show quality speckled sussex ??

[math ace]

Thanks 3riverschick for that information. We are gonna try to keep this thread dedicated to the Speckled Sussex folks.
Specifically, to topics related to obtaining or breeding Show Quality Speckled Sussex.

If you haven't posted your information on the regular sussex thread, you might want to.

Good Luck with your New Forum...

 

[3riverschick]

Quote:
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Thanks, Math Ace! Yeah, it belongs to the ASA, not me. I just think a properly structured Speckled Sussex is such a stunning bird. My fav online pics are the Reserve Ch. LF Seckled Sussex by Tony Albrittion, The Overton Speckled Sussex bantam and the Rupert Stevenson Bantam Speckeld sussex. I only hope I can breed my future Light Sussex to the same structure.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Just to help you understand what is meant in the SOP they mean a black feather with a white tip.

Today while researching something else I ran accross the explaination for the Black feather with white. Look in the ABA 1997 bantam standard Page #243

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Let me see what I can do about posting some pics of your favorites

I can't find the Overton Speckled Sussex bantam and the Rupert Stevenson Bantam Speckeld sussex pictures. If you send me the links, I will try to upload them here...



This is the Reserve Ch. LG. Sussex by Tony Albritton

 

[Howhardcanitbe]

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Don, I don't know where McMurray or Mt. Healthy acquired their chicks. Using the Mt. Healthy stock for the breeding program comes with two issues: One is over half the flock has bent toes. We've discussed this before, but essentially there's no way to tell if it's genetic unless I breed them. Second issue is I have reason to doubt the virility of the roosters, though I haven't verified my suspicions.

Quote:
Karen, I have no intention of crossing the three strains I have and I freely admit I acquired them for the genetic diversity. That diversity will allow me to select the group that is proven to grow best on my land and under my management practices. I have hatchery stock because I didn't know at this time last year SS were all that complicated and so generally messed up. Thus far my flock hasn't proven to be great layers, but they lay enough to earn their keep (barely, at this time of year.) I'm not going to send them to the freezer and spend months trying to track down a breeder who "might" be willing to part with decent stock. I am going to work with what I have and if it takes me decades to approach the SOP, then I shall have had a lot of fun, learned a great deal, and eaten quite well along the way.

Thanks for posting the links to the old "chick lit." Those are fun reads.

Robin

 

[Howhardcanitbe]

I was able to get some more pictures yesterday. (A little blurry, sorry.) Let's start with the best of the Sandhill group. This is #16, currently 19 weeks old. The last time I weighed him was at 15 weeks. He weighed 5.6 lbs.

 

[Howhardcanitbe]

Next the best from the McMurray group. This is number 4. He is 28 weeks in these pics. Last weigh in was at 21.5 weeks; he was the smallest of the lot at 4.6 pounds, but he has the best tail angle and coloring. I don't know about the wing though. All the McMurray birds have a very different wing angle than the ones from the other two groups - more vertical than horizontal.

 

[Howhardcanitbe]

And finally, #33 from Mt. Healthy, 37 weeks old in the pics. Last weight I have on him was 7.2 lbs at 27 weeks. He has straight toes, which is one of the reasons I kept him. Compared to the paintings in the SOP, his back appears too long.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Robin,

I think we are going to have to work with what we have in this breed. I, too, am doing the diversity thing. I have stock on the ground from 3 different breeders and one hatchery. I will be setting eggs from one more breeder in the spring. I am culling as I go. When everything is said and done, I plan on working with the best of what ever I have. I will cross strains in a heart beat.

I have spoke to many of the breeders that have award winning SS. Most of their lines at one time or another are traced back to Gary Overton. Mr. Overton was the sponser for the SS in the SOP that I have and it is an old SOP. He has been a judge for over 30 years. Needless to say, the man has put a lot of SS out there over that time. He is still breeding the SS from my understanding. My point is that I was surprised at how many current lines are tied back to Mr. Overton's stock. Just an interesting piece of information for you to think about.....

Now back to the topic of crossing strains, If we don't start with perfection, then I guess we won't have to worry about messing it up!

If I had some really nice stock that I KNEW was traced back to a particular breeder, then I would do what I am going to do anyways . . . Choose SELECTIVE pairings and keep careful records. If the offspring are worse than the parents then you know you went backwards in your breeding program. If the offspring are better than the parents, THEN

you moved ahead

you the breeding program. If you KNOW who the parents were BECAUSE you did selective pairings AND you KEPT detailed records then you will be able to BACK-UP or Continue as needed.

 

[math ace]

Howhardcanitbe.....

Sandhill roo is 19 weeks old
Mc Murry roo is 28 weeks old
Mt Healthy roo is 37 weeks old

On average there is a 10 week difference in each bird.
The SOP calls for Cock to weigh in at 9 lbs AND Cockerels to weigh in at 7 1/2 lbs.

Since the Mt. Healthy roo was weighing in at 7.2 lbs at 27 weeks, he is going to set the standard for you.

Time to get that Mc Murray boy on a scale ASAP. I think you are going to find that he is over a pound lighter than what the Mt. Healthy roo was at the same time period!.
The McMurray guy just looks narrow to me. I KNOW Don liked this guy, but I don't like the long white blotches on his neck hackles. I don't like that his tail is so stiff without the curving tail feathers.
He does seem to have a wing issue too. It may be a slipped wing. Don will have to tell us what he thinks....

The Mt Healthy boy looks to have a wing issue too. It might be a spilt wing. It doesn't seem to fold in on itself correctly. Once again, Don will have to tell us what he thinks.
I don't like the wattles on this guy, nor do I like how much black he has on the chest. I would NEVER complain about a back being too long. There are always plent of short backed hens running around if you want to fix that problem LOL. If your hens look anything like mine, I would feel much better about using a roo that is too dark versus one that is too white.
I wish this guy's comb blade would of followed the head instead of sticking out in the air so much. I still like this guy more than the McMurray boy.


The sandhill guy is the BABY. At 19 weeks, has he gone through the Juvie molt yet? If so, I have to say that I am liking that I am not seeing any white in the wing or tail feathers. Although he is the baby, he weighs one lb more than the Mc Murray bird did at almost 7 weeks older. The weight thing just keeps coming back to haunt the McMurray bird. The Sandhill guy has a dark chest too. I don't think it is going to be as dark as the Mt Healthy roo, but it is dark. His comb has a twist on it, BUT I do like the size of the wattles better than the Mt. Healthy bird. I would have to give this guy some more growing time before I could decide on him. I would watch to see how his chest developes. He should end up with a DEEP AND ROUND chest. I am not seeing that yet.

I would start looking for some hens with open and low tails ( not pinched ), nice combs ( no twists or thumbprints) , tight and high wing sets and WEIGHT. You only need one or two hens. Find the very BEST you have and be selective.

Do you realize that 2/3 rd's of the points awarded to a bird come from the shape and condition of the bird? Only 1/3 of the points are color related.

DON, please, correct me if I am wrong, BUT I believe that when it comes to color, this is one of those breeds where the solid white feather is bad, very bad, DQ bad.
That is why on your roos you want to open the wing FULLY and see if he is hiding a white feather. The Mt. Healthy boy isn't hiding his, it is right out there in the open!

He has large white feathers in his tail too! The McMurry bird is narrow with weird large white blotches on his neck hackles....

I would be looking at that Sandhill boy carefully and see if he is hiding any white in the wing or tail. If he isn't hiding white, then I would start hoping that he developes a really nice chest

JUST my thoughts on the three Bachelors. I am no EXPERT and always defer to what ever Don says ( even if I think he is wrong on the Mc Murray boy

).