Starting to Evaluate Breeders for Spring

[everyday_farmlife]

That is so helpful!
I have a question about this though. I read that thinner bones made for a more open pelvis, thus bigger eggs. So, with Leghorns for instance, thinner legs are an important selection criteria.

If the skull indicates overall skeletal thickness, would selecting for bigger / wider skulls accidentally lead to smaller eggs?

I don't believe it would in my somewhat limited experience as my light sussex are chosen for head size/bone structure and their eggs are the same size if not bigger than the extra large eggs at the supermarket.
But, in saying that every breed is different.

 

[3KillerBs]

Just did a bit of googling. Have you seen this?

No, I hadn't. Thank you.

 

[Frizzle and Friends]

I just remembered that when looking at poultry shows near by to me that I saw one that had Australorps as champions for a couple of years. The Northeast Poultry Congress, in both 2019 and 2020, had a Black Australorp as the Super Grand Champion. Here's the link to the website, the photos are lower down on the left side. I hope this helps.

http://www.poultrycongress.com/

 

[drangle]

I am in the same boat trying to choose which cockerel to keep


Good luck it’s hard to choose and I think even harder to get good pics

 

[Egghead_Jr]

@drangle Avoid what is called "Squirrel Tail". The cock on the left looks better in that regard.

There is a lot of basic criteria that is not breed specific people should use in first rounds of culling. Many times there is so much going on you've got to narrow your focus and judge all on that one or two traits then work on another focus the following year.

Basic elimination criteria would be side sprigs on comb, squirrel tail, crow headed, wrong leg color, low wing or split wing and there must be more. This is stuff you'd not want in any breed and no matter the "personality" of a bird you'd not breed it.

Once you've done hard culls for a few years of basic criteria you can start to focus more on breed specifics. The problem with fancier varieties is you've got to keep some birds that are excellent lacing or whatever that would not have made the muster otherwise. Solid color breeds are much easier to improve for this reason.

I've worked with several breeds over the years and try to learn from my mistakes. I've learned a lot! With the latest variety being Blue Laced Red. We drove to pick up the hatching eggs and walked through the three breeding pens. They looked really good in general and some birds were outstanding. Wish the person bred more from less birds is all but I digress. I had some great type birds hatch that first round but a third of them had feather nubs on legs?!? And over half the birds had multiple side sprigs. The obvious route to take was to cull all the feather legs and side sprigs and see what was left. Two cockerels and five pullets made that round. Let them stay until breeding season the next year in case there were fatalities. Picked the best cock and three hens to breed. That year I again culled heavy for side sprigs then evaluated from what was left. Think this is year four with them so I've made three years of selection. I've culled some incredible looking birds in this time. If I had a solid color breed they'd be ready for a national show. Being a fancier variety they still have years to go due to only using Blue Cocks in a mating and of course I don't breed any small hens or birds without a wide tented tail. Except one and that's next post. I'm back up to four hens and only three of those I'd breed as one proved to carry one MH gene and my best cock to date proved to be her son with one MH. Last year they threw some gold laced. I culled everything that didn't have a dark brick red color.

That's my experience in how this "breeding" stuff goes. Always something to work out and never is there a lack of birds to cull. It's not a struggle on who to cull rather what am I going to keep? I'm fighting to keep at three breeding hens any given year. Last 2022 I only had two. Soon I'll be able to keep more but they've got to cut the mustard first then throw me chicks without defects.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Wide tent tails is ideal for most breeds, certainly all the meat and dual purpose types. I'll post a pic of hen that is three years old and I breed her though she lacks this trait. I make up for it by only using absurdly wide males. You know, at least half the offspring will be good. I've yet to get a pullet in all regards better than this hen to replace her. Right there in a nutshell is the degree of difficulty involved with fancier varieties.

Above photo is her right of cock. Side profile she looks good too. But from the butt...

and if you look at this flock photo you'll see splash butt upper left as an example of all other birds in my flock. I must keep this hen due to her lacing and other above average traits. Her only downfall is the lower and narrow tail. At this point in the game to cull her would be throwing the baby out with the bath water. The other blue hen has an incredible body when not molting but only carries one MH gene so can't be bred. I hold on to her in case of an emergency.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I really wish I could find good photos of birds who are excellent examples of the breed in order to know what my birds ought to look like.

I’m not sure if you’ve seen this thread, but it has pictures of show/breeder quality birds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/australorps-breeding-for-sop-and-exhibition-thread.882318/.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Drawings are used in the SOP as there is never a perfect chicken. The second drawing I think is more accurate to the written description of an Australorp hens back and tail set. The first drawing is closer to the cock description.

 

[3KillerBs]

I’m not sure if you’ve seen this thread, but it has pictures of show/breeder quality birds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/australorps-breeding-for-sop-and-exhibition-thread.882318/.

No I haven't seen that one. It appears to be long inactive so I missed it.

I'll have to study the birds there.

 

[3KillerBs]

@Egghead_Jr

Thanks for the information you've been posting on several breeding threads. I can see that I've got a problem with narrow tails and will have to find a way to add some wider stock to my flock.

I'm not going for show birds, but I do want them to be proper representatives of their breed.