Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Mountain Momma]

Tell me if you would cull one, both, neither, and why you think so.

OK, there it is. Is everyone ready for the photos to judge?

First, let it be known I am not a breeder and have only had this breed once and didn't like it, so my judgements will be based on what I know about these birds and comparing them to the ones I have had and with other layer breeds I have had. My assessments are usually purely knee jerk in nature, done at a first glance, and I rarely ever talk it out in my head so please bear with me...I ramble. I'm a nurse, so I do head to toe assessments, per usual.

I don't like either of these birds.

I'd probably cull them both but #1 would probably be first to go. She's 8 mo. and a high production breed but she has the appearance of a bird with underdeveloped sexual characteristics for her breed~comb and wattles are too small, too pale for her prime time of lay. Her feathering is better than #2 and the coloring of her legs is more rich~ but this could indicate her love of the feeder as well, which is a big no-no when I want eggs but don't want to feed a hog. She's got good depth of chest but no butt, hips/legs are too narrowly spaced~toes are almost overlapping she's so close~ and I don't like her tail set..it's at the right angle but no depth to it. She has thicker, stronger bones~as indicated by her leg bones~ but her body tapers too soon.

Final assessment? She all boobs and no butt~but has pretty hair

, not much room for egg production in her body cavity, nor pelvic spacing to have a decent delivery and size...if she lays at all, she'll always have problems and sporadic performance.




Bird # 1

Bird #2 Between the two, she's your layer but I'd still have to cull her eventually~she won't be exceptional or lay for long. I like her comb size & color and length of neck & body~but not the width, I like her bright eye and action, feather quality is poor, her chest is flat but that could be my DP love talkin'...still, I like all my birds to be shaped like a Viking ship, be she DP or not. She's out of balance and proportion, has decent space between her legs but not much hip on her...she has a little too much taper for my liking. Her tail set is too high(though I like a perky tail, it doesn't have enough width of feather(depth) to pull it off) and though it has more depth to it than #1, it still doesn't have enough for me...maybe if that tail was lower it would look deeper? I doubt it. I don't like her stance.

And that's all I have to say about that. Hey, you newbies, I'm just as nervous as you...I'm not a breeder guy, I just cull 'em as I see 'em.

Get it..cull 'em..? Oh, forget it. It was funny to me.

I thought it was very funny and actually laughed. I think everyone, myself included is too absorbed by the quiz at the moment. Thanks for getting back to us in a timely manner. i think this quiz is an awesome training tool and forced me to actually think about things that are usually just muddy and indiscript inside my noggin. Fred you rock! Someone called you the quiz master, that might stick, cause even your answers are miniature pop quizes!
L

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Hope you all have enjoyed this Pop Quiz and the 7 or 8 posts it took for me to "tell the tale". If you can re-read those 6 or 7 story posts? If you head is nodding in a knowing way? You're making progress as an observant flock keeper. If you still read those 6 or 7 story posts and are blinking like a deer caught in the headlights? Relax.

You'll get there. Developing an "eye" takes a long, long time and experience is the only genuine teacher. It takes an "eye" to keep birds as utilitarian as a silly, single purpose ISA Brown. It takes developed eye to read a dual purpose flock. It takes an eye to breed. 90% of this stuff just isn't in a book somewhere. I see folks quote the Martha Stewart type Book of the Month as if Moses himself brought it down from Sinai. Time. It all takes time. Plus, you've got to care. You have to want to see and understand the animal world and the behaviors and what they mean.

When I enter the bird's world? I'm nothing but a rookie. I've spent a half century coming to try to understand them. I feel like I've just begun. That's how you can do this for over half a century and still remain intrigued and passionate about it.

So, which bird do we cull? #1 or #2 or both? or neither?

The lazy, fat, sexually under/wrongly-developed Bird #1. That I liked the best, because she looked like a DP.

 

[Mountain Momma]

The lazy, fat, sexually under/wrongly-developed Bird #1. That I liked the best, because she looked like a DP.

# one because she is just too pretty to be a good lay er, I mean layer. L

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Ok as one who loves feather smell and does at time pick up and smell her chickens (and has a poor producer and just overall bad hen that should have been culled like at least last year), one like this does indeed smell different. Bet you didnt' see that coming, did you? LOL!!

LOL - nope! I was entirely joking/thinking of my dogs a bit and how I could understand if a dog wouldn't breed bc they smell everything they come in contact with! You learn something new every day... And I think we've all learned A LOT today!

Thanks a zillion, Fred! You are an amazing teacher/quiz master! Tell your wife that the young cockerel let you know who wasnt laying a few weeks ago and see what she says on second thought, she may have you institutionalized for talking to your birds -- and thinking that they talk back! She just doesn't understand....

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

# one because she is just too pretty to be a good lay er, I mean layer. L

Bahahahahahaha!
X2

 

[maryhysong]

Thanks Fred, that was a great lesson! I think I've been focused too much on DP birds too and do not yet have the eye to pick up certain traits just from snapshots like Bee did. But I'm working on it.

 

[maggiemo]

Boy I learned one thing for sure. I'm not going to be breeding any birds anytime soon.
At least I hypothetically culled the right bird.
Toot-toot.

 

[Fred's Hens]

When you are looking at different breeds or strains, different birds for different purposes, don't get all locked into pre-conceived personal preferences.

I keep Heritage Large Fowl, Dual Purpose Utilities and the ISAs, dedicated Layer and nothing else. THAT is a very wide spectrum. Dial your eyes to what is actually in front of you, not what you have at home, etc. OK? Hope I said that gently.

Add to that, all the different birds, hundreds of breeds and types from the bantams to the exotics, from Dual Purpose traditional fowl to ducks and geese.

Hope this give you a REAL appreciation for Walt's life experience and how hard he works on his craft, both as a breeder, but particularly as a judge.

 

[off-grid hen]

Gah! I thought the body was better on bird #2. I looked at comb, body shape, and leg placement, but I completely forgot to look at leg color. s forehead

The only reason I thought the more slender bird was better, is I have leghorns. When one of them started looking slightly bigger than the others this summer, I knew enough to worry. MAN it was hot. She was fine after two days, but I still watch her more than the others.

 

[RiddleMe]

Bummed I missed the window to reply, it's been a long day... Really enjoyed the answers/story/education though, thank you Fred!