Do I have a good start?-Rosecomb Bantams

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

These are my Rosecomb Bantams I want you to be very harsh and tell me what you think.

black cockerel # 1

Black Cockerel #2

Black Cockerel # 3

Black hen # 1

Black hen # 2

Splash hen

Golden Duckwing cockerel

BBRed hen # 1

Blue Red hen

Mottled hen

 

[Black Feather]

Hey Ryan,

The blacks look pretty good, but if you want a real critique it would be helpful if they were in show pose. Rosecombs are also judged heavily on their heads. Do you have some close up's of their heads and faces? This is usually where I start to judge my birds. If the head is not good I usually do not keep them unless I have absolutely no choice, or the bird is absolutely outstanding in ever other area.

Black Males: Look excellent from the pictures, but may or may not have some slight earlobe, comb issues between the different males. Check for white in the face of the males and pay close attention to the shape of the ear lobe. I find a lot of earlobes will have a slight triangle shape to them instead of being round. If one end of the earlobe tends to fall forward closer to the front of the neck of the bird giving it a triangle appearance I would think twice about using that bird as a breeder. Feather width looks excellent. Carriage should be critiqued, but hard to tell from pics. Do they hold their tails too height or have a harsh break between the back and the tail instead of a nice curving sweep? I have a feeling they are good though. Also do the males hold their chests nicely forward? Also, try to breed from males that do not drag their wingtips too much. They are supposed to be off the ground, not held straight down or dragging.

Black Hens: Look for all the same things as the males. Pay very close attention to the shape and quality of the combs and earlobes. People will keep a hen with faults simply because their combs and earlobes are smaller so they ignore issues. Black Hen #1: If she has white in her face just above her earlobe I would cull her asap if it was my bird. That will cause you no end of problems in your future generations. If it's just the camera angle then I would not worry about it.

Golden Duckwing cockerel: Don't like this guy at all. If you can get a hold of a better quality roo in this color I would do that. Comb is poor, earlobes are poor (has that triangle shape I was talking about), color is not the best. Back is nice and short and has a good sweep.

Mottled hen: Doesn't look too bad at all. Her comb and earlobes are a bit small, but she fans her tail nicely and has a nice back line.

Urban Coyote

 

[Poohbear]

Absolute beauties ALL!

 

[Dustin Biery]

I agree with everything that Urban Coyote said. I think I have given the same critiques on most of these birds.

 

[Black Feather]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention. Rosecombs should by nature be showoffs. You can have a really nice type bird, but if it doesn't strut it's stuff and is shy when it gets to the show room then you won't do very well. That is one of the things I was just thinking about last night as I was going through the flock to pick my breeding pens. I have a lot of very nice type birds, but some just don't 'show'. Those are the ones I try to keep out of the breeding pens. It's hard sometimes because some of those birds that lack 'spark' are really nice birds, and some of the ones that have that 'spark' are not so good.

Urban Coyote

 

[Ms. Lewis Rich]

For your age with the quality you have now, I bet you will have some of the best in the country before it's over!

 

[Msbear]

I agree with coyote about how a great rosecomb knows he or she is great. They like to strut so it should be fairly easy to get a pic of them posing. Hen #2 sure knows how to strut her stuff. She looks fantastic! Of all your cocks, I like black #1 the best. Great job, Ryan.

 

[max13077]

 

[Black Feather]

I think of the roosters from what I can see #3 is the one I'm leaning toward a bit. Again, I would need a better head pictures of all of them to tell for sure.

Here are my thoughts. #1 & #3 look to have spikes on their combs that are nice and round. I'm a bit suspect if #2 may be a bit blade shaped. What I would like to see is the front of the combs as well. Is there a hollow at the front of the combs, or is it nice and rounded in front?

My next thoughts are that #1 earlobes are a bit small to use as a breeder. #2 & #3 have larger lobes and that puts a nice sized lobe on your pullets and hens. It's easier to get a pullet and hen into top show condition earlier in life than a rooster I find. Those darn tails take forever to grow in on the roosters.

I'd really like to see the shape of the earlobes of rooster #3, and to see if he has any white in the face.

Hen #2 is cute....definitely potential there.

Msbear: How are your new birds doing?

Urban Coyote

 

[pinkfeather]

Wow, are they pretty! (not much help, I know) I read in a UK poultry magazine, though, that good quality Rosecomb bantams have a green shine/sheen to thier feathers (as opposed to a purple sheen/shine). Don't know if that's true, but just thought it was interesting.