German New Hampshire

[har]

I like the last one because o his length of back and length of keel nice looking birds.

 

[desertmarcy]

I like the last one because o his length of back and length of keel nice looking birds.

I am still developing my eye for looking and evaluating birds. I may take what I think are the top 3 to the Tucson show next month and see what the judges think. You are right, that last one has a longer back than the one on wire. I do like the broad chests on my birds.

 

[cbnovick]

will be waiting with bells on LOL

LOL

Jeff

X 2

 

[rancher hicks]

shine?
hey you posted it was just wondern what? myself

Jeff

Robert Mitchem, Thunder Road. song, youtube.

Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load.

 

[rancher hicks]

Here are a few photos of some of my pure German cockerels. I'm in the process of deciding which to keep. I like the first one, the one on wire. I had to lighten the photos, then they looked grainy. I don't think my flash was working.

Hang on to them both if you intend to breed. I like a fool only kept on BR I got and only hatched one hen from him and now he's gone and I've no rooster. Keep them both.

 

[cbnovick]

I am still developing my eye for looking and evaluating birds. I may take what I think are the top 3 to the Tucson show next month and see what the judges think. You are right, that last one has a longer back than the one on wire. I do like the broad chests on my birds.

Marcia,
it's so hard to tell from photos...the first one is my favorite....he is more toward SOP esp.in tail angle and I like his overall balance...better feather width than the second. The 2nd bird has some nice merits as well...perhaps as a backup to complement certain females...Have you gotten weights on each? How old are they?

Maybe Walt and/or Matt Ulrich will post their thoughts on these 2. They are certainly qualified!!

 

[desertmarcy]

Hang on to them both if you intend to breed. I like a fool only kept on BR I got and only hatched one hen from him and now he's gone and I've no rooster. Keep them both.

Ha, ha! Not a problem. I still have 2 cocks from last year and 10 of these cockerels from this year plus expecting to get 2 cockerels from Matt1616 in December. I do not think I am short on males.
Yes, I always keep a spare if at all possible. Even then, stuff happens. I kept 2 BRs for breeding this year and disposed of one of them since he was throwing crooked toed chicks. Bred from male #2 and hatched out 30 or so for the season. Planned to keep him but he dropped dead one day. Presumably he had a heart attack. Now I have to wait for these youngsters to grow up enough to tell which one(s) I want to use. Oh well, with just under 300 chickens eating me out of house and home, I'm in no hurry to hatch until I cull down.

 

[Matt1616]

I like the first male...his type looks pretty good. He would be my first pick. I also like the 3rd one....his tail looks a bit high but I bet when he puts in all his saddle feathers it will come down to where it needs to be. Hard to tell on birds this age. The next month or 2 will tell the story but if I was forced to pick based on these pictures that would be my picks.

Matt

 

[fowlman01]

The first one.

 

[desertmarcy]

The first one.

Thanks. I went through them all and am going to keep 4 for now and cull the rest. The problem I am having is they are on the small side. That first one only weighs 5 pounds 11 ounces. Standard says 7.5 for cockerel. They are in the 6-7 month old range. The biggest one is still not quite 7 pounds. Their sire, cock now, is 7 pounds 5 oz. I kept a brother of his, and he is just standard weight, 8-1/2 pounds. I am waiting for him to molt out to see if his white tail feathers miraculously disappear. That is why he didn't get to sire these birds this year. So far, I don't see any white, but the feathers are still sloughing their shafts.