mobility and excitability, he's their better as far as looks go. He soesn't seem to be in pain and moves well when he has to or wants to but he is just a bit lazy...that's the best way I can describe it. I fear he has a defect in his leg joints or something like that but doesnt limp or wobble in anyway. He walks true and seems ok in all other ways that can be seen or felt.

The only other thing that seems strange to me is that he is the only bird on the place that's not crazy about the handful of scratch I give them in the evenings...

Any ideas on this situation?????

Thanks in advance

RON

 

[Candy442]

I know the photos from The American Standard of Perfection book have been posted here before, but here is a refresher.

Male:


Female:


edited to include the credit link to webpage: http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003039892;view=1up;seq=144

 

[hellbender]

@Candy442 ...Thank you for the photos...

I'm not so concerned with his conformation at this time...at three months, he looks very promising. I'm hoping he is just slower in maturing than the others that I'm considering. There's plenty of time before I have to make any serious decisions. I'm retired and not hungry, I have the time and I have the space and my family is more involved than I so I have nothing biting at my heels, forcing me to do anything precipitously.


I will try to get some photos if I can get some help. I'm likely the worst photographer.

 

[Folly's place]

Here we are with similar issues. I've got too many cockrels, and want to move eight or ten of them to the auction ASAP so everyone else here is less stressed. I'd hate to pick the wrong bird (again) as a breeder, but just don't want to keep all of them around either. My biggest Chanty boy was less active last week, and I worried. This week he's busy again, but there's that comb. Size matters more than comb from a production standpoint, but then again... Mary

 

[hellbender]

Here we are with similar issues. I've got too many cockrels, and want to move eight or ten of them to the auction ASAP so everyone else here is less stressed. I'd hate to pick the wrong bird (again) as a breeder, but just don't want to keep all of them around either. My biggest Chanty boy was less active last week, and I worried. This week he's busy again, but there's that comb. Size matters more than comb from a production standpoint, but then again... Mary

Just for discussion, does your big boy have other saving graces that can out weigh the comb? Is size his only advantage?

Who's more stressed..you or the birds? Some people I've seen do wonders with a length of welded wire mesh, some duct tape and will create some additional space for a short while to give themselves time for mental maneuvers. Just cover the wire with a tarp for shade or rain protection.

Just throwing out an option. I've made mistakes by moving too quickly...OH, have I made some real mistakes!

Good luck

RON

 

[Candy442]

With respect to Chanteclers, you and I are in pretty much the same level of learning and I have a situation that's not entirely unlike Mary's.

I have a very nice cockerel that, at three months old, is very large, broad backed and deep. He has a perfect comb and is standing on solid legs and feet..Or is he?

He's not nearly so active as the other 3 or 4 cockerels I'm considering but in every way except mobility and excitability, he's their better as far as looks go. He soesn't seem to be in pain and moves well when he has to or wants to but he is just a bit lazy...that's the best way I can describe it. I fear he has a defect in his leg joints or something like that but doesnt limp or wobble in anyway. He walks true and seems ok in all other ways that can be seen or felt.

The only other thing that seems strange to me is that he is the only bird on the place that's not crazy about the handful of scratch I give them in the evenings...

Any ideas on this situation?????

Thanks in advance

RON

We have roosters for all our different breeds. My thought on the boy that is not as active is usually the boy that is lowest on the totem. Our boys that clearly are not the "alpha" are more lazy, less aggressive (as they learned by trying and got promptly bull dozed off the object of their attention) and know they are not to go for the treats. Our top roosters also step back from the treats to allow the ladies first dibs.

Maybe not a help? I think if I had the luxury of a few to choose from (we are limited to the number of birds I can have on our property) I would save a couple of the boys that I liked and keep them in with the chante ladies to see what happens. Try to isolate them from other boys that are asserting dominance.
Our Bielefelder boys are very docile. The oldest boy we put in with our Chante pen that has a one legged roo in it. Biele boy is afraid of the one legged older rooster and the Chante girls will have nothing to do with him. Now he has two cream legbar gals in with him and he found his "girls"

Candy

 

[Candy442]

Here we are with similar issues. I've got too many cockrels, and want to move eight or ten of them to the auction ASAP so everyone else here is less stressed. I'd hate to pick the wrong bird (again) as a breeder, but just don't want to keep all of them around either. My biggest Chanty boy was less active last week, and I worried. This week he's busy again, but there's that comb. Size matters more than comb from a production standpoint, but then again... Mary

I know you have a lot of nice looking boys to choose from (and nice size too!) and not a lot of options for separation. I am not even close to being an expert, but in my little research it seems that comb would be more difficult to correct. I "googled" the statement "breed for size or comb" and got this nice, sweet genetic link: http://www.extension.org/pages/6536...backyard-flocks:-an-introduction#.VdhbAvlVhBc

nothing was even said about size...but of course they concentrated on what could happen with different comb crosses or what may be lurking in the background. I can tell you we have had single comb cross with our chante girls, all of whom have a cushion of some sort. The result was a "pea type" appearance on the boys that hatched. Not a full pea but a cushion with a row of little bumps

All of your boys have wonderful size. Just my opinion that choosing offspring with the nicest size would incorporate that easier? What think?

 

[Folly's place]

I've come to the same conclusion. I too looked up articles about comb genetics, and it looks like the pea comb issues would be much more difficult to manage. That nice big boy has to move on! I think he's healthy, just lower on the totem pole than some others. It's a rowdy group! Hellbender, your big cockrel might also bloom if the busier boys weren't out there with him, just like mine did this week. I'm going out to reevaluate my other boys this morning, and some will be leaving. Mary

 

[Candy442]

I've come to the same conclusion. I too looked up articles about comb genetics, and it looks like the pea comb issues would be much more difficult to manage. That nice big boy has to move on! I think he's healthy, just lower on the totem pole than some others. It's a rowdy group! Hellbender, your big cockrel might also bloom if the busier boys weren't out there with him, just like mine did this week. I'm going out to reevaluate my other boys this morning, and some will be leaving. Mary

also on that link was discussion about leg colors. Are you going to keep your green legged Chantecler girl after all? And Brett mentioned last night that personality should be VERY HIGH on the list too Our Walter is a nice calm boy as well. He is in quarantine with our two Buffs for company in the Bus Stop coop.

 

[Folly's place]

Temperment is NUMBER ONE on my list! Bad boys go to the freezer, no problem. I'm moving the green legged girl on, the others have nice yellow legs. Mary