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no worries Kim. That's the part that is weird about how he went thru his molt and how he is losing the color on his chest. He's always just had all red feathers and then either they molted out, or turned black as he's gotten older. the pic isn't the best I know, but its not really shafting...he's got a couple of feathers that from time to time when I'd look at him I wondered if it was, but have kept an eye on them and the shafting has gone away just like the rest of the feather. Its kind of like how the white on the birds eventually turns black in some. I don't know what to think really, just think its interesting and not like shafting I've seen on any of the photos I've seen of the Marans that have it. I'm really curious to see how he progresses and if more of that color will fade. Just in the last month, he has lost even more color and in the last month is when he was coming out of his molt. Regardless, its going to be really interesting to see what he produces!
IMHO, I believe he is worth test mating.
yeah...he is definitely going to be put into single pairings with a few of the ladies around here. That over coloring on his chest really has been about the only thing I didn't like about him...his tail sets a bit high, but has changed as he grown and widened out and such, so that's something I'm comfortable pairing with select girls. Really...everything else I like... I kind of go with the process in culling of taking out any birds when they are younger that have non negotiables...like comb defects, feathers on middle toes, squirrel tails and the like, and as I keep working on culling as birds are growing I continue to cull as things pop up, but by the time birds get a bit older and they have still made it here, then I start looking at what I can live with. What I can pair against another bird that might create more balanced offspring, like with the too short/too long backs, tail sets etc. If a bird has three things I don't like...beyond the culling for DQs and faults, as much as I like them...they go. The only time I will keep one is if I've had a hard year and lost another bird etc that would have been what I would pick. I will work with what I have and see if I can get something by pairing with the right girls/boys depending on the circumstance. That three number helps me set a limit and is like my built in check and balance that I'm not letting something slip through that shouldn't just because I like the personality of the bird or etc. So, having said all that, now that Gigantor's breast coloring has changed so dramatically in the last three months or so, I've really come to not find much about him I don't like...mostly just tail angle and that is workable.
no worries Kim. That's the part that is weird about how he went thru his molt and how he is losing the color on his chest. He's always just had all red feathers and then either they molted out, or turned black as he's gotten older. the pic isn't the best I know, but its not really shafting...he's got a couple of feathers that from time to time when I'd look at him I wondered if it was, but have kept an eye on them and the shafting has gone away just like the rest of the feather. Its kind of like how the white on the birds eventually turns black in some. I don't know what to think really, just think its interesting and not like shafting I've seen on any of the photos I've seen of the Marans that have it. I'm really curious to see how he progresses and if more of that color will fade. Just in the last month, he has lost even more color and in the last month is when he was coming out of his molt. Regardless, its going to be really interesting to see what he produces!
IMHO, I believe he is worth test mating.
yeah...he is definitely going to be put into single pairings with a few of the ladies around here. That over coloring on his chest really has been about the only thing I didn't like about him...his tail sets a bit high, but has changed as he grown and widened out and such, so that's something I'm comfortable pairing with select girls. Really...everything else I like... I kind of go with the process in culling of taking out any birds when they are younger that have non negotiables...like comb defects, feathers on middle toes, squirrel tails and the like, and as I keep working on culling as birds are growing I continue to cull as things pop up, but by the time birds get a bit older and they have still made it here, then I start looking at what I can live with. What I can pair against another bird that might create more balanced offspring, like with the too short/too long backs, tail sets etc. If a bird has three things I don't like...beyond the culling for DQs and faults, as much as I like them...they go. The only time I will keep one is if I've had a hard year and lost another bird etc that would have been what I would pick. I will work with what I have and see if I can get something by pairing with the right girls/boys depending on the circumstance. That three number helps me set a limit and is like my built in check and balance that I'm not letting something slip through that shouldn't just because I like the personality of the bird or etc. So, having said all that, now that Gigantor's breast coloring has changed so dramatically in the last three months or so, I've really come to not find much about him I don't like...mostly just tail angle and that is workable.
