Chocolate Serama Breeders - dun and blue can be included here as well

[smoothmule]

Here are some pics of my chocolates that I took this evening. They're all still babies but finally maturing some.

My only chocolate cockerel so far

A couple of my pullets.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
I love the first pullet.

~Aspen

 

[drumstick diva]

Smooth Mule, they look like chocolates to me - good enough to eat

 

[bhazell123]

Awww I want some!!!

 

[smoothmule]

Thanks bhazell123 and drumstick diva. It's a bit of consolation after loosing my chocolate hen this summer. The rooster they are out of is a chocolate carrier plus I have 2 nice black pullets, a few other that are either black or chocolate, not absolutely sure yet so I am getting there. I hope to have 2 breeding pens for the chocolates by spring. Anything can happen by then so I'll be on pins and needles trying to make sure nothing happens to these babies.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:

It still makes me so sad you lost Truffles.

~Aspen

 

[smoothmule]

Aspen,
Me too.

 

[muffi]

I can't believe this. I just lost one of my two solid chocolate girls. She was 5 1/2 months old and had JUST started laying. I was planning to separate her from her hatch mates and move her into a breeding pen this weekend. She seemed perfectly healthy the night before I found her. Of course, of all my youngsters, I had to lose my favorite and most rare one. This sets my chocolate breeding back a generation. I was counting on her offspring to help recoup (recoop? haha) some of the substantial costs I've incurred to re-establish my Serama flock after I lost all but two to illness last winter. I was so looking forward to offering up some chocolate Seramas to other breeders so there could be more people working on this awesome color. I can't give up now, but it is SO frustrating and sad, especially after losing my best black pullet to a raccoon last month. I just don't know how many more tragedies I can handle.

R.I.P. Mousse. I only ever took her baby picture. It's too bad, because she was a beautiful, tiny girl.

 

[smoothmule]

Muffi,
I am soo so sorry

I know how you feel and wish I could help. I may start a thread just for solid chocolate Serama breeders so we can work together on this project but I'm going to wait until I have mine laying and hatching. I love taking photo's and it's so nice to have them even as a reference later on for showing what your chicks came from. I think it's very important for documenting where you start and how your progressing too so please take some periodically even if you don't share them all here, you'll have them.

Just wondering now, who else is working on the solid chocolate color? I know Jerry has them, lots of them. The biggest issue at this point isn't making solid chocolates, it's getting the red out of the hackles on the roosters. We need to get that figured out and we might be able to get this variety APA and ABA approved since it's really easy to breed for the color, well easy to get 100% chocolate of some sort with chocolate to chocolate breeding. Do you just have the one pullet now?

At this time, I have my rooster that is a chocolate carrier. I have one solid black hen with him and 2 solid black pullets that will be laying soon I hope. The chicks from Truffles are the 1 cockerel with red in the hackles, 1 pullet with mottling, 1 pullet solid, 1 pullet with red in the neck hackles. I also have one from T-Roo's brother that looks dun but I was told by a breeder that she may also be chocolate but with blue. Since my roosters are full siblings, it's possible that Blu also carries but he's also got a blue gene so they're lighter. I am hoping to hatch more chocolate this winter. They're moulting now and not laying so I'm setting every individual egg I get. I can manage single chicks if needed.

I'm also still planning to buy a very good black cockerel and or hen for an all black pen but they will also be used with the chocolates. I know I'll have some chocolates with pattern as well and I'll most likely sell those to keep the numbers down here and so I can afford to buy more chocolate and black as I need them.

Hang in there, we all have had our tragedies but we'll get there.

 

[luvinrunnin]

I'm so sorry Muffi. I am hoping to get a really good chocolate program going once I get Seramas again. I sure do miss having them!!!

I desperately need to find a "Chicken Genetics for Dummies" LOL. I'm no dummy, but between trying to get my horses in shape that I'm taking to World, working full time night shift and being on call extra, and taking care of the horses, chickens, dogs, etc......it's just hard. Also, even with bifocals, reading fatigues my eyes terribly.