Meet Sparkles,,,, Sparky

[RWise]

This boy was hatched 12/29, a bit of back ground.
Mom 75% Amauracana 25% Buff Orpington Blue (grey) in color. When I got her she was just finishing molt. In the yard where she was, a Bantum Silkie Rooster about 1.5 years old and maybe 6" tall. The girl said he had been mating the hens and it was the funneist thing to watch him grab her in the midle of her back and hang off her behind. I thought okay he's trying but he is not going to get anywhere. She was in molt and not laying, into solitary to weet the flock. About 2 weeks go by and she is squating for the Roo on the other side of the fence. I let them do their thing and she laid the next day, she was turned out with the flock and I have many chicks from her. I had nothing with leg feathers at the time, but I got this;







Now, he is missing 2 tail feathers that project straight up and curve back (him and his brother (2 feathers) got into it over a hen)(now seperated). In the last 2 pictures you can see his mom in the lower right corner. At 4 months old he outweighed my year old Amauracana Roo. I tried to get a front pic but no dice he would not go for it,,,,, (The black hen is my best broody 1 YO BA)

Since he is so big from a bantum Roo, just what might happen if he breads his mom? Would his off spring be bantum or????

 

[RWise]

Oh ya, I also have chicks in the yard without a mom since 3 days old, he will call them, talk to them and even feed them!
He is the oldest Roo in his area for now.
Is he a keeper?

 

[RWise]

I am certainly glad no one has an opinion!

 

[chooks4life]

He's cute, though I don't know about that baby tail he's decided to fashion into a miniature rooster tail... Looks like he got the full sized fowl's body and bantam tail and head, lol!

If he's so well behaved I would test him as a breeder, barring of course the presence of any serious genetic issues showing. In my experience once a bantam's thrown larger offspring they will likely throw larger offspring themselves, the larger genes often dominate, but you may be dealing with different genetics than I have. From his mother, I would guess you would get mainly or all larger offspring. Not that crossing back to the parents is the best idea... But each to their own. Sometimes it's a good idea.

If in doubt, try him out, I say. His attitude sounds careful enough with hens and chicks, so that's always a plus. Well, with mine it's a prerequisite, I won't tolerate a rooster who harms my hens or chicks, but that's just me. Best wishes with your experiments.

 

[RWise]

I'm no expert but I do love his looks, My YO BA Roo got into his area only to find the 7 month old cock is much bigger than him! (I got there fast) I am going to try him, dont know about putting him over Mom though, I know some would in a heart beat. I love his attitude, and it is required here as well. Rooster hurts one of my chicks (or hens or folks) and he pays with his head! I have too many to keep something that I dont like! Dont know what he will produce, he is 7 months old now and I have selected a 7 month pullet to put with him and hatch some from them next spring. She is EE (Red Ameraucana (EE) over Wheaton Ameraucana/Black Aussie (EE)) and her first eggs have been extra large and jumbo (tight fit in the jumbo box!). We will see what they produce,,, in time, got to fight the urge to set these lovely huge eggs! She's not old enuf, she's not old enuf she's no,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[jstamesngr]

IS THERE A CERTAIN TIME OF YEAR THE HENS ARE BREEDABLE OR IS IT AN ALL YEAR AROUND THING? I HAVE A AURACAUNAS AND A BANTAM ROOSTER. I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM MATE BUT IF THEY DO I WON'T MIND, I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHEN SO I DON'T TAKE THE FERTILIZED EGG BY MISTAKE - IS THERE A SET SEASON? SEEMS CHICKS COME IN THE SPRING BUT IS THAT A BREEDER THING OR IS THAT THE NATURAL CYCLE?

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: lol, I know how that is. I too want to set all extra-good looking eggs I get... But I only breed from young pullets to get cull chooks, since they always produce mainly roosters and never high quality ones, in my experience. Breed her now if you want a crop of guaranteed munchers or maybe the odd sub-par pullet. I only get breeder-worthy roosters from my older hens, for some reason their earlier sons never match up, by a long shot.

