The chicks I have hatched out of Reichert and Overton strains the past year all hatch out yellow, some with faint stripes on back, dark dots on heads etc. They have feathered out beautifully, most have correct ground color. Tony Albritton, Overton, Reichert all seem to be hatching out yellow, gold, some with reddish cast, some with faint dark splotches or faint striping. No chipmunks here.
I kinda miss those little buggers.
something is off base here. Chick down should be definitive. The only way i see for these yellowish chicks to be showing up is Wheaten allele. In USA, Speckleds are supposed to be e+ ( wildtype based). I know in other parts of the world they can be eb( Brown based). I will just wait and see. I think eventually the ground color is going to lighten overall. it should be a bay mahogany in the adults. Are yous eeing that bay mahogany now from these yellowish chicks? e+ and eWh have a curious gentic affinity for each other.
The early breeders were so concerned about the underfluff color affecting the top color they actually changed the Standard ( American Poultry Journal 1921 Vol. 52 or 53.) to make sure. They were equally cognizant of chick down color and the color of the adults. Yeah, I guess they would feather out nicely. From what I have read, eventually the ground color
will effect the speckling. Miller does touch on that in his article when he discusses putting together the mating pens by color. Color balancing a tri-color variety is hard enough. That's why I opt for simple color palettes in my birds. I think allowing the chick down color to get sideways is a mistake. I think the variety will see the ill effects down the road as the ground color lightens to a red or light brown or something other than Mahogany Bay. I wouldn't keep one of these "yellow" chicks if you paid me, regardless of how they feathered out as adults. For me, the adult feathering out is just an excuse to not deal with an obvious genetic problem in the chick down. But hey, I don't have a dog in this hunt any more.
For my future my Chantie chicks? When I start hatching next year ( I get my birds around Aug. 2017). They will be right or they will be culled. I am a firm fan of proper chick down.
see post 1905 in this thread. that is Brian Wood's Champion Speckled Sussex hen. Pull it up in a separate window and keep reading here.
The most perfect speckled hen I have ever seen. ( English River Poultry) , BYC : Woodsy . Such symmetry, such grace of type. Lovely patterning in the speckling. Here is a hen whose type one could use as a bellwether for one's breeding program. Look how she positions her body over her legs. Perfect angles. The Sussex is breed of gentle sweeping curves which should meld seamlessly as they do in this bird. The curves of the neck, breast, body all flow into one another so seamlessly that no extremes interrupt the eye as it moves across the bird's body. That is "symmetry" and gracefulness. It is the "it" factor that makes a Champion. One can have a bird with all the correct parts. But unless it is assembled with this symmertry and grace it will not be a "great " bird.
the time tested axiom is "All the great ones look alike". They all have ( and this is a lesson most breeders never learn and why they always stay middle of the road breeders) They all have thir correct parts assembled with symmetry and grace. It is what gives the bird or dog or cat etc. that extra "it" factor. Which lets the nunaces of the breed shine thru so the the creature literally "glows" its historic virtues. It "is" a Sussex.
The nuances of the breed. What are they? One learns about them by studying the history of the breed. Piece by piece one finds the major and minor hallmarks and the "why's" behind them as one studies the development of the breed and its attendant varieties. As one sees how the breeders winnowed out this and bred in that trait. As production virtues became instilled as breed type so a Sussex would not only look like one but produce like one.
.The different production virtues of the different varieties within the Sussex breed....yes, its true. ( see Outram 1938 reprint for a discussion of this). A Red Sussex isn't supposed to act or produce like a Light Sussex. etc.
.There was once a Cuckoo Sussex and Black Sussex, why did they disappear... See Outram 1925 Sussex book.
.Why are the Sussex close feathered and why are the smaller weights in hens more desirable? Read online "The Light Sussex" 9 page brochure by William White Broomhead at hathi trust digital library.
. Why did the old time breeds work successfully to breed brassiness out of the Light variety?-Outram , either book. We now have a
Light variety which will stay white no matter the weather or what you feed it. If not, something is wrong with the genetics in the bird.
. why do we care if the scales on the legs are fine and fit together closely? Why do we care if the skin on the comb and wattles is fine textured? Because fineness in skin and scales is indicative of fineness of skin on the rest of the bird.
.Why do we care about fineness of texture in the skin of the bird? Because fine textured skin stretches better to allow room for the swollen reproductive organs when the hens is laying. Less room for the organs, less eggs produced. Coarse skin does not stretch and tends to store up fat underneath it. Less room for repro organs due to fat and non-stretchy skin.
. why do we care about the shape of the head and the shape and color of the eye? Because they are all critically linked to the virtues of egg production. Literally the shape of the head and eye will tell you if your hen will be a good layer or not.
. Why do we care about the angle of the tail? Because the Sussex being a dual purpose fowl is used for meat as well as eggs. Thus we need a long back. The higher the angle of the tail the shorter the back. the lower the angle of the tail, the longer the back.
. Why do we care about the width of the feathers on the birds? Because a wider feather sheds water better and protects from weather better.
. why do we care our Sussex are close feathered and not loose feathered. 2 reasons. To protect from them being crossed with Orpingtons. And because the closer feathering lends itself to more eggs laid. How do I tell if my bird is properly close feathered? You should be able to see the definition of the thigh in the bird's silhouette. ( see the English River bird) If you cannot and it has an Orpington look of that full "petticoat" of feathers which obscures the bottom line of the bird and the outline of the thigh, then the bird is too loose feathered. Orpington:
http://www.unitedorpingtonclub.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=144238864
A Sussex should
never resemble an Orpington.
There is so much more to this breed. So many more nuances to learn about. History tells it all and ya'll are very blessed to have a breed with such a rich literary history in English. Once again, as in Marans I am dealing with a breed history in French with the Chanteclers, sigh.
Ya'll are very fortunate to have a breed where the breed type is virtually the same as the production virtues.
Truly, if it doesn't look like a Sussex, it's not a Sussex.
Best,
Karen
Also my first hatch of 2017 is all spoken for now. Which makes me double happy.
