Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Molpet]

Tax
I thought this CX was dead with the feet out behind, until I walked up and he raised his head. Heat index was around 100f.

Some siblings

 

[fuzzi]

Naomi's eggs were all dead, but she went back to set on the last two.

I went for a drive and brought her back a reward for her faithfulness:

She gave them gentle pecks to get them in place, and pushed the last one underneath with her beak. They quieted down. Poor little peeps, all they've known is noise and lights, now they have a Mommy.

More:

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Naomi's eggs were all dead, but she went back to set on the last two.

I went for a drive and brought her back a reward for her faithfulness:
View attachment 4159480
She gave them gentle pecks to get them in place, and pushed the last one underneath with her beak. They quieted down. Poor little peeps, all they've known is noise and lights, now they have a Mommy.

More:

Awwww… What breed are they?

Edit: just saw your post on your journal thread! So cute!

 

[fuzzi]

Awwww… What breed are they?

Edit: just saw your post on your journal thread! So cute!

I have no idea what breed(s), hopefully clean-legged. I prefer those, as it gets muddy here.

 

[Skyeknight]

I have no idea what breed(s), hopefully clean-legged. I prefer those, as it gets muddy here.

You should be able to see that right now! chickens with feathered legs should already born with fuss on their legs.

 

[Perris]

Have you already discovered a phenotype that works in our biome or still a "work in progress"?

Nature is doing all the relevant work, and that's always a work in progress isn't it?

seems to suggest crests are a recessive gen. As far as I am aware most body structure type genes are co- dominant, examples being crests

I understood that the crest gene was co-dominant, but I'd started to question my understanding this year, when I realised that many youngsters here lack a crest, despite roos no. 1 and 2 both being crested.

In particular, one (and age-wise, the middle one) of the 3 look-a-like roos lacks one: Gwynedd otherwise closely resembles his presumed dad Killay, who has one, and his brother/ cousin/ nephew/ son Nefyn, who has one. (G and N were shown a few pages back, here https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/post-28676758 and K is my avatar) So where did it go? How did that work?

fwiw, G is also unusual in that he has double spurs, which has not been seen here before, and is not present in any other male, so presumably he got that from his mum. I read that's also a dominant gene, so presumably will show up in any young male he sired...?

 

[Skyeknight]

Nature is doing all the relevant work, and that's always a work in progress isn't it?

Well if that isn't the truth! But generally speaking ecosystems tend to exist long enough for certain phenotypes to stay the same for while. Or millions of years, looking at you coelacanth and horseshoe crab . I do think I have read you writing you do add new breeds every once in a while, so guess it's always changing how exciting!

I understood that the crest gene was co-dominant, but I'd started to question my understanding this year, when I realised that many youngsters here lack a crest, despite roos no. 1 and 2 both being crested.

In particular, one (and age-wise, the middle one) of the 3 look-a-like roos lacks one: Gwynedd otherwise closely resembles his presumed dad Killay, who has one, and his brother/ cousin/ nephew/ son Nefyn, who has one. (G and N were shown a few pages back, here https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rescued-chickens-thread.1502267/post-28676758 and K is my avatar) So where did it go? How did that work?

That's how I understood it too. In your specific flock I would think most should be heterozygous and the specific rooster just didn't inherit that gene.

But you do raise an interesting question. I only know the theoretical stuff which suggest that Polish are homozygous well all the other smaller crests are heterozygous. I have seen some small variation in crest size, as the farther my flock went from their Polish ancestor the smaller the crests became. But this homozygous and heterozygous view seems to suggest cream legbars, brabanters and spitzhauben are heterozygous. So maybe there are indeed multiple genes going on behind the scenes, or the smaller crests of these breeds could be an ancestor version of the Polish one and are therefore still homozygous?

Showing this image from a paper that created a taxonomy of old Dutch breeds. Sadly it doesn't show other European breeds. there are 2 Polish breeds listed as Polish bearded tends to refer to Padovana, which is a seperate breed.

fwiw, G is also unusual in that he has double spurs, which has not been seen here before, and is not present in any other male, so presumably he got that from his mum. I read that's also a dominant gene, so presumably will show up in any young male he sired...?

Don't know much about double spurs yet. But I do know they are very hard to psot on females. So somewhere you did get a double spurred chicken and if that was a long time ago then its only been inherited by the hens so far, until now that is. If you are able maybe check your hens and see if you can spot an indication of double spurs?

 

[kattabelly]

Life is so much easier when a rooster will let you do this. I'm checking for any infection.

That comb!

 

[Perris]

I do think I have read you writing you do add new breeds every once in a while, so guess it's always changing how exciting!

yes indeed, I've brought in quite a lot of different genes via hatching eggs, and generally I've had great hatch rates and most make it to maturity, and I've tried to include at least one egg from each hen in home-bred clutches, so there might be a real smorgasbord of genes floating around now

most should be heterozygous and the specific rooster just didn't inherit that gene

of course;

the farther my flock went from their Polish ancestor the smaller the crests became

my first roo was homozygous crest Swedish Flower. My matriarch is homozygous crest Araucana (UK type, with tail, beard and muffs, not US type with ear tufts and no tail). Few young since then have been homozygous, and the drift has been to smaller and smaller crests in their descendants, as with your experience. So I think you're right, something else is going on here.

So somewhere you did get a double spurred chicken and if that was a long time ago then its only been inherited by the hens so far, until now that is. If you are able maybe check your hens and see if you can spot an indication of double spurs?

my suspicion would be Eve, she was a Norfolk Grey and she sported one magnificent spur, on her right leg. You can see it on this photo

 

[Skyeknight]

yes indeed, I've brought in quite a lot of different genes via hatching eggs, and generally I've had great hatch rates and most make it to maturity, and I've tried to include at least one egg from each hen in home-bred clutches, so there might be a real smorgasbord of genes floating around now

Have you ever thought about making a family tree? Could be fun! A general expectation of what the chicks will look like can be made if you know the parents. No matter the amount of genes present in your flock. I do love the genetic diversity you are establishing, but if you are chosing which eggs to hatch it could never be considered a landrace, right ?

my suspicion would be Eve, she was a Norfolk Grey and she sported one magnificent spur, on her right leg. You can see it on this photo

Potentially, since it's a relatively recent breed and we don't know the genetic make up. But as far as I can find right now the spur growth is not connected to the double spur genes.

I read that's also a dominant gene, so presumably will show up in any young male he sired...?

Also I didn't answer this. 50% of chicks should inherit he double spurs regardless if they are male or female. Although that is assuming he will only mate with normal spurred hens.