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Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!
- Thread starter Wynette
- Start date
Comb and feather shanks Experts.
I see a lot of posts on different threads where posters say that Combs and feather shanks and toe are so easy to get correct. If this is true (I know it is not) why are most of the photos I see showing up with improper comb and No shank feathering or very little. Please explain this to me please.
I see a lot of posts on different threads where posters say that Combs and feather shanks and toe are so easy to get correct. If this is true (I know it is not) why are most of the photos I see showing up with improper comb and No shank feathering or very little. Please explain this to me please.
- Jan 30, 2009
- 2,621
- 121
- 251
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https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_chick_from_darkest_egg2.jpg
This is the chick that hatched out of the #7 egg that I posted first. 1 day old, no copper on him at all or white on head. He has grown into a nicely colored cockerel, with a little copper on breast, but acceptable as of now. No white undercoat, but then I haven't had any cockerel have white undercoate or base of tail for 2 years now.
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
This is him at around 4 months or so. He is still filling out, and now is quite substantial and more "rooster" looking.
In the photo it looks like he has a white spot on his ears, but he doesn't.
His hackles are slightly lighter on the ends on his back. I'm not wild about that, but other than that, I like him. And since he hatched from that nice #7 egg, I'll use him & see what I get.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_chick_from_darkest_egg2.jpg
This is the chick that hatched out of the #7 egg that I posted first. 1 day old, no copper on him at all or white on head. He has grown into a nicely colored cockerel, with a little copper on breast, but acceptable as of now. No white undercoat, but then I haven't had any cockerel have white undercoate or base of tail for 2 years now.
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
This is him at around 4 months or so. He is still filling out, and now is quite substantial and more "rooster" looking.
In the photo it looks like he has a white spot on his ears, but he doesn't.
His hackles are slightly lighter on the ends on his back. I'm not wild about that, but other than that, I like him. And since he hatched from that nice #7 egg, I'll use him & see what I get.
- Jan 30, 2009
- 2,621
- 121
- 251
Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_chick_from_darkest_egg2.jpg
This is the chick that hatched out of the #7 egg that I posted first. 1 day old, no copper on him at all or white on head. He has grown into a nicely colored cockerel, with a little copper on breast, but acceptable as of now. No white undercoat, but then I haven't had any cockerel have white undercoate or base of tail for 2 years now.
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_chick_from_darkest_egg2.jpg
This is the chick that hatched out of the #7 egg that I posted first. 1 day old, no copper on him at all or white on head. He has grown into a nicely colored cockerel, with a little copper on breast, but acceptable as of now. No white undercoat, but then I haven't had any cockerel have white undercoate or base of tail for 2 years now.
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
Quote:
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
Sue, I agree I have had chicks with feather shanks and toe at an early age only to have it disappear at the Juve molt. I cull at hatch and again after the juve Molt. I believe to get good feathering they have to have feathering on the toe also.
Why do his feet look so yellow? Did you put something on them?
Nice leg feathering at such a young age.
Do you have a picture of what he has grown into ?
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
Sue, I agree I have had chicks with feather shanks and toe at an early age only to have it disappear at the Juve molt. I cull at hatch and again after the juve Molt. I believe to get good feathering they have to have feathering on the toe also.
Quote:
I have some hens with little to no feathering. The high tailed ladies with no leg feathering are the ones I would pair him up with....
My goal is always to get the next generation closer to the sop. . ... .
I would never keep this boy for himself..... but I would keep him for the extremes that he brings to the table.
I am so glad you got those bees under control. My daughter tangled with a nest of them about a year ago. She ran all the way back to the house with them chasing her. When she got in the house, we killed another 10 - 20 that were in her shirt. SHE IS NOW TERRIFIED of bees.
the breeding of one extreme to another, will most of the time, get you deeper into a hole of non consistancy and poorer quality.. Look at it this way, you take a orange and breed it to an apple... you get something in the middle... But when you take those two offspring and breed them back togther-- you get apples, oranges, grapes, watermellon, and everything else in the basket...
You have to remember when making "peice" matings... with that good piece, also comes a terrible one ( and in almost every single case, that terrible peice will be far harder to breed out of them; than that good peice would be to get into them with another breeding stock selection.
What I'm saying is that you want to breed for the middle of the road, and not towards any extremes. the most complete to the most complete...
Makes sense in theory, but I've seen two great animals produce absolute crap; two mediocre animals produce nothing but jewels! Now granted, that was not with chickens, but when it comes right down to it, it's all a crapshoot with genetics. And with chickens, unless you have raised and bred many chicks for quite a few generations, who really knows what is behind what? All you can do is go by the visuals when starting, and brother, do I NEED a new pair of glasses!
