show quality speckled sussex ??

[saladin]

There is a lot of truth in that statement. Don knows a lot about birds. He was the only one on staff at the ALBC that did. When he left, well, that didn't leave much.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
Now you need to find his name and address/phone number!!!!!!! PLEEEEEEAAAAAAASSE. . . .

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
My understanding from DOn was that he wrote the info on the selection process-- so yes really.

He selected for several traits at a time, not just one.

I have bred horses foryears. THe breed became the best in both jumping and dressage in the world. Because the selected HARD. Initally it was health of the animal ( legs, wind) and ability. THen they realized a pretty face was important to marketing, so the next generation of stallions had pretty faces/heads. THru selection of the stallions the whole population was effected. Eventually they turned to the hardiness again, and with more scientific studies tightened the requirements for the quality of the joints.

My point is the more numbers to select from ( out of 7000 colts born 40 stallions for breeding in a yr ) and selecting for a number of traits at a time in a thoughtful progression. WIth a huge computer to crunch all the numbers. lolTHe DUtch are excellent breeders.

 

[math ace]

Off topic here, But I just had to share.

I just realized that one of the two birds that I hatched from Walt this year is a male!
It KILLS me at how well the SS can hide their sex. I know within a few weeks which chicks are males with my Marans.
Same thing with the buff leghorns.

This pair of SS is close to 5 months old...







CLOSE TO 5 MONTHS old and look at how small that male's (2nd picture) comb is!

I just culled some of the extra birds, other breeds, from this pen. It gave me a chance to check these two out.
Lo and behold, I noticed that the second bird has male saddle feathers! SURPRISE.... I've been thinking all this time that I had TWO females...LOL..

 

[Arielle]

YEah!!!!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

My understanding from DOn was that he wrote the info on the selection process-- so yes really.

He selected for several traits at a time, not just one.

I have bred horses foryears. THe breed became the best in both jumping and dressage in the world. Because the selected HARD. Initally it was health of the animal ( legs, wind) and ability. THen they realized a pretty face was important to marketing, so the next generation of stallions had pretty faces/heads. THru selection of the stallions the whole population was effected. Eventually they turned to the hardiness again, and with more scientific studies tightened the requirements for the quality of the joints.

My point is the more numbers to select from ( out of 7000 colts born 40 stallions for breeding in a yr ) and selecting for a number of traits at a time in a thoughtful progression. WIth a huge computer to crunch all the numbers. lolTHe DUtch are excellent breeders.

I spoke with the judge after the show and he said that his birds that he had been breeding for close to 30 years. He gave me one of the best compliments I've ever heard and said that his birds wouldn't "hold a candle to what you have here today." I told him my plans and showed him what I wanted and asked what he would do. He said size as the bantams he's seen tend to be too small or look like spangled OEGB. He agreed with my breeding on this and while I agree with temperament being one of the last things, he agreed with me that the white down on the hackles could cause some major issues. The smaller male also wound up lacking width all the way through his body. While he looked good to the side, his width was puny in comparison.

I about cried when he told me how nice they were and he also requested some birds and eggs at the next show he'll be going to, which really made me feel great. How awesome is it that people can come together around something like that?

I agree with selecting several traits at a time, why limit myself to station alone when I have a male that has semi-ok station but has better size? The comb on the larger male isn't that great, but he has other attributes that make him a stronger choice than other males, one of them being his superior leg length and rounded breast, wide width of back, and better wing carriage.

I do still have 2 other males, one of them the original male I started with so still have choices, but I can definitely say they all somehow look similar to each other. I believe the males AND the females attribute in size, so choosing a small male to breed a larger female will give some good, some poor and some in between, whereas choosing a large male, with a large female will give all around (and generally speaking) larger chicks. From there, choose the birds with the best of what you are after.


As for having to hatch out large numbers of birds in order to select the best of your crop. I don't believe that. Sure, you might get there faster, but you are wasting feed on birds that you won't need, space on birds that won't amount to anything and you can hardly sell for the amount of feed you've used to grow them. I prefer to have selected groups of birds that have the traits I want for that specific breeding season instead of hatching large amounts of chicks. I will, maybe, hatch 25 or 30 chicks from any given pen and choose from the chicks that survive without coddling them. I want tough birds...not birds I have to baby and mother-hen for the entire lives.

 

[Arielle]

Isn't it wonderful to know from a solid source that you are doing wonderfully!! Great news.

As for numbers of birds, how many pens do you have set up? At 3-4 pens that is about the amount of birds I was thinking of. I don't see how that number would be a waste. I didn't mean to say 7000 offspring for the chickens, rather I was trying to point out the benefit of producing a greater number to select the best of the best. We eat a lot of chicken around here, and that as dual purpose the culls become dinner.

Hence, this is why I would want my SS to have plenty of meat.

 

[GreenRiverHen]

I hope someone is still reading this thread---I've read most of it!

thanks for all the info!!.....I have a question about feet. I have a couple of birds with blackish marks on the tops of their feet. I thought they were dirty at first but it doesn't come off. The skin is just discoloured on the tops of their toes. Has anyone seen this? Does it make them no good for breeding?

I have a bunch of birds maturing right now and i have to decide who to keep. Would anyone be willing to give their opinion on them if i post some pictues?

 

[Pozees]

I hope someone is still reading this thread---I've read most of it!

thanks for all the info!!.....I have a question about feet. I have a couple of birds with blackish marks on the tops of their feet. I thought they were dirty at first but it doesn't come off. The skin is just discoloured on the tops of their toes. Has anyone seen this? Does it make them no good for breeding?

I have a bunch of birds maturing right now and i have to decide who to keep. Would anyone be willing to give their opinion on them if i post some pictues?

I would love to see pictures of your birds, and I suspect several will give you opinions if you ask for them

 

[math ace]

I hope someone is still reading this thread---I've read most of it!

thanks for all the info!!.....I have a question about feet. I have a couple of birds with blackish marks on the tops of their feet. I thought they were dirty at first but it doesn't come off. The skin is just discoloured on the tops of their toes. Has anyone seen this? Does it make them no good for breeding?

I have a bunch of birds maturing right now and i have to decide who to keep. Would anyone be willing to give their opinion on them if i post some pictues?

YES....We will provide feedback on your pictures.
Take your time to take the best pictures..
You will need to post pics from the back, top, side, and front of the birds.
Try to catch them posing naturally - not on one front, not alert / alarmed, not laying down.

We are not super fast responding on this thread, so give us a few days to get back with you.

Blackish marks on the tops of their feet.... Please post a picture of it...