show quality speckled sussex ??

[math ace]

question

I'm looking at my 5 cckl and the dominating feature of all of them is squirrel tail. THe father is the same for all 5 boys, and the mothers were possibly 6 different hens. THe father doesn't have squirrel tail. Is there an age where the boys have a terrible tail, or should I assume these tails all need to go??

I have not noticed an age where the tail is higher and then lowers... I know if some breeds, specifically the leghorns, that can be the case. However, with the SS I think what you see is pretty much what you are going to end up when it comes to tail angle.

If the father doesn't have a squirrel tail, then where do you think it came from? How are the tails on the hens?

 

[math ace]

ChristinaB,
When compared to the Sewell print above, there are a few things that you should keep in mind when selecting a male for your hens.
First off, a couple of your hens have a topline with a break at the tail. The tail angle is too high. The topline should be almost horizontally flat through the tail. The hen in the last photo has the best tail angle. Unfortunately, she looks like she might be the smallest of the group.

Color... I am seeing feather shafting. I don't know what causes it or how to breed it out, but it seems to be a common problem with today's SS. The color is not as defined as it should be. The white is blurry in some areas and all different sizes. I think the tip of the tail feathers should be darker than they are.

Type...

As far as quality or showing... My local chicken show has not had any large fowl SS for 4 years straight. I have a tainted view because of this. I feel a hatchery quality SS is better than no SS. It sounds like you have a lack of SS in your area too. So, go ahead and show them. What's it going to hurt?

You will get experience with the actual showing procedures, PLUS you will get feedback from the judge.

 

[CristinaB]

Forgive my noobishness... what is "feather shafting"?

 

[math ace]

ChristinaB,
When compared to the Sewell print above, there are a few things that you should keep in mind when selecting a male for your hens.
First off, a couple of your hens have a topline with a break at the tail. The tail angle is too high. The topline should be almost horizontally flat through the tail. The hen in the last photo has the best tail angle. Unfortunately, she looks like she might be the smallest of the group.

Color... I am seeing feather shafting. I don't know what causes it or how to breed it out, but it seems to be a common problem with today's SS. The color is not as defined as it should be. The white is blurry in some areas and all different sizes. I think the tip of the tail feathers should be darker than they are.

Type...I am having a hard time with type... I think there is too much fluff on the butt. I think we should see tighter leg feathering in such a manner that the legs are noticed. Your girls have so much loose feathering on the bottom that the legs just look like they are part of the underline... Man... I don't know if that is going to make sense to you.. Sorry, I did the best I could on explaining that. Perhaps, Don will pop in here in the next day or two and do a better job of explaining what is wrong in this area..

As far as quality or showing... My local chicken show has not had any large fowl SS for 4 years straight. I have a tainted view because of this. I feel a hatchery quality SS is better than no SS. It sounds like you have a lack of SS in your area too. So, go ahead and show them. What's it going to hurt?

You will get experience with the actual showing procedures, PLUS you will get feedback from the judge.
If there are some really good, top of the line ss there, then you will get to immediately, in real time, compare them to yours.
Winning at a show is good. Learning at a show is even better

 

[math ace]

Forgive my noobishness... what is "feather shafting"?

Nothing to forgive. We are have to learn at some time.
Don, Snowbird, was my teacher... and trust me, I asked him more questions than anyone on this thread could ever ask me LOL..


In those first 40 pages of the SOP, you will find mention of feather shafting.
In most breeds, it is considered a fault.
It is when the feather shaft is one color while the body of the feather is another.
For instance, the body of the feather is a dark brown while the shaft is a much lighter brown...

 

[CristinaB]

Thank you so much for the honest and easy to understand explanation. I learn so much faster when folks are honest. It is my intent to learn how to show and to get some quality SS showing in my region. Maybe it is a pipe dream, but I think I have the patience to pull it off.

I was so disappointed in the lack of Sussex chickens in general at the Frederick show last weekend. The next show I will attend is near Richmond Va, where I hope to network a little and learn a lot.

So this illustration is considered a perfect example? The angles, colors, etc?

It helps me so much to be able to ask questions. Keep on teaching, I have a lot to learn!

 

[math ace]

CristinaB... Nothing is ever perfect when it comes to the sketches, but the above is pretty good.
The picture will help you understand the words from the SOP.

Let's face it.... It is hard to find an ugly SS! Even when they are far different from the SOP, the SS are still pretty birds.

Feel free to ask questions any time. I am a little slow getting back to posting, but the other folks will jump in and assist too.
We don't have the activity on this thread that other threads do, but we do have some wonderful sweet people who just LOVE the SS.
We all share one trait... We want the Best SS we can have...

Welcome to our world.

 

[Morgan Jones]

I have noticed Speckled Sussex in US are on e+, whereas Speckled Sussex in UK are on eWh. I think shaftiness is harder to control in e+ birds.

 

[math ace]

I have noticed Speckled Sussex in US are on e+, whereas Speckled Sussex in UK are on eWh. I think shaftiness is harder to control in e+ birds.

You will have to wait until Karen (threerivers) joins us for a second opinion... I don't do the e+ or e- thing... I have a hard enough time understand the written ENGLISH word of the SOP without venturing deeper into the underworld of genetic coding

 

[Morgan Jones]

You will have to wait until Karen (threerivers) joins us for a second opinion... I don't do the e+ or e- thing... I have a hard enough time understand the written ENGLISH word of the SOP without venturing deeper into the underworld of genetic coding

LOL being "math ace" you'll probably get on well with genetics if/when you get into it.