I have some hens with little to no feathering. The high tailed ladies with no leg feathering are the ones I would pair him up with....
My goal is always to get the next generation closer to the sop. . ... .
I would never keep this boy for himself..... but I would keep him for the extremes that he brings to the table.
I am so glad you got those bees under control. My daughter tangled with a nest of them about a year ago. She ran all the way back to the house with them chasing her. When she got in the house, we killed another 10 - 20 that were in her shirt. SHE IS NOW TERRIFIED of bees.
the breeding of one extreme to another, will most of the time, get you deeper into a hole of non consistancy and poorer quality.. Look at it this way, you take a orange and breed it to an apple... you get something in the middle... But when you take those two offspring and breed them back togther-- you get apples, oranges, grapes, watermellon, and everything else in the basket...
You have to remember when making "peice" matings... with that good piece, also comes a terrible one ( and in almost every single case, that terrible peice will be far harder to breed out of them; than that good peice would be to get into them with another breeding stock selection.
What I'm saying is that you want to breed for the middle of the road, and not towards any extremes. the most complete to the most complete...
Makes sense in theory, but I've seen two great animals produce absolute crap; two mediocre animals produce nothing but jewels! Now granted, that was not with chickens, but when it comes right down to it, it's all a crapshoot with genetics. And with chickens, unless you have raised and bred many chicks for quite a few generations, who really knows what is behind what? All you can do is go by the visuals when starting, and brother, do I NEED a new pair of glasses!
I have a small flock of Black Coppers, hatched out 3/3/11, 5 hens and 1 roo. How old do these need to be before I will see consistent egg laying? I know they won't lay every day like heavy egg-laying breeds, but they started to lay weeks ago and I rarely get more than 1 egg a day and most often there are none. I can't afford to feed these if they aren't going to lay
Quote:
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
Sue, I agree I have had chicks with feather shanks and toe at an early age only to have it disappear at the Juve molt. I cull at hatch and again after the juve Molt. I believe to get good feathering they have to have feathering on the toe also.
I have several that had really nice feathering as chicks, down to the outside toes, only to lose it all with the juvie molt too. So, does that mean if they are bred to another with the same problem, or even to a mature bird with feathering, the same thing will happen to the offspring? If it's there to start, why does it leave? I fail to see just in my limited breedings, where getting in good and stable shank/toe feathering will be an easy thing! Same with combs, so Don, I agree with you there!
Speaking of leg feathering. Has anyone had chicks hatch with good feathering, only to find when the jeuvenile feathers come it, they lost it? I never keep a chick with clean legs. But have discovered some at a later age have bare legs...its very frustrating.
Sue, I agree I have had chicks with feather shanks and toe at an early age only to have it disappear at the Juve molt. I cull at hatch and again after the juve Molt. I believe to get good feathering they have to have feathering on the toe also.
I have several that had really nice feathering as chicks, down to the outside toes, only to lose it all with the juvie molt too. So, does that mean if they are bred to another with the same problem, or even to a mature bird with feathering, the same thing will happen to the offspring? If it's there to start, why does it leave? I fail to see just in my limited breedings, where getting in good and stable shank/toe feathering will be an easy thing! Same with combs, so Don, I agree with you there!
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I'd almost bet it's the heat holding them back this time of year, plus they are relatively new layers. I have 6 layers right now, and today I collected 2 eggs. Four are molting, and 3 of the 4 have been laying since last November. The other two are new layers that haven't found their groove yet, and it's been so dang hot. While they are not Leghorns, they will get better with time and cooler weather. Hang in there!
I'd almost bet it's the heat holding them back this time of year, plus they are relatively new layers. I have 6 layers right now, and today I collected 2 eggs. Four are molting, and 3 of the 4 have been laying since last November. The other two are new layers that haven't found their groove yet, and it's been so dang hot. While they are not Leghorns, they will get better with time and cooler weather. Hang in there!
Hey Debbi! How are you? I was just perusing Craigslist and ran across a dream of a deal. A couple sold their farm and are selling an incubator they made out of a blood bank fridge...its amazing! guess how many eggs it holds? 1,440!!!! I have some friends that live just near where these people are and are coming this way with a trailor in less than a month...and boy...I have to tell you I am tempted and a half!!!!!!!!!! And its even reasonable!!!!!.... AHHHHHHHH!!!! hahah...maybe that's all the caffeine I've had today talking...
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