How to Tell Light Sussex from Light Sussex Split Coronation Chickens

[chicknfishn]

Hi
I just bought a flock of Light Sussex chickens.

The Roosters are from Greenfire Farms and just gorgeous. The hens are from either Greenfire of Sandhill Preservation.

One of the newly hatched chicks is a Coronation. So obviously somewhere in this mix is a couple of Split Coronations.

However when the person that I bought them from bought them, they were never told that they were splits.

So any idea on what or how to determine who to breed or just hatch as many as I can and try to get more Coronation?

 

[blackclownfish16]

The only way to know for sure is to do test matings. Cross a Coronation with your birds and DO PAIR MATINGS. This will ensure you know who lays which eggs. How big is your flock? If you only have one rooster then he has to be a split since Coronation (lavender columbia) is recessive both parents have to have one copy. The hen's will have to be test mated. You should get fifty percent light and fifty percent coronation if the hen in question is a carrier and is crossed with a pure coronation.

So Coronation rooster x Light hen (possible split) = will give all black if she's not split and fifty percent light and fifty percent coronation if she is. It's important to hatch lots of chicks in a test mating preferably at least 10. As soon as you get one coronation chick than you know the hen is split.

Edited to clear up unclear typing on my part

 

[Elite Silkies]

Breeding Split to Split will only give you 25% Coronations. If one is Coronation and the others are split then you will get 50% Coronations.

So, the Roo that have covering the hens is probably carrying the Lav Gene. It will be hard to figure out which hen is carrying the Lav Gene.

So, just keep breeding and building your Coronation flock! Congratulations.

 

[call ducks]

Hi, it will be hard to know what one is carrying the lav. gene.


Will you have an other line to breed to the corrations? Have you got any weights on the sussex? Have you sighed the chicks hatched off?

 

[chicknfishn]

First thank you to everyone for your fast informative responses.

I have 3 Roosters and 5 hens so its anybodys guess who in particular are the carriers.

Minimum of 1 hen and 1 roo however would have to be.

I am guessing it is the Greenfire hens that are the carriers and fortunately I do know which ones those are.

I also have a pen of Light Sussex that I hatched from Thom Dean this spring. So I will have others to breed to. They are just big beautiful birds and very close to standard.

So with 3 Roosters should I just run all of them with the hens or try to separate and figure out if only one is the carrier?

Also Call Ducks what does "Have you sighed the chicks hatched off?"

 

[Elite Silkies]

You def. will have your work cut out trying to figure out which roo it is. How many did you hatch to get the one coronation?

 

[call ducks]

Quote:
Sorry about that(i was using the ipod no spell check

i mean weighed. Most of the sussex breeders in canada (will those that are working on getting back to meat/dual purpose brids) wigh the chicks, i think when they hatch when they are a week old, and at 6 months then a year, to keep track of there wight. Might be a usefull tool...

 

[chicknfishn]

Call Duck that is Ok I just could'nt quite figure it out.

That is a good idea to weigh the chicks.

The chicks I hatched just were so robust they almost burst out of the eggs, more so than most of my other breeds.

The eggs seemed small but these chicks were just raring to go. They have out grown all of the other 4 breeds hatched at the same time and are the biggest and close to the friendliest with the exception of the Delawares.

I hatched 7 chicks and got the one Coronation.

 

[call ducks]

Quote:
There are atlest 2-3 breeders working on LS, and keeping detaled recods for improve ment.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Well, I only have one pair. But, I set 11 I think and 9 hatched and 3 of those are Coronations. All I can say, is keep on hatching!!