Also extra large eggs tend to produce sluggish, obese babies who are set back by their weight, because by the time they're fit enough to start keeping up with mum, any thinner, smaller babies that hatched in the same clutch have already overtaken them in size and heath and the once-fat bubs never catch up. Too big an egg equals too much egg white with its high sugars for them to absorb. Does them no favors, it's a false economy.

Quote: It depends on the hen. No breed is a guaranteed broody or non-broody no matter what the books tell you; what matters is how the most recent ancestors of your chook were kept and fed. Instinct is easily bred in and out of chooks. All it takes is a few generations of preventing hens from being natural mothers, or allowing them.

The time of year they go broody depends on when they hatched, if they even have the ability to brood and mother; spring is a general guideline but no guarantee. Generally if you have a rooster who is mating with your hens, and not too many hens for him to successfully fertilize the eggs from, after a month of him being with them you can assume they're fertile. Most will be. Natural cycles and behaviors aren't really inherent in chickens anymore, we've bred them out to a massive degree.

Some hens will brood once a year, some will brood again as soon as every clutch has been raised to an age where they can fend for themseves --- which can be as often as every three months or less. And some hens will brood themselves to death but will ignore or kill any babies you give them; all they're good for is eating or laying.

I have had 'non-broody' high production layer breeds including Isabrowns turn broody and be great mothers after a year on the right diet in the right environment. But I've also had supposed 'broody' breeds fail to brood or be mothers.

Just because a hen has the hormonal pattern to go broody does not guarantee she can be a mother to anything she hatches. There are many varying degrees of instinct.

For best results feed a pinch of kelp per bird per day mixed with their feed, and after a year you'll start getting the best hatchlings you've ever seen, which will grow up free from almost all health issues into the best chooks you've ever seen, which will over the course of the next generations improve continually on what went before. Kelp is a hormone regulator and complete multivitamin and mineral source and recovers lost instincts while also making them calmer and friendlier, and it brings out their best genetics. It also enables them to be reliably sexed as babies because they develop so much faster. It's just seaweed, but the effects are amazing.

 

[RWise]

IS THERE A CERTAIN TIME OF YEAR THE HENS ARE BREEDABLE OR IS IT AN ALL YEAR AROUND THING? I HAVE A AURACAUNAS AND A BANTAM ROOSTER. I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM MATE BUT IF THEY DO I WON'T MIND, I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHEN SO I DON'T TAKE THE FERTILIZED EGG BY MISTAKE - IS THERE A SET SEASON? SEEMS CHICKS COME IN THE SPRING BUT IS THAT A BREEDER THING OR IS THAT THE NATURAL CYCLE?

Watch him/them in the morning and just before they go to roost, this is when my Roo's are most active!
Chicks are sold in the spring as they are easier to care for, I have had chicks every month starting in December!

 

[RWise]

For best results feed a pinch of kelp per bird per day mixed with their feed, and after a year you'll start getting the best hatchlings you've ever seen, which will grow up free from almost all health issues into the best chooks you've ever seen, which will over the course of the next generations improve continually on what went before. Kelp is a hormone regulator and complete multivitamin and mineral source and recovers lost instincts while also making them calmer and friendlier, and it brings out their best genetics. It also enables them to be reliably sexed as babies because they develop so much faster. It's just seaweed, but the effects are amazing.

Where do you get the kelp? About what does it cost to feed to them?

 

[chooks4life]

Kelp in Australia is bought at any health food shop or animal produce store, whether for pets or livestock. It comes powdered or granulated. It's about $6 a kilo here, but since each animal only needs one pinch per day, a kilo lasts me a very long time. I give it to all my pets and livestock of every kind, and also myself and my family eat it. Getting and keeping creatures healthy prevents most diseases and ensures quicker recovery from illness and injury. It makes sense to me in the short term to spend a little more than average to ensure health, because in the longer term disease is very expensive.