Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[B123]

U shoulda told him u were glad he was selling cause u been wanting to ask ever since u saw it while looking over his fence

Lol!

 

[flypen]

I am looking to get some tie cords, just something general purpose for a little exercise during the day.  Any pro's or con's on something like this?

http://www.randallburkey.com/deluxe-tie-cord-8-nylon-1-dozen-cords.html

The leg strap on them are easy to use, you'll like them.

 

[B123]

The leg strap on them are easy to use, you'll like them.

Thanks everyone for your help! I went with the rubber cords and the nylon hitch. It is just nice to have the birds out on the yard, but unfortunately, they do not play well together....

 

[centrarchid]

Second hen to come off with backup brood. Seven chicks. All clutches starting off with fewer eggs and then chicks.

 

[centrarchid]

This hen is one I have been line breeding back to for three generations.

Brown-breasted brown red she was bred to start line breeding efforts based on her.

This was the best out of a half dozen bullstags produced out from the mating above.

I got only three stags to choose from in next round and this is the guy that got into the breeding pen with his mother / paternal grandmother. This guy is shows signs of henny feathering and is well into molt at time of photograph which occured after he did his stint in the breeding pen.

Doing a little better this round with four stags still in the running. They all look very much like this guy which shown previously in thread. I suspect he will show the hennie look as well and may not have to be in cock-feathering to do so.

Today five stags / cocks serving as backups to this effort where culled to chicken recipes to make room for the last stag and his brothers. They young stags had to be separated about a week ago.


Next spring I will spare not expense producing chicks from the old hen and this last stag or one of his brothers. Then the following year pairwise matings between full siblings will be used to ID birds best suited for resetting line. The last step may take a couple years to try different pairings. This will help ID birds with least probability of carrying forward alleles that can cause problems with inbreeding.



I have another line founded with another cock although it is a generation behind. The testing part is what will cost so much because a lot of birds needed for evaluations.

 

[centrarchid]

I am having the first time I can remember, problems with a snake. It took a two-week old game chick and a clutch of eggs being produced by a broody. Dogs have been killing a lot of snakes but this one has been lucky so far. It has numerous vole burrows to use as refuge. We will get him proper. My guess it is a big old Bullsnake.

 

[JShubin]

This was the best out of a half dozen bullstags produced out from the mating above.



I got only three stags to choose from in next round and this is the guy that got into the breeding pen with his mother / paternal grandmother. This guy is shows signs of henny feathering and is well into molt at time of photograph which occured after he did his stint in the breeding pen.


Doing a little better this round with four stags still in the running. They all look very much like this guy which shown previously in thread. I suspect he will show the hennie look as well and may not have to be in cock-feathering to do so.


Today five stags / cocks serving as backups to this effort where culled to chicken recipes to make room for the last stag and his brothers. They young stags had to be separated about a week ago.


Next spring I will spare not expense producing chicks from the old hen and this last stag or one of his brothers. Then the following year pairwise matings between full siblings will be used to ID birds best suited for resetting line. The last step may take a couple years to try different pairings. This will help ID birds with least probability of carrying forward alleles that can cause problems with inbreeding.



I have another line founded with another cock although it is a generation behind. The testing part is what will cost so much because a lot of birds needed for evaluations.

So everybody knows me well enough to know its in my nature to question your culling (reasons and practices). Do you not sell any extra stags/cocks? Do you not get attached to these birds that you watch grow up? They go through so much trying to survive and you just cull these survivors because of some subjective flaw that deems them unfit.

I dont know your fowl personally but these warriors/survivors deserve better than that. Just my opinion.

Do you have photos of the ones you culled?

 

[attimus]

My first hatched out cockeral from my jumper trio.

 

[JShubin]

Saturday heatwave. Nap time with my little fellow

 

[centrarchid]

So everybody knows me well enough to know its in my nature to question your culling (reasons and practices). Do you not sell any extra stags/cocks? Do you not get attached to these birds that you watch grow up? They go through so much trying to survive and you just cull these survivors because of some subjective flaw that deems them unfit. 

I dont know your fowl personally but these warriors/survivors deserve better than that. Just my opinion. 

Do you have photos of the ones you culled?

I suspect you cull in you own way in a manner that in the end is at least as grievous as mine. Additionally your breeding practices are such that few people down the road will value your birds as much as you do. Think about how that impacts the long-term outlook of your lines.

Space is limiting. With linebreeding an individuals sole purpose is to be bred back to a parent and held as backup until offspring are ready to fill same role. I cull many more before they reach an age where I give an individual a go in the brood pen. I always also keep full-sibling backups for the event a first string breeder is lost. A bird used as a breeder is kept on until its own offspring produce offspring. That saved me a year a couple of years back.

The birds serve multiple purposes and those not deemed top of line are consumed early to reduce cost of operation overall, I do gift some occasionally but do not do so with birds that are not at least B-grade.

Second male bird above was culled at 3 years of age. Third will be held until his offspring produce offspring next spring. It is not practical to generate images of all, especially for simply showing here.

At this time these birds have value only to me and I have no interest in putting them out there for parties that are not fully vested in their upkeep.