Straub’s search for colored eggs

[wrathsfarm]

This guy is pretty.

 

[Tstraub]

This guy is pretty.

View attachment 4221446

I have 2 more blue cockerels with Smokey in the main coop. I’ll try to get a decent picture of those ones.

 

[Tstraub]

@wrathsfarm here are the two other blue cockerels. If I were to keep one for future breeding I believe it would be whichever of these two has the best temperament. The smaller comb and lack of wattles would make them a lot less prone to frostbite. Plus I do like the looks of the beard feathers.


But the truth of the matter is I don’t need more roosters right now so they will most likely go to freezer camp unless someone needs one for their projects.

 

[Tstraub]

The Bresse are now 8 weeks old I leg banded the pullets for identification and took everyone’s weight today



Green band 1044 grams. Her legs are a bit to close together for my liking but I only have 3 pullets to work with so she gets a pass until I hatch a better one

Green band 1042 grams. I like her wider stance and she has the whitest ears of any of them so she’s a keeper



Black band 1150 grams. By far the largest of the three pullets I really like everything about this one except she has feathers on one leg. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Bresse should have clean legs. I really want to breed her because of her body type but I need to research this feathered leg fault. It might be best to not breed that forward I gotta look at the big picture



Cockerel A 1430 grams. He’s is my pick for cockerel I’m happy with his body type. He is missing a wattle but that was due to injury. You can’t inherit an injury so it shouldn’t affect his breeding ability. The comb is not ideal but he’s what I have to work with so I’ll use him until I can replace him with one of his sons.

Cockerel B 1339 grams. Honestly he is a mess. His toes are horribly curled on one foot. He is smaller than the other one His comb and wattles are still pale and small indicating he has less testosterone than the other one. This guy will very likely be the first Bresse I butcher, but I’ll keep him through the winter just incase something happens to the other one before I have a chance to incubate eggs.

 

[WingItRanch]

The Bresse are now 8 weeks old I leg banded the pullets for identification and took everyone’s weight today

View attachment 4222298

Green band 1044 grams. Her legs are a bit to close together for my liking but I only have 3 pullets to work with so she gets a pass until I hatch a better one

View attachment 4222299Green band 1042 grams. I like her wider stance and she has the whitest ears of any of them so she’s a keeper

View attachment 4222302View attachment 4222301View attachment 4222300

Black band 1150 grams. By far the largest of the three pullets I really like everything about this one except she has feathers on one leg. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Bresse should have clean legs. I really want to breed her because of her body type but I need to research this feathered leg fault. It might be best to not breed that forward I gotta look at the big picture

View attachment 4222304

Cockerel A 1430 grams. He’s is my pick for cockerel I’m happy with his body type. He is missing a wattle but that was due to injury. You can’t inherit an injury so it shouldn’t affect his breeding ability. The comb is not ideal but he’s what I have to work with so I’ll use him until I can replace him with one of his sons.

View attachment 4222303
Cockerel B 1339 grams. Honestly he is a mess. His toes are horribly curled on one foot. He is smaller than the other one His comb and wattles are still pale and small indicating he has less testosterone than the other one. This guy will very likely be the first Bresse I butcher, but I’ll keep him through the winter just incase something happens to the other one before I have a chance to incubate eggs.

Nice assessment! I like the first cockerel. All their legs got that darker blue which is what you want. I'll have to ask my buddy who breeds Bresse about any feathers popping up on the legs. Definitely weird.

 

[Tstraub]

Nice assessment! I like the first cockerel. All their legs got that darker blue which is what you want. I'll have to ask my buddy who breeds Bresse about any feathers popping up on the legs. Definitely weird.

I posted in a Bresse Facebook group and a couple people said they have seen it before. From what I have seen it’s definitely something you should try to eliminate but since I’m not trying to raise show birds I’ll prioritize table qualities over feathers and cull out any feathered legs once I’m happy with the carcass. As long as I never breed two feathered legged birds together it shouldn’t get any worse.

 

[Tstraub]

The chicks are almost 9 weeks old. I moved the breeding pin backwards two lengths so they could be on fresh grass. By the looks of the yard they must go through a molt around 7 or 8 weeks. The ground is absolutely covered in feathers where it was setting.

I started construction on another IBC tote tractor. It’s nearly complete but I need to get some hinges for the door. I think I have some around here somewhere but I can’t seem to locate them. This tractor will house the extra cockerels that Smokey is brooding. I can’t believe she hasn’t weaned them yet they are nearly as big as she is. My past broodys are usually done with the little ones by 6 weeks old.

 

[Tstraub]

I’m trying to keep records on the Bresse growth. Still trying to decide how to keep things organized. For now I’m putting them into a spreadsheet on my phone. This week’s weight in was technically a day early but I have a busy day tomorrow so I did it early.