Thanks Pink and Debbi - and no Debbi I didn't think you were bashing my birds. I wouldn't have posted the picture if I didn't want comments. It's a project pen, starting with nothing but faults and I'm trying to work them out over time but I'm just getting started. No bird from this pen will ever be mixed in wiith my regular Black Copper Marans whose line will always remain true because my blue project started with a Whitmore farm roo who is also still in the project pen. I simply needed to know what you were seeing and calling a side sprig.
As far as leg feathering the original French said "sparsely feathered" and that's pretty much what my birds have. I see all the photos of heavily feathered shanks and to me that's not in keeping with the original French standard. I think they even kept that wording in the APA or used "lightly" but I think it's been debated just what that means.
As far as your roo being from Jesse Bryant - I can't offer any credentials for anyone's birds other than my own. If it came directly from Jesse it probably came from the stock I eventually bought but some of those original birds had problems. For example there was a Wheaten roo in the bunch which probably accounted for all the "surprise" chicks people refer to when they talk about the Wade Jeane line. Jesse didn't know and I only learned by reading all of these theads and discussions. I removed that roo the first year as well as some problem hens (yellow legs); too mossy; and any birds that had white feathers anywhere and now I have a flock that meets SOP and reproduces same. After four years I'm still learning and trying to improve my flock.
