Don,
You know I respect your knowledge and years of breeding. My concern is with the roos that look good at one year of age, but once they hit two years, things start to drastically change. Are we not supposed to use the roos until they are 2? If you use cockerels that look fine with no white now, what will they look like at 2 or 3 years of age? Gosh, that would really change the whole ball game! My dark boys had not white showing up until they would start a semi-molt; and that would entail a straggley, partially white sickle feather. When the feather molted out, it grew back in black. But now, at 2+ years, they both have white colored feathers in their wings! Black at the base, but white in the middle, black at the tips. Neither one has had what I would consider a "true" molt like my hens do. Could this be a problem with males? I would love to see both of them just go into a full blown molt, than to drop a feather or two at a time. Everyone gets fed the same here, and the hens will molt all the old feathers out, but the roos don't. So that brings me back to the initial question; how old do they have to be before you KNOW for SURE what you have, and what they are going to, (or not) pass on as far as the white goes?? You know where my boys came from, and the fact that they are so beefy, typey, came from nicely colored eggs, and so good natured means a lot to me. I may never show, but there are folks that have been asking me for chicks around here, and I can't sell any until I feel comfortable with what is going to be produced, and on a consistent basis. So, at 2+ years old, do I toss all the other qualities in lieu of these new white feathers, or try to improve with what I have? I, too, would love to find that one really nice roo, that will be all we want, with no white; but where the heck are they??
You know I respect your knowledge and years of breeding. My concern is with the roos that look good at one year of age, but once they hit two years, things start to drastically change. Are we not supposed to use the roos until they are 2? If you use cockerels that look fine with no white now, what will they look like at 2 or 3 years of age? Gosh, that would really change the whole ball game! My dark boys had not white showing up until they would start a semi-molt; and that would entail a straggley, partially white sickle feather. When the feather molted out, it grew back in black. But now, at 2+ years, they both have white colored feathers in their wings! Black at the base, but white in the middle, black at the tips. Neither one has had what I would consider a "true" molt like my hens do. Could this be a problem with males? I would love to see both of them just go into a full blown molt, than to drop a feather or two at a time. Everyone gets fed the same here, and the hens will molt all the old feathers out, but the roos don't. So that brings me back to the initial question; how old do they have to be before you KNOW for SURE what you have, and what they are going to, (or not) pass on as far as the white goes?? You know where my boys came from, and the fact that they are so beefy, typey, came from nicely colored eggs, and so good natured means a lot to me. I may never show, but there are folks that have been asking me for chicks around here, and I can't sell any until I feel comfortable with what is going to be produced, and on a consistent basis. So, at 2+ years old, do I toss all the other qualities in lieu of these new white feathers, or try to improve with what I have? I, too, would love to find that one really nice roo, that will be all we want, with no white; but where the heck are they??
