show quality speckled sussex ??

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Jeff,

If you ever need help with a breeder I would be happy to help you if I know that breeder. I know a lot of people in the poultry hobby. About ten years ago or so there seemed to be a lot more SS's around. There was an excellent breeder here in CA, but he got old like me and can't raise them anymore. I will try to find out what he did with those birds. They were quite nice. Off to judge some chickens...back Sunday.

Walt

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Jeff,
Sorry it is taking some time for me to get back on here. I order leg bands this year for a first time. I used zip ties for the first year. However, I hatched too many chicks this year and went to leg bands and zip ties. I ordered mine from cutler supply.... Plastic Numbered Bandettes is what I ordered. I got them in two sizes.

Here is a link .... http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_89

Another piece of advice.. . . EVERY ONE needs to get a scale. SIZE is an issue with most hatchery SS or SS not being breed to the SOP.

Standard Of Perfection.....
WEIGHTS: Hen 7 lbs, Pullet 6 lbs, Cock 9 lbs, Cockerel 7 1/2 lbs.

You are going to want to track the weights on your birds and CULL the light birds.... A pound in either direction of the SOP is fine, but get more than a pound under weight and it will stick out like a sore thumb when some REAL competition comes along. The really nice birds, the ones you walk away from the show still talking about, those birds are BIG. The SS were originally a DUAL purpose bird - -EATING and LAYING bird. I look at my flock of SS and would not waste my time harvesting one single SS pullet. There just would not be enough meat to justify the time for me. I KNOW SIZE is an issue with my flock. I've got marans on one side and delawares on the other. The expectations are right there in front of my eyes every day.... I look at the SS and just keep shaking my head - - they have a long way to go just to get to the SOP for WEIGHT!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
JEFF,

You need to find out what is wrong with her eye. Normally when chickens get swollen eyes like that there is something seriously wrong. There are many things that can cause it... I had a girl get a swollen closed eye due to a really bad case of fowl pox. They can lose the eye with that. Other things are even more deadly and Contagious like CORYZA. I found this page on Coryza if you are not familiar with it http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/15/ . The point is.... you need to try to find out what the problem is because it could infect your other birds.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Personally, I would not use either of the older hens... I liked the width of the newer ones better. You only NEED ONE ROOSTER AND ONE HEN! PICK your very BEST HEN and very BEST roo. A single mating with these will quickly produce enough chicks to better your flock within 6 months. There is no need to breed the second and third best in the flock. If you can see a clear difference between the hens - - -GO WITH THE NUMBER ONE HEN - -single mate.

This rooster seems to have something odd / wrong with his neck / head. I think I am seeing some gold flecking and I don't know why that is. His face looks odd to me too. I don't know if it is swollen or crows head or what --- it just doesn't seem right somehow. I am hoping Don will come on and explain it better.... Lastly, he is NOT holding that wing right.

If the one hen with the eye is sick, this boy could be too.

I think you said these were you old stock. . . .KEEP them away from the new stock. I had to deal with fowl pox this past winter and it was a lot of work and I was so grateful that it did not spread to the rest of my flock. Don't let your gaurd down for a MINUTE if you suspect any kind of illness in your flock..... QUARANTINE, QUARANTINE QUARANTINE!

 

[Orange Ribbon]

Math Ace, I hope it isn't anything contagious. The breeders had them all mixed together when I got them, and I had them all together up until the day the one's eye was swollen. All this work and money, I can't even say anymore right now. Guess I better study on those diseases...

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Will say what I think about each SS as we go forward and later will say how I would breed them forward with what you have.

Old male
Comb has a twist and a sprig on second spike from front, this is a DQ

White wing feathers a DQ

Hackle has a very white undercolor

Ear Tufft is very white

Back is very Tapered near Tail
Appears to be very small compared to SOP you are allowed 20% either way.

Should be eliminated from your SS plans.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
This #1 hen has a sprig so should be eliminated from breeding as it is heritary, If not for the Sprig she would be very nice though.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
#2 appears to be small and is Squirrel tail and is a DQ

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
#3 appears to be small and she should be eliminated because of the eye disease.

 

[Orange Ribbon]

I just went down and looked over the older SS good. I can see no discharges from nose, mouth or eyes on any of them, even the one with the swollen eye. The one with the swollen eye, "Squirrelly," evidently doesn't feel very good, but that could be said if she got poked in the eye. It is only that area around her eye that is swollen. If any of the others have swollen heads, I can't tell since this is my first dealing with these birds. Compared to the younger birds they all have chunkier heads, but I'm guessing that is due to age difference. Also, she is shedding like crazy. I picked her up and feathers just fall out of her. I tugged at them and got a few to come out around her bald spot, but the rest are holding okay. This is mainly at the base of her neck and near her tail. One of the other hens has lost a bunch of feathers near the tail also.

I looked over the young birds too which are now separated and they all seem fine. So far. No swelling, no discharges. They are perky and alert. But so are the rest of the big birds.

I read about CORYZA which is treated with SULMET. I went ahead and mixed up a dose for 1/2 a gallon of water and put it in their pen. I had some on hand because I had some chicks get Coccidiosis. I figured it can't hurt. Even if Squirrelly gets better in the next couple of days, it will be hard to say if that was the solution or not. But I took note of how the others look, and if I see something that can only be an improvement in them, then we'll know that is what it was. I did notice that some of the red skin on the heads of some of the hens is a little pale looking. Again, I don't know if that is good or bad health wise. If the skin becomes a more vibrant red in the next couple days, that should be an indication of illness as well.

Question: Should I medicate my entire flock of birds or wait? I read that if CORYZA then you don't want to use any survivors for breeding. How can you know if you have survivors or if they never had it at all if you medicate them all? If it should turn out they have something bad, does that mean I need to get rid of them all? A mixed up rooster flew into their pen the other day, and one of the older SS birds flew into the rooster pen a day before. Today I had two leghorns over in the pen with the young SS. Dang it, I may end up losing it all. Looks like you all might have got to learn a lot more from me than we counted on.

I have to be honest with you all. I'm give out right now. I got to feeling a little better and was trying to fix my new pens up. I got some things accomplished. I probably could have gotten my young SS into their intended places tomorrow sometime since my brothers were going to help me. With the thought of a possible outbreak of some serious disease, the wind has been taken out of my sails. I'm praying for the best, but ready to accept the worst. I'm not going to worry with picture taking nor do anything else until I get this mystery solved. I'll be on here on and off for the rest of the evening to read any suggestions you all may have.

Well, since I feel like crying I guess I better tell a joke. Do you know how Johnny Cash came up with the song Ring of Fire? He got his Ben Gay and Preparation H mixed up!