I am still learning but I will give it a shot. Redbanks, Chooksman, Braxton Brigade or other members that have been doing this longer are way better at this than I am and can help me out. They can correct me where I am wrong and where I have trouble. Thanks guys!Hi Everyone, long time lurker though I rarely post because I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing with BCM's. Then again, I feel like I have no idea about life in general so perhaps its this insecurity of not knowing
that keeps me trying! I call upon you all for kind assistance in choosing a male for my flock. My previous male, I got rid of- he had an eye issue. The course of the issue occured while I was away at university so I didn't know enough about it's progression etc to feel confident keeping him around.
Anyways, I hatched these boys shortly after moving back from my dorm. I actually picked up the eggs in Connecticut on my way back from NYC where my school is. So the day I came back from grad school, these expensive little babies went in the incubator. The white wing feather is something I see a lot from different breeders. I have figured out you get the best pics when your phone battery is low and the screen dims, all the sudden everyone is cooperative.
Any opinions, thoughts, feedback is welcome. I did competitive sports so nothing you say could be too harsh, I take even harsh feedback constructively unlike most of my generation.
I waited till these boys got older just so I could get the best input. Please be as detailed as possible in your response because I might not understand otherwise.
#1
#2
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3 : note comb
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#1 is a good looking bird. He looks well balanced with his legs directly under his body in the center. In the first pic his tail seems pretty high, but not in the last. I suspect it will be high set as he matures (I am dealing with the same thing in one of my BCM groups). Paired with a lower tailed hen should correct that, no problem. His comb is free from side sprigs. I'm not great with combs, but I think the blade is supposed to be rounded and free from points or splits. The middle two points should also dip more in between. Other than that, it looks pretty good. Our mentor on this thread tells us not to worry too much about the combs on males. Combs come from the female in a mating. He has a nice long back and his copper is a rich even color. At his age his copper isn't in completely but I imagine he will not have a lack of color. No halo in his hackle so that is great. He hold his wing up against his body and not down at an angle. Leg color is good and of proper color. Has a good amount of leg feathering.
If you could get a side view of #2 I could tell more about his type, but his tail is nice and open from the back like a pyramid as it should look. He stands with his legs spaced well and is not knock kneed so that is good. Don't worry too much about the white in the wing right now, they are still babies and will molt out any stray white feathers as they mature. His copper looks nice and even also. I don't think you will have a lack of color at all with either of these 3 males. His leg feathering looks heavier than the first, but not overly so I think. Leg and eye color look good. No side sprigs on his comb. It looks like the blade of his comb comes straight up off his head instead of being rounded. But it's an okay comb in my novice opinion. He holds his wing up against his body and not downward so that is good.
#3 has what I think is a twisted comb? Like an S shape in the front? And is that arrow pointing to a side sprig? His type looks good with his legs directly under him in the center. His back is nice and long and I like his tail angle and length. Like the other 2, his copper is nice and even with no halo. Great leg feathering and leg color is good. His eyes look like they are the proper color for his age.
I think they all are all worth growing out to maturity. You can choose your main breeder or breeders and then keep a spare. There are no real deal breakers that I can see with any of them. Combs can be easily corrected when paired to a good combed female. Some people see a side sprig and tell you to run for the hills, but even a side sprigged cockerel can be worked with if he has good qualities otherwise.
If I have learned anything from this group, it would be to not be so quick to throw out a bird over a flaw here or there. All of our chickens have flaws, but flaws can be corrected and balanced out in the breeding pen. My goal is to take my flawed, less than perfect birds and carry them forward, improving them every year. Yes we will all encounter challenges along the way but with this thread and all the great folks here we can work through them. Sorry for sounding sappy. I just finished nursing school and I'm especially sappy today.
How did I do yall??
