Raven, Normally you will lose some of the egg color 1st. generation and it will come back the 2nd, or 3rd generation. I would breed the 1st. generation back to the parents. I just do not like brother sister breeding. If you breed these together the 1st. year the color will go down and will come back if you stay within the family.
Don't keep a bird just for the leg feathering that can be worked on with other more important things. Type needs to be in your birds first and correct coloring this cockerel is younger than yours as he hatched after Easter. I like this type of topline as the tail always raises up and he does have nicely feathered shanks but I started with one hen with feathered shanks and a beefy rooster with clean legs. This cockerel will be mated back to his mother to see what I get as his sire has some faults so his sisters are going to be mated to a different bird with less faults and better egg color still related just not as close. I found it hard to get any cuckoos with width, depth and size without some faults so I single mated and culled lots and I hatched many shipped eggs to get 3 good birds to start with. This is a project pen and I have a few babies to take the next step with and my 2nd year of working with them-next year I will see what I started with really.
Thank you for the info. Based on this I will probably rehome my current roosters and next year look for a show/breeding quality rooster.Don't keep a bird just for the leg feathering that can be worked on with other more important things. Type needs to be in your birds first and correct coloring this cockerel is younger than yours as he hatched after Easter. I like this type of topline as the tail always raises up and he does have nicely feathered shanks but I started with one hen with feathered shanks and a beefy rooster with clean legs. This cockerel will be mated back to his mother to see what I get as his sire has some faults so his sisters are going to be mated to a different bird with less faults and better egg color still related just not as close. I found it hard to get any cuckoos with width, depth and size without some faults so I single mated and culled lots and I hatched many shipped eggs to get 3 good birds to start with. This is a project pen and I have a few babies to take the next step with and my 2nd year of working with them-next year I will see what I started with really.
it's perfet timimg to start looking this year. This late summer and fall, the top breeders will be down-sizing for their winter flocks. Get ahold of them and put up a lovely adult male. That will also redeem the time you lost with these that didn't work out.
Quote: My plan with all my breeds is to have two lines, brothers in one and sisters in the other and swap back and forth so I don't breed brother and sister to each other. I think I am done, not going to add any new blood to my Copper lines. I started out with some nice dark layers (that was all he breed too was egg color) and ended up with a few for breeding so I am working with what I have. I don't have Davis Lines or Wade Lines (specifically, I know they are in there but lost)..... they are my lines now LOL.
Fingers crossed for good egg color from this first gen ..... Still have a few months but soon.
Prayer sent.
