Sumatra Thread!

[ramirezframing]

I tend to start hatching when the birds start laying eggs again, which hasn't started yet.

 

[championsumatra]

I would love to start now but no one is laying at the moment. I am also waiting to get some dog kennels and turn then into more breeding pens. My youngsters are in the one breeding pen I do have.

 

[championsumatra]

Here is a pic of some feather samples of my males breast feathers. Which one do you guys think is the best lacing and best color out of the samples.

 

[jeremy]

The only feather that appears to be laced at all is the last one, and the lacing appears to be incomplete.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

I agree. As a single feather, none of those really show.an Andalusian blue lacing pattern. The last seems to have a little but not distinct .
The lacing on blues by the way is not the same as true lacing as seen in say sebrights or other laced varieties or breeds. That's the pattern gene.
Lacing on Andalusian blues is just the blue gene.

Otherwise you'd be able to make laced colors off them....

 

[championsumatra]

When you start off with blues that don't have good lacing it is hard to bring the lacing back. I am going to do a black on splash breeding and hope that the lacing will be better.

 

[jeremy]

When you start off with blues that don't have good lacing it is hard to bring the lacing back. I am going to do a black on splash breeding and hope that the lacing will be better.

To improve lacing you should be breeding Blue birds to Blue birds, at least initially, that way you can always see exactly what you're breeding.

If you're birds carry the pattern gene then using Blacks and Splash birds is alright. If they don't, or if they're only heterozygous for the gene then you could be unknowingly breeding birds with poor lacing generation after generation. Which wouldn't improve your line much.

If you can see the lacing on your Blacks and Splashes, go right ahead. Otherwise I'd only breed Blue to Blue until you have more defined lacing locked in.

 

[championsumatra]

This is very interesting info. I have two birds with good lacing that I got from Tom. I have bred this blue hen with the blue rooster in my avatar. The feather samples are from the children of those two Blues. About two years ago there was no lacing on my blues, But this year the lacing has improved not much but at least I got something out of it.

 

[cubakid]

Champ, most if not all Sumatras do not contain Pg. Instead they have what is called edging, which is just an accumulation of pigment at the edge of the feathers. it is harder to breed for edging, which is why most blue chickens are so hard to retain color. This is why some breeders of ameraucanas have outcrossed to English orps, many have the pattern gene (Pg/lacing).

 

[ramirezframing]

Raph, hows it going with your new rooster and your drawings?