rumpless Delaware -- how'd this happen?

[CovenantCreek]

Since all of my Delawares have tails, how did this one come out rumpless?

He's the second I've hatched like this -- the first was a cockerel hatched with from the same batch of eggs the rest of my Dellies came from. I didn't keep him because he was obviously not up to the standard.

Anyone want a rumpless Dellie for a breeding project? Maybe rumpless, Delaware colored, blue egg laying EEs?

 

[speckledhen]

Well, isn't that something! No ideas here, though.

 

[seriousbill]

It can be genetic, or it can be accidental/congenital. Shipping stress can cause it, for instance. There are several forms of rumplessness. Here's some information:

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Rumplessness.html

 

[enola]

Do Delawares lay a brown egg ?

If they do, when you cross them with a blue egg laying chicken, you will get GREEN eggs.

 

[hinkjc]

Hutt explains induced rumplessness in Genetics of the Fowl as well. He mentions changing environmental temps abruptly during the first week of incubation resulted in about 7.5% rumpless chicks. Also, shaking eggs prior to incubation can result in rumplessness.

 

[CovenantCreek]

I didn't realize there were so many ways to get a rumpless bird. Wow. I'm leaning toward the recessive type since his parents all came from the same breeder and batch of eggs as the other rumpless cockerel. It would make sense that they might be related and carry a recessive gene that managed to get expressed.

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
I knew about the shaking, but I didn't know about the temp changes. Interesting, Jody

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, Jody, I had no idea about that, either. Very good info!

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Breed him to some Araucanas and you'd have some rumpless EEs!

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
I've got a rumpless splash Ameraucana that I hatched out... must have been caused by shipping?