Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[NotAFarm]

Prepotency is and excellent conversation and very appropriate to this thread!

....

Eventually one risks getting a cockerel that is homozygous for all of the necessary parts and that has a very high level of quantitative modifiers to pass around. His offspring are like BAM, because he is a genetic powerhouse. He can make up for the failings of his mates because of his homozygous prepotency and high volume of quantitative modifiers. Now, in theory, a hen can also be prepotent, but she will always be at the disadvantage when it comes to any sex-linked quality because a hen can only pass on a sex-linked quality to male offspring whereas a male can pass on a sex-linked quality to both male and female chicks. Also, the prepotent male is particularly valuable because it can be so easily spread about in the breeding pen(s).

.....

I edited Joseph's wonderful post for the sake of space and wanted to reference the above highlighted portion.
I would like to ask if the example of 3rivers' (Karen's) decrease in the quality of pullets from her Sussex breeding this year (Karen, please correct me if I am remembering this wrong, but I think I recall that you said your pullets from this year were narrower than your original hens), could be because the cock bird is lacking and the hens (unable to contribute to the pullets) are not responsible for the narrowing she is experiencing? Also, would breeding the hens back to a son be a way to find out if the hens are the problem? Would pullets mated back to the cock show if he was the problem?

 

[AletaG]

Notwithstanding the excellent genetics discussion, just wanted to finally post that WFB Spanish pic from the WA show, just in case that person who was looking might be helped somehow:
I think I can read the info on the original picture, unless someone just happens to know who brought him.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I'm not sure how much of what's going on with Karen's stock could be sex-linked. I can't think of any sex-linked structural bits. However, there's a lot I don't know.

Another thought, Karen, is environmental factors. Genetics are first and foremost, but environment and diet can have a severe effect on the way birds grow out. I wonder if they could have experienced a check that didn't affect their final form. Were the pullets separated from the cockerels at a young age? Were they kept away from mature birds?

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Notwithstanding the excellent genetics discussion, just wanted to finally post that WFB Spanish pic from the WA show, just in case that person who was looking might be helped somehow:
I think I can read the info on the original picture, unless someone just happens to know who brought him.

Post away! WFBS are some of my favorite fowl!

 

[3riverschick]

I edited Joseph's wonderful post for the sake of space and wanted to reference the above highlighted portion.
I would like to ask if the example of 3rivers' (Karen's) decrease in the quality of pullets from her Sussex breeding this year (Karen, please correct me if I am remembering this wrong, but I think I recall that you said your pullets from this year were narrower than your original hens), could be because the cock bird is lacking and the hens (unable to contribute to the pullets) are not responsible for the narrowing she is experiencing? Also, would breeding the hens back to a son be a way to find out if the hens are the problem? Would pullets mated back to the cock show if he was the problem?

Yeah, I said it and you are correct. It should be interesting to see the answer because I don't have one.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

I'm not sure how much of what's going on with Karen's stock could be sex-linked. I can't think of any sex-linked structural bits. However, there's a lot I don't know.

Another thought, Karen, is environmental factors. Genetics are first and foremost, but environment and diet can have a severe effect on the way birds grow out. I wonder if they could have experienced a check that didn't affect their final form. Were the pullets separated from the cockerels at a young age? Were they kept away from mature birds?

Everyone was raised together from hatch(April) . They were separated the latter part of June. The 4 cockerels went into a grow out pen alone. The rest of the pullets and the remaining 2 cockerels went into the big coop with their adult aunt and her daughter ( hatched Feb. 23rd.) None of the cockerels were housed with another adult cock. My stud cock and the chicks' dam live in a separate coop. There were some nutritional glitches after 2 months old. How does that make the birds narrower in the rear?
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

Home-made yogurt here...less than $2 a quart

YellowhouseFarms, et al....Really enjoying the discussion on prepotency, nicking and breediing. I'm making copies for my file.....

I just got a free kindle book about making homemade yogurt - that is next on my list along with sour cream.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I have made a lot of homemade yogurt using the info on the BYC thread-- very good stuff. THe yogurt is surprisingly sweet naturally even before the addition of flavorings. Good stuff. I share it with the chicks in the brooders.

 

[bnjrob]

I have made a lot of homemade yogurt using the info on the BYC thread-- very good stuff. THe yogurt is surprisingly sweet naturally even before the addition of flavorings. Good stuff. I share it with the chicks in the brooders.

That's interesting. Haven't had home made yogurt since I was a kid so can't even remember whether the stuff my mother made had any natural sweetness or not.

 

[thedragonlady]

Everyone was raised together from hatch(April) . They were separated the latter part of June. The 4 cockerels went into a grow out pen alone. The rest of the pullets and the remaining 2 cockerels went into the big coop with their adult aunt and her daughter ( hatched Feb. 23rd.) None of the cockerels were housed with another adult cock. My stud cock and the chicks' dam live in a separate coop. There were some nutritional glitches after 2 months old. How does that make the birds narrower in the rear?
Karen

What sort of nutritional glitches ? An interruption in growth, from parasites, or nutrition, will affect width, and overall growth.