New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[speckledhen]

How unusual! I really LOVE this guy:


The red was just confusing me a lot, but maybe it was just something in the "floating" genes of the ones you had. I really don't care if something like that pops up. When I got with Tom, I just said to send me whatever he had, any color, even mixed or project colors, no matter. I just wanted more Brahmas since Caroline is way up there in age now. I got birds from his Blue Partridge male over Partridge hens and from his straight Dark pen and was very happy with that.

 

[junebuggena]

When I bred blue partridge to blue partridge, I got some reds. They almost look like buff Brahmas. I'm not sure what may have been in the background of my original boys, though. Here's another blue splash.



Somehow, I've gotten quite a few solid blue hens and now am getting some unusual colors, although I'm not really seriously trying to breed anything right now.





You've got me wanting to start breeding partridges again, although my girls are all pretty old!

The last two birds are Lavender. Lavender should never be bred to Blue.

 

[junebuggena]

Took them outside for awhile and they went right to dustbathing, but I snapped a few better pictures in the full daylight then ran out of battery power. They are 5 weeks old today. I hope by next week, I'll have them all pegged by sex, FINALLY! At this point, I'm about to just look for red combs and forget looking at color patterns!

I'm sort of confused about the Partridge males. Is there one BL PT male? Are there two BL PT males? I know the one Partridge that Tom said watch for vulture hocks, but I'm not sure if the other two are PT or BL PT, ack! They are definitely lighter but have the red chest and hackles so I do think they're male, but which color?

This first picture, largest PT male on the left, but what color is the one considered on the right? Is it BL PT? Or am I completely wrong on sex? I swear, just when I think I know what I have, I go back to the drawing board. Partridge coloring, black breast male, red breast pullet, I've read, so is that a pullet or cockerel on the right? Seems too shiny red to be female, but what do I know? Apparently, not much, LOL!










If I have a blue Partridge rooster and 2 blue Partridge hens (in addition to the PT and the DK girls), I will possibly get a splash Partridge chick. @Sjisty do you have a splash Partridge you could show me? I see so many mislabeled birds on the internet, I want to make sure what I'm looking at.

Partridge should be fairly easy to sex. But some 'breeders' have really messed up pattern genes and males don't always have the correct black chest. Any boys that don't have the proper patterning, once matured, should be culled. Comb development and 'rooster' red shoulders are your best guides for determining gender.

 

[speckledhen]

Partridge should be fairly easy to sex. But some 'breeders' have really messed up pattern genes and males don't always have the correct black chest. Any boys that don't have the proper patterning, once matured, should be culled. Comb development and 'rooster' red shoulders are your best guides for determining gender.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pick my keeper male way earlier than is optimal. I have very little room for this group until some of my old hens pass away so I won't be able to wait for them to actually mature before rehoming the extra males. I just need to know enough about the ones here to be able to determine which may have something I absolutely do not want; since this is only a hobby flock, not a serious breeder flock, it's not as critical to wait that long.

 

[junebuggena]

I'd keep the guy on the left. Fast developing, and easy to sex. Those are genes worth keeping. As the others become apparent, cull. Any chick with substantial comb development and that shade of red through the shoulder would be male for sure, regardless of chest coloring. Any males with gold through the chest should not be kept for future breeding. Pullets should have even patterning through the chest.
The 'Red Splash' in the previous posts look like Blue/Splash Buffs, but with too much patterning; or Splash Partridge with very incorrect patterning. In either case, not birds that should be used for breeding.

 

[speckledhen]

I'd keep the guy on the left. Fast developing, and easy to sex. Those are genes worth keeping. As the others become apparent, cull. Any chick with substantial comb development and that shade of red through the shoulder would be male for sure, regardless of chest coloring. Any males with gold through the chest should not be kept for future breeding. Pullets should have even patterning through the chest.
The 'Red Splash' in the previous posts look like Blue/Splash Buffs, but with too much patterning; or Splash Partridge with very incorrect patterning. In either case, not birds that should be used for breeding.

I appreciate the input. I like that male, but he may be developing vulture hocks. So far, the feathers seem soft, but it's still early. He is definitely the largest male and I really like him, coloring, bearing, just all of it, as long as he has proper hock feathering.

I wanted to keep a blue Partridge male just because I love their looks, but depending on if I even have one or not, a partridge male over blue partridge hens would be fine, too.

 

[speckledhen]

I think the big Blue Partridge may be a slow developing male after all. We all called it at the beginning and now, I think I see bright orange shoulder feathers finally showing up. I want to end up with one cockerel and three pullets, minimum. If that is all I have and have to rehome a bunch of boys, at least they are rare colors and non-hatchery stock and maybe that will help with that. As Andrew told me when he was here, back when GF Farms started selling them, they were something like $99/chick, so that should be a selling point.

Shoulder feathers on the one BL Pt chick.





If you just look at the chick and don't really see that, looks very pullet-like. Whichever, it will stay. I wanted a blue partridge male all along from this batch. And the subtle color shadings are so pretty. If it's a pullet, I have several other cockerels to choose from. I simply need at least three pullets. I'm positive I do have one blue partridge, one partridge and one dark pullet. The others, well, time will tell. They are all such pretty chicks, though, aren't they? @brahmapapa I'm really loving their personalities so far at 5 weeks old.

 

[speckledhen]

Today, I witnessed a fight for dominance among these 5 weeks old chicks that I've never seen in all my years raising chickens, not in this age group. I've seen sparring, yes, but this was dead serious! The huge partridge cockerel was facing off with another of the males, trilling at each other, then the fight began, necks snaking together like ostriches, with the big guy actually holding head feathers and flogging the other. The smaller one refused to give up and so did the big guy. This went on and on with both me and my DH watching, our mouths hanging open. I completely forgot I had my camera in my pocket and could have videoed the thing for you, ack!

When the smaller guy finally bowed to the big guy, there was a brief lull then another of the smaller males decided to try his luck at unseating the big guy, who by this time, was quite winded. I've never seen such a long, drawn-out, dead serious fight in chicks this young, ever! Not sure who won, but it's plain the the most dominant one at the moment is the great big dark Partridge male.

I did get photos before the fight so how I forgot my camera was in my pocket, I have no excuse.









The next three are all the same chick.








if the blue partridge below is a cockerel, he's much lighter than the other bl. Pt males.






So, I do have a Blue Partridge male or two, but I also really like the big Partridge male. They're all great! If I had to choose between two blue Partridge males, would you take the lighter one or the darker one? Which looks better as he matures?

 

[junebuggena]

At that age, 'fighting' is normal for both genders. I've got 7-week old chicks, and even the ones I'm positive of being pullets participate. It's all about dominance right now.
The Partridge is the best, in terms of coloring. Gold/red in the chest feathers is something to really stay away from. Your Blue boys just have too much pattern to be worth considering.

 

[speckledhen]

At that age, 'fighting' is normal for both genders. I've got 7-week old chicks, and even the ones I'm positive of being pullets participate. It's all about dominance right now.
The Partridge is the best, in terms of coloring. Gold/red in the chest feathers is something to really stay away from. Your Blue boys just have too much pattern to be worth considering.

No, I never judge sex by sparring, that's not what I'm saying at all. I know pullets do that, seen hundreds of pullet chicks beat the snot of out of the boys, however, after 11 years of raising chicks, this was the most serious of all the fights I've ever seen from 5 week olds.

I realize I didn't even get a picture of the big partridge boy this last time, dang it. Will have to go back and do that, if the barn light will let me.