Hello! and welcome to the OEGB thread.

[GotGame]

I bet they would come out culls, just like him. If this blue brassy cockerel I have here turns out like I think he will, I wont be able to keep from showing him. Just hope i Can get a good pullet or two to show with him. Just gotta figure the conditioning part out. I REALLY wish I could get a GOOD sport cockbird, to put over a couple pullets from your breed pen. Not a one I hatched out this year was close to what I wanted.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
thats how it works, cross your fingers hold your tongue to the rightt tilt your head to the left and breed for pullets you'll get cockrells. if you want cockrells you'll get pullets. If you want a a good clean sport shoot for all blues and you'll hatch all sports. You always get what you don't want so quite wanting it and you'll get it.

 

[southernsickles]

Quote:
I don't bother showing Black or BB as there are always so many, some of teh kids will them at times. The Brassy's bounce between me and two of our boys based on what they want to show. I do have a cockrell this year that is just a drop dead beautifull bird, I really think he is better than his father. We may show a few brown red hens, and based on what I see at the all game show maybe a few Birchen pullets but will wait and see. We have two double shows in Newcastle in Oct.

The Blacks have always been my favorite.I guess the bb's would be my number two.I know the shows are usually loaded up with them,but they are still my favorite varieties.I am not going to have alot ready for the Newcastle shows this year.I am going to try and hatch some early birds for those shows next year.Also my bb reds will have another year on them.They show much better as cocks.

 

[Celtic Hill]

This is my buff cock, I think he's beautiful but Im also new to all this. I realize his color is less than idea, its uneven but it has a nice rich tone to it which I like. I gotta start somewhere right? I realize no bird is perfect, but could you guys maybe point some weaknesses and strengths with his type? The picture isn't good but all my birds went into molt soo they are no way in condition to take pictures.

Here is just another fun picture.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
As far color goes base on the photos he doesn't look bad, a touch darker in hackle saddle and wing bow than in body but all told for color a good start, use very even colored hens / pullets make sure the hackle is same as body color.

The first thing that caught my eye was the dub job, he was dubbed wrong and it is a shame he could have looked so much better.

Wing Carriage is very low in the pictures it may be because he is stirred up or removed from where he is comfortable, you want them tucked up nice and tight to the body and held much higher which he may be ok when just in the pen where he is comfortable.

It looks like you have a decent start what do your hens / pullets look like?

 

[Celtic Hill]

I wish his dubbing job was better, the person who helped us breeds moderns. Ill have to talk to one of the old english guys at the show and see if they can teach my brother, He's the one that deals with the dubbing. I think his wings are so straight because I took him out of his comfort zone to get pics of him. He did not come with a hen. This winter we ordered 25 chicks from Ideal, lost about half when they were a month old, the surviving ones are really light, I have a pair that are definite culls. The rest, I dunno, I think they still need time. Im going to a show in oct, they should be ready by then and im going to bring all the ones that are not obvious culls to see what the judges have to say. I really hate to start with hatchery stock but that's about all I have access too. I talked to the breeder we got the cock from and he said he might have something for us later on in the fall, so we will see. Ive been doing a lot of reading up on the buff leghorn thread to see what they did when breeding up. Im going to scour the shows looking for any buff old english to have, at least to avoid too much inbreeding at first because the gene pool is so small to start off.

I wanted to ask, whats a good way to learn the standard? I can memorize the standard, but that doesn't mean I can evaluate a bird. Is there a book out there that goes in depth?

Here are my birds from idea, not great shots but you can see what they look like.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
You can buy a copy of the ABA standard from the ABA website Http:bantamclub.com
I assumed the wing issue was related to comfort, it is very common, hard to get a pic of good wing carriage and general type as birds just don't pose well unless they are real comfortable.
For hatchery stock your pullets aren't bad they look fairly even in color a little leggy, and long in the back in for my taste but then again some say my birds especially females are too small. They do show good high wing carriage even in the cockrell, that should give you plenty of genetic diversity to start a good line, continued type improvement may require the addition of another line somewhere.
For reading on buff breeding there is good reading on the ABA website and in exhibition poultry e-zine (web based magazine) Tom Roebuck is a great resource for learning about breeding Buff and can tell you more than most will ever know about the color and how to get it right and what to avoid.

 

[GotGame]

I would say you might think about picking up a real nice trio of recessive whites, put the white cockbird over the best 2 pullets, and put buff cock over two real nice white hens, and then you can go several directions. Do an F1xF1 mating from both pens, or you can cross the F1 from one pen on the F1 from the other....but that might be a way to go.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
I don't know never really tried for buff but it could work out well. But then again breeding for type it wouldn't matter if the color got washed out some for a generation or two. maybe a type project on one side of teh yard and color on teh other... then bring them back together.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Thanks guys!!!

I thought old english were Dominant white? The white breeder by us uses blacks crossed with whites to tighten up his feathering. I have the SOP but have a hard time putting the words into a visual, im a visual learner.