Sumatra Thread!

[angelobutter]

Hello! I am 100% new to the sumatra breed and I just picked this pair up an hour ago. I know they are terrible photographs, but can someone tell me the key things I should look at to see what their "quality" is? Or if someone tells me what to take pictures of I can try to get better photos. They look beautiful to my untrained eye, but I would love to get a more professional opinion. I just emailed the person I got them from to see if they can tell me anything about where they came from.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Hello! I am 100% new to the sumatra breed and I just picked this pair up an hour ago. I know they are terrible photographs, but can someone tell me the key things I should look at to see what their "quality" is? Or if someone tells me what to take pictures of I can try to get better photos. They look beautiful to my untrained eye, but I would love to get a more professional opinion. I just emailed the person I got them from to see if they can tell me anything about where they came from.

To be honest, they look like they are from a hatchery. But that isn't always a bad thing.

Let's look at the positive points of the pair before the negative. They both have dark faces, they are both solid black, neither of them have big wattles, they have dark eyes (I saw a pair the other day with orange eyes), from the angle the pic is taken, the make looks to have a broad head and a fair sized comb that isn't floppy, the female has a green sheen to her. So they are a start!
The main bad thing that stands out is the roosters tail, it is too high and too short. It almost looks like a fighting game tail.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I've had a lot of luck keeping more then one rooster in my pens. They will set who is top guy and that tends to be it. But I do keep an eye on them to make sure it doesn't go farther then that. Good luck with your chicks.

I have had chickens for a while nw, just new to this breed. How is their temperment? Are the males generally agressive? Docile? Are the ladies good layers? What is their weight range? I have some heavy breeds in with them ansd at. Week and a half, the heavies are easily out growing them. They qre cliser to the bantis I have. Totally new to THaiS breed. Give me their positive and heir ngatives. Thanks.

 

[angelobutter]

To be honest, they look like they are from a hatchery. But that isn't always a bad thing.

Let's look at the positive points of the pair before the negative. They both have dark faces, they are both solid black, neither of them have big wattles, they have dark eyes (I saw a pair the other day with orange eyes), from the angle the pic is taken, the make looks to have a broad head and a fair sized comb that isn't floppy, the female has a green sheen to her. So they are a start!
The main bad thing that stands out is the roosters tail, it is too high and too short. It almost looks like a fighting game tail.

Thanks, i got a hold of the breeder, it sounds like he got the original stock from other breeders (he is getting the names for me) and has been breeding them himself for 6 years, he mentioned that last year he crossed "lavender old english game bantams" in with some of his sumatra, so it is possible that these guys were from that pairing.

I will try to get better photos tomorrow, all i knew was i picked the birds with the least amount of red in the combs, and had black feet, but I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be looking for haha. but thanks for your assessment of them, it gives me somewhere to start, and once i get the names of the breeders he got his birds from and better photos I will post again.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

he mentioned that last year he crossed "lavender old english game bantams" in with some of his sumatra, so it is possible that these guys were from that pairing.:/  

If you look at the bottoms of their feet, that should determine if they were crossed. Old english game bantams have white skin so the bottoms of the feet will be white/pink unless the OEGB had somethig else in them. If the bottoms of the feet are yellow, there is a good chance they are pure sumatra, just not show stock.

 

[angelobutter]

well upon closer inspection, he has way more red than i originally saw. she is still pretty dark even close up, but i tried to grab her for a couple photos, and.... well when they say these birds are flighty, they weren't exaggerating. so she is out with my free ranging chickens, hopefully she doesn't wander away. (sigh) well if she wanders away it will give me an excuse to get nicer ones lol

edit: caught her so here are some pictures of her:







so yep, not great quality, but they have served the purpose of getting me excited to find some show quality sumatras. anyone on here selling hatching eggs or chicks?

 

[ramirezframing]

Quote: Mine are generally docile, even the males. I have one that almost every time I catch him, will bite me a time or two and that's it. I don't mess with my birds unless I need to, but even with not messing with them I'll have a few that insist on being pets. My hens are decent layers and will go broody, but shut down during winter. I don't light my birds over winter either. The SOP has them listed at 5lbs for a full grown standard rooster 4lbs for a hen, thus they tend to be a smaller large fowl to a lot of other large fowl breeds. Hope this helps you some.

 

[raph]

I went to my grandpas today, and I saw my pair of game for the first time, and they are my first ever game birds. I didn't get any pictures of the hen because she is broody. But I got some pictures of my grandpas.

pheonix and sumatra, I couldn't get a good picture of the sumatra because he wouldn't stay still.

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

Thanks for sharing those pictures raph........pretty birds.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Mine are generally docile, even the males. I have one that almost every time I catch him, will bite me a time or two and that's it. I don't mess with my birds unless I need to, but even with not messing with them I'll have a few that insist on being pets. My hens are decent layers and will go broody, but shut down during winter. I don't light my birds over winter either. The SOP has them listed at 5lbs for a full grown standard rooster 4lbs for a hen, thus they tend to be a smaller large fowl to a lot of other large fowl breeds. Hope this helps you some.

Yes! That is great thank you. I already knew they were good flyers but really didn't know much else about them. I could tell by their body shape that they would be a thinner sleeker bird.

We had our first outing today and the Sumatras consumed a spider and a beetle. They were very persistent on catching them and gobbled them right down. I have heard also they are a good free range bird.

I tried to get some pics of just the two but they insisted on retreating to the group.