I don't know what split tail is, but you could ask that marans group to explain better how to recognize split tail--maybe one of them can show you pictures of birds that have it and birds that don't, or maybe they can put an arrow or circle on your photo to show which part they're talking about.
I'm guessing that pulling out feathers could make his tail look split, so maybe wait until he regrows his tail feathers, then take new pictures and see if the same people think he's OK then.
No matter what the genetics of split tail, the way to breed it out would be to breed to hens without the trait, hatch LOTS of chicks, and cull heavily. If every chick he produces has a split tail, then either buy a new rooster, or keep a son and cross back to a hen without split tail, to try to breed some without split tail.
There are lots of traits that have many genes involved, and no-one really understands them. So they just keep breeding the same way people have been for centuries: pick the ones that look closest to right, raise a bunch of chicks, pick the ones that look closest to right. And plan on eating a lot of chicken along the way!
I'm guessing that pulling out feathers could make his tail look split, so maybe wait until he regrows his tail feathers, then take new pictures and see if the same people think he's OK then.
No matter what the genetics of split tail, the way to breed it out would be to breed to hens without the trait, hatch LOTS of chicks, and cull heavily. If every chick he produces has a split tail, then either buy a new rooster, or keep a son and cross back to a hen without split tail, to try to breed some without split tail.
There are lots of traits that have many genes involved, and no-one really understands them. So they just keep breeding the same way people have been for centuries: pick the ones that look closest to right, raise a bunch of chicks, pick the ones that look closest to right. And plan on eating a lot of chicken along the way!
