CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[bnjrob]

I've fed a lot of breeds Calf Manna over 50 years, and I've never seen it turn feet pink. There is not enough dye in there to do that. Feed some scratch, or cracked corn, and see what happens.

I didn't think it would do that either, but it was the only thing that had changed prior to seeing the pink color. It didn't happen overnight, but over a period of two or three months of regular use.

Of course we could just have weird birds too and it was simply coincidence.

 

[fowlplaypoultry]

These females look like they have a "waist" too. So maybe mine aren't weird after all???

Nice darkness to them without a ton of white yet.

After I read your post, I noticed the "waistiness" in some of my birds. Maybe it is something environmental-moved mine from NC to KY in December and have had nothing but crazy weather since they've been here. So stress might have something to do with it; I don't know. I do know that we'll be sorting into breeding pens here shortly and each bird will be evaluated at that time. Lots and lots to learn yet. I've been studying my 1945 copy of the Standard

Two of my older females have a little more white than those pictured. I've heard that they develop a little more white after each molt.

 

[fowlplaypoultry]

What I think is the best of 4 roosters we'll be using this spring. Critiques welcome.

 

[bnjrob]

After I read your post, I noticed the "waistiness" in some of my birds. Maybe it is something environmental-moved mine from NC to KY in December and have had nothing but crazy weather since they've been here. So stress might have something to do with it; I don't know. I do know that we'll be sorting into breeding pens here shortly and each bird will be evaluated at that time. Lots and lots to learn yet. I've been studying my 1945 copy of the Standard

Two of my older females have a little more white than those pictured. I've heard that they develop a little more white after each molt.

I feel better that this is in other people's too. Just kept thinking that it was me and what in the world is wrong with those birds?

 

[bnjrob]

What I think is the best of 4 roosters we'll be using this spring. Critiques welcome.

He doesn't have much white in him yet which should help to counteract any really white females. His back and tail angle don't look too bad to me. Of course I'm no expert. Can't wait till some of the judges see our birds and give us some ideas on what they think.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

In regards to the pink to the legs, are Javas like Black Copper Marans in that as they reach sexual maturity they go through a stage where their legs and feet have a reddish "flush" to them? I think something like that is much more likely than it being caused by the Manna feed. For comparison, here is my BCM rooster who is about 10 months old in this picture. Per SOP their legs are supposed to be slate colored. But this pink flush as they reach sexual maturity is perfectly normal. Not sure if that is what is going on with your Javas, just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[bnjrob]

In regards to the pink to the legs, are Javas like Black Copper Marans in that as they reach sexual maturity they go through a stage where their legs and feet have a reddish "flush" to them? I think something like that is much more likely than it being caused by the Manna feed. For comparison, here is my BCM rooster who is about 10 months old in this picture. Per SOP their legs are supposed to be slate colored. But this pink flush as they reach sexual maturity is perfectly normal. Not sure if that is what is going on with your Javas, just thought I'd throw that out there.

My husband and I were just talking about that last night as perhaps being a possibility if the red dye in the supplement was not to blame. Very interesting that you brought this up. That photo of your rooster looks very much like what we are seeing in our Java males.

I just figured that the males are always eating more than the females, so they must have ingested more of the stuff than the females and that is why the females weren't showing this pink/red to them.

 

[MagicChicken]

Do any of you have purple iridescence in your black birds? I know it's way too early to tell what's going on with my young birds, but I have noticed a slight purple sheen on a few of their feathers. At 7 weeks they have a lot of molting to do before reaching any kind of mature plumage. The purple may go away in subsequent molts. But as a general breeding question for future reference, if the purple sticks around how do you get rid of it? What kind of bird needs to be paired with a purple one (assuming the purple one is terrific in many other features that you need in the flock)? Or do you just not use purple-sheened birds? Black Javas are supposed to have a green sheen, not purple. I am assuming this issue pops up in other black breeds, so all you black chicken breeders feel free to chime in

Sarah

 

[thedragonlady]

My husband and I were just talking about that last night as perhaps being a possibility if the red dye in the supplement was not to blame. Very interesting that you brought this up. That photo of your rooster looks very much like what we are seeing in our Java males.

I just figured that the males are always eating more than the females, so they must have ingested more of the stuff than the females and that is why the females weren't showing this pink/red to them.

It's a hormonal thing, not due to Calf Manna. Even Orps' legs flush when the cockerels really start crowing.I fed SD wyandottes a ton of Calf Manna, and it never turned their feet red.

 

[Zanna]

Do any of you have purple iridescence in your black birds? I know it's way too early to tell what's going on with my young birds, but I have noticed a slight purple sheen on a few of their feathers. At 7 weeks they have a lot of molting to do before reaching any kind of mature plumage. The purple may go away in subsequent molts. But as a general breeding question for future reference, if the purple sticks around how do you get rid of it? What kind of bird needs to be paired with a purple one (assuming the purple one is terrific in many other features that you need in the flock)? Or do you just not use purple-sheened birds? Black Javas are supposed to have a green sheen, not purple. I am assuming this issue pops up in other black breeds, so all you black chicken breeders feel free to chime in

Sarah

X2 I am also curious about this....... Have one young BCM of my own breeding with purple sheen (new roo), the others all have green.