show quality speckled sussex ??

[neftaball]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
Sorry you didn't have a better hatch, but your loner is adorable!

Who did you hatch them from?

~ Aspen

Getting hatching eggs this time of year, really reduces hatch rate. The heat can really do a number on them.​

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Sorry you didn't have a better hatch, but your loner is adorable!

Who did you hatch them from?

~ Aspen

Getting hatching eggs this time of year, really reduces hatch rate. The heat can really do a number on them.

Yep.

I have tons of eggs coming in September, hoping for a much better hatch rate.

~ Aspen

 

[math ace]

NOW returning to our regularly scheduled topic of .. .

"Show Quality Speckled sussex".

I have been real busy and may of missed some feedback requests.... Did anyone post a feedback / critique request and not receive it?
If so, refer us back to your post so that we can continue with the purpose of this thread....

 

[math ace]

Hey Snowbird,

I've been working on thinning my culls from my flock of SS. I am going to focus on building size into my flock.

I know color is important, but 2/3rds of the show points are for shape. A third of the points are for color.
This is one breed where size and color seem to be issues.

These birds are suppose to be BIGGER than my marans. WOW

most of the SS I see have a long way to go before they get that big.

I will be looking at other factors when I cull ( pinched tail, bad combs, general shape, crows head, solid white feathers), but I am putting size at the top of the list....

How bad of a Strategy is this?
I will, of course, keep my eyes open for better stock. HOWEVER, until I find better I will work with what I have right now.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Lisa, will make a comment here. If you are only going to work with the pictured SS you have it will be a waste of good time. You will need to bring in some new SOP type SS on at least one side to mix in with your present SS. Working with just the size and type is a waste of good time also. There is no reason that anyone can not work on the entire bird at the same time. If anyone only works one faults one at a time, you will never accomplish getting rid of the Faults. Just my opinion.

 

[meepitqueenie]

.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Aww!!

~ Aspen

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Cute chicks meepitqueenie, BUT ......
Let's try to keep this thread dedicated to questions about breeding or identifying show quality speckled sussex.
There is a sussex thread already where chick photos can be posted .... This is the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=279509

I tried forever to get a serious discussion going on breeding speckled sussex and I don't want to delute the thread with anything else....

I hope you appreciate all the hard work that has gone into providing all the information provided in this thread.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I hear what you are saying. I am on the look out for new blood and will hopefully find some ( and maybe you will be able to help me out with that

).
In the meantime, I just can not sit back and look at these birds and do nothing . . . There must be some real stubborn blood flowing through my veins... LOL

 

[lauralou]

Lisa, you do have too many cockerels that aren't getting along, and a "first cull" would probably settle things down a bit.

I looked back over all of the pictures and although I'm no expert, the things that jump out at me are the squirrel tails and the excessive number of points on the combs. I know that a lot is lost in a picture that can be seen in real life.

I have to bow to Walt's expertise when he says that #21 will never amount to anything. My own notes say his comb is not the worst, and he is "not too homely". How's that for a technical evaluation?

You yourself judge #23 as the worst, as skinny and dumb. You are in the best position to judge that.

Perhaps those 2 should be culled right off the bat?

Number 22 is not a bad looking bird from a distance. He does have the high tail, and the comb is... like nothing I've ever seen before. Certainly we wouldn't want to pass that on. Still, there's something about him. Maybe it's his size?

You like #20, and say that his shape is smoother than #22. I don't see it, but again, something is always lost in pictures. Could just be the pose.

Mr. No Number is the only boy I see with a lower tail angle. And he has a lot of white in his tail. Will it molt out? Who knows. I think I'd be willing to give him a little extra time to see if it molts out or not. So, despite other faults, he got a star on my score sheet just for having the lower tail.

The last guy has the best comb to my eye. But his tail is standing straight up. He's the shy one, so bad pictures. Hard to tell.

If these birds were at my house and I was determined to keep a couple of them for the time being, I would keep #22 based on the fact that he's generally easy on the eyes, and Mr. No Number for his lower tail set. For whatever that's worth.

(That said, is there any way you could get maybe 3 or 4 eggs from indianfeathers' roo and hen? Hatchery bird or not, I am quite impressed with that rooster. He's truly handsome and I hope my 2 little boys grow up to have that sort of a look. I'd be willing to gamble on a few eggs that were fertilized by him.)