Culling Silver Laced Wyandottes

[CelticMoon1]

I'm keeping a SLW roo chicken from this year's hatching, they are now 7 weeks old (I know I said 5 before, but my memory was playing tricks on me - time flies

)and the 8 roosters are quite differing in appearances. Anyone got any insight as to what they should look like at this age colorwise to be correctly colored adults? I've already decided against a couple because they are very black. Some are approximately the same color and pattern all over as the pullets (some are whiter at the shoulders), 1 is very indistinctly colored and has lots of white, and 1 has mostly white shoulders and back (I think he is rather pretty, but am unsure if he is most correct). Now as adults they should have mostly white shoulders and back, right? But the ones who have lots of white now might be TOO white as adults? Or?

Also, a couple have (not heavily) feathered shanks.. Does this happen sometimes with wyandottes? I'm not planning on keeping those, as they shouldn't have them - but out of curiousity - would they be passed on to the chickens?

 

[CelticMoon1]

The 4 color type roo chickens:

#1

This one is rather white on shoulders and back, with black tips on the back feathers.

#2

This one is the whitest, but not quite pure in the chest pattern.

#3

We have two like this, they look most like the pullets patternwise, and seem to have the most defined pattern.

#4

We have two like this as well, they look kind of like #3 but with whiter shoulders.

Any suggestions and opinions welcome!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I never cull roosters til they are more mature. They change so much from chicks to cockerels to mature roosters in patterns, coloring, type and behaviors it's not even funny!

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

There are still some ways to cull by at that age. For example the stubs should be culled unless it is a perfect bird in every other way which it doesnt look like it. Then the one that looks like a columbian with some bad lacing probably wont turn out good.

For those I would pick the one with the best type first then color ideally. I would wait atleast a couple more weeks until they start to get adult feathers and all.

Yes the stubs can be bred out easily in a generation or two, they are just a throwback from cochin ancestry.

 

[CelticMoon1]

Quote:
Thank you!
Yes, I thought the stubs maybe should be culled, but included his pic as he's the lightest one and I'm unsure how light they should be at this age.

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by columbian, as I'm totally green on any other color than the Laced.. do you mean #4?

We're looking to cut it down to two or three that we'll keep until they show adult coloring. We've done the first culling but those were white sports and a couple that were way too dark - they had practically NO lacing in the chest area.. We won't probably do the next culling until in a week or two, but we value any advice as it might help us pick out the best for keeping!

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Well to me the one with stubs looks the lightest. What I mean by columbian is thay are white with black in the neck and tail areas. The color is like a light brahma. Which the stubs one looks poorly laced and might end up being like a columbian with black flecks here and there. I really like the heads on them, nice and blocky. If I had to cull any of those I would cull #1 and #2. #1 has spangling looking feathering on the back which a good colored silver laced wyandotte cockerel will have laced feathers on the back before he gets the saddle. The others should get a few weeks to decide further. Are these from a hatchery or a breeder or what, they have decent type at this age already, nice and round.

 

[lurky]

I have alot of wyandottes and you cannot judge them until they mature as far as lacing and color. Even if they look horrible, they can end up being beautiful when they are grown. I even had my 2 slw's change dramatically with their first real molt and look even better.

 

[CelticMoon1]

Quote:
Ok, I see what you mean. As I said we won't cull for another couple of weeks, but it's good to get an insight and not do it on a whim! What I'm thinking right now is culling the lightest one with stubs, and we have at least one more with stubs as well. I'm kind of curious how #1 develops, but I see what you mean that he might not end up great.

These are actually home bred.

We bought 3 grown SLW hens last year that had been with a rooster where they came from (a hobby breeder) and did a hatching from which we kept 2 SLW pullets. We got an SLW rooster from another hobby breeder and this year's batch is from that roo with all 5 SLW's. He's not really a good colored roo though, and has yielded some very dark offspring - hence the desire to keep one of the best of the offspring in his stead.

 

[aveca]

Many great answers here.
I can tell you from some a freind that won very big awards in the past. this freind that literally had thousands of birds in the brooder at a time. Then would cull down to as few as 20 birdsof just one group. Thousands of dollars changed hands at that farm , I just know they were chosen to cull due to wrong color, as above, stubbs, ect...combs not up to snuff...
This guy went all over the US with his birds I think he showed in almost every state. He has now retired from the showing and keeps just a very few birds Said he just couldnt do it anymore getting too old to fly all over and manage the birds.

Interesting I remember him saying 2 year old roosters produce your champions as a rule. and three year olds dont do too bad but every big champoin he ever had came out of a 2 year old.

Years ago I bought some fantastic australorps from him and showed. He told me a lot of times your best breeding Birds are not your showing birds. He tried really hard to tell me that it takes a lot of learning, and a LOT of birds which I know you dont have the room for. 2 great birds will not produce 100 % great birds. He said Lynne, you need to have a lot more than 20 birds. I kept plodding on thou just for the sheer joy of watching 40 little birds hatching in the bator. This guy was a gem thou because he would come down about twice a year and check things out and was fairley impressed and would give his 2 cents ,One of his 2 cents was again, you have to have LOTS of birds to be in top of your game and you have the heart for it, some people buy some good birds win once or twice and you never hear from them again. You just keep going , no matter what ,wins and loose. thats what it takes plus LOTS OF DECENT BIRDS. too few Lynne

One bird I was going to get rid of he said NOPE keep that one, he is text on this and that and his one problem can be fixed with these 2 hens right here, he handed me some bands and said band them tonight when there roost for breeding season. I knew I was never going to be able to be that top breeder with thousands and thousands of birds , but I sure had the passion to do well.. I Had a great time with those birds and his guiadance , I enjoyed every minute of it and at shows despite he would sweep the awards at every show and had tons of birds going, he would either drop everything and come help me for a minute or send one of his kids over to my coops to ask if I needed any help. You would get kind of tired of him getting best soft feather , best bamtam , best in show all the time. We would tease him and say leave a few awards for somone else.

I called him recently about the aussi lorps hens I saw with the white feathers on thier back of heads, this guy was so knowlegable and experienced he said, often when a feather base gets bruised in a cage ect.. those feathers will turn white just from the damaged folicle? He said I should have picked up the best of the group and brought it home. outcross. they are hard to find.

Sadly we lost that group of birds to a dog that came out of nowhere, but slowly buying some birds, nothing like the old group , but feels good to have the birds around again.

You reLLY CANT JUDGE SOME BIRDS TOO YOUNG, SEBRIGHTS DONT REALLY SHOW THIER STUFF TILL AFTER THIER FIRST MOLT.There are some exceptional pullets and cockerals that win big then molt out lighter than you might like. Some birds with white crested polish pretty easy to tell right off what you want to cull. You might want to give them a little more time , you might be suprised at changes.

I have a cockeral right now that I knew was a good bird but this morning I looked at him and said Jees he just gets beter every day.