Sumatra Thread!

[ralibi]

@Tacopaco

You can find Toni-Marie's website by searching country whatnot gardens. The blue egg laying Sumatras are not listed on her site but she said that she has kept breeding stock of them for years. She was wonderful to work with. She is also a member of BYC but I'm not sure how often she checks in. Too bad I lost the hen or I would have been happy to send you eggs.

 

[tacopaco]

I'll have to get in contact with her soon then lol
That would have been great :/

 

[brothfeder]

I hear ya. I free range only when I am home now. It's amazing exactly how many predators love to eat chicken!

. I am glad I started with cheap chickens, I only have three left of the original 13. Talk about a crash course on predator proofing and I've now made friends with a local trapper who is only too happy to set up shop near my house.

Smart to start with cheep birds - hatchery stock? I can't even free-range with certainty when I home, especially in the winter. Foxes are the major predators I contend with and once one is in your yard the destruction is already done. They always attack at that special time of 10am or 4pm, even with a pack of dogs barking their heads off in the dog run...

I imagine Sumatras must be pretty good predator evaders though. I've always dreamed of free ranging in pasture (when I get the population up - I only have 9 now) and installing perches so that they may easily avoid predators...I feel they are one of the smartest chickens I've owned, so they may actually use the perches...

 

[brothfeder]

Yes, Toni-Marie was the breeder. They don't look anything like that beautiful blue roo above but appear to be pretty true to type. The Roo pictured is just growing his tail back out but even at full length it doesn't have the nice curtain I've seen on some other show quality birds.

They have all the normal Sumatra traits...pea comb, multiple spurs, yellow feet and melanized face. My Roos wattles are a little long and a little red even after being out in the sun. The hen, who I just lost to a prolapse, was very skittish but went broody and was a great mom. The Roos wonderful with people but doesn't tolerate any other roosters even those introduced young...if they crow, he will kill them.

Hope that helps.

Malanized face? I'm new to chickens, I assume that is a face wiith a darker shade of yellow? By the way, I have 5 Sumatras roosters living together is peaceful existence. the breeder i got them from said if introduced young they perform great. accept mating season. Then the fun starts (and I don't know how bad the fun gets). However, I think he free-ranges the birds so that may improve things. I will cull, but I want at least 2 -3 roosters - one of sercurty. However I only have 4 hens so I don't know if three is overloadi. Any experience with this anyone?

 

[ramirezframing]

Quote: Toni still had them as of last year, don't know if she still does or not now. Does your birds have a green cast to their shanks? You could probably put any sumatra hen with your sumatra cock and end up with the offspring laying blue eggs, or that is how it has gone in my silkies and polish. Good luck.

 

[ramirezframing]

Malanized face? I'm new to chickens, I assume that is a face wiith a darker shade of yellow? By the way, I have 5 Sumatras roosters living together is peaceful existence. the breeder i got them from said if introduced young they perform great. accept mating season. Then the fun starts (and I don't know how bad the fun gets). However, I think he free-ranges the birds so that may improve things. I will cull, but I want at least 2 -3 roosters - one of sercurty. However I only have 4 hens so I don't know if three is overloadi. Any experience with this anyone?

When talking about the sumatra's malanized face, it means how black or gypsy it gets.

 

[ralibi]

I plan on putting him over my Dunn and khaki pullets this spring to see what I get . His legs are solid black when I look at him but they sure look like they have a green cast in the photo....I hope it's just a trick of the lighting! I have a couple of barnyard mixed pullets out of him to test whether he is double factored for the blue egg gene that I'm keeping for egg layers. Weird thing is, I thought all his chicks would be solid black or a dilute there of, regardless of the hen he bred but I ended up with:

When bred to a blue Orpington- a black pullet with a hen tail but pointy rooster-like neck and sickle feathers
When bred to a wheaten colored mutt- a brown hen with black stippled feathers and a black head
When bred to a gold duckwing phoenix- a black hen with silver birchen-like neck feathers

I also culled two cockerels, one was all black (Orpington mix) and the other was black with red leakage in all the male areas (phoenix mix)

And all of them with black faces, pea combs. I know this is the Sumatra thread but if anyone is interested in what the mutts look like let me know and I'll go snap a few pics. I apparently need to re-read the color genetics of the domestic fowl books

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

I plan on putting him over my Dunn and khaki pullets this spring to see what I get

. His legs are solid black when I look at him but they sure look like they have a green cast in the photo....I hope it's just a trick of the lighting! I have a couple of barnyard mixed pullets out of him to test whether he is double factored for the blue egg gene that I'm keeping for egg layers. Weird thing is, I thought all his chicks would be solid black or a dilute there of, regardless of the hen he bred but I ended up with:

When bred to a blue Orpington- a black pullet with a hen tail but pointy rooster-like neck and sickle feathers
When bred to a wheaten colored mutt- a brown hen with black stippled feathers and a black head
When bred to a gold duckwing phoenix- a black hen with silver birchen-like neck feathers

I also culled two cockerels, one was all black (Orpington mix) and the other was black with red leakage in all the male areas (phoenix mix)

And all of them with black faces, pea combs. I know this is the Sumatra thread but if anyone is interested in what the mutts look like let me know and I'll go snap a few pics. I apparently need to re-read the color genetics of the domestic fowl books

I'd be interested in those pics of your crosses. Always good to educate myself
on what some mixes will look like if I ever happen to come across some.

 

[scottcaddy]

I plan on putting him over my Dunn and khaki pullets this spring to see what I get

. His legs are solid black when I look at him but they sure look like they have a green cast in the photo....I hope it's just a trick of the lighting! I have a couple of barnyard mixed pullets out of him to test whether he is double factored for the blue egg gene that I'm keeping for egg layers. Weird thing is, I thought all his chicks would be solid black or a dilute there of, regardless of the hen he bred but I ended up with:

When bred to a blue Orpington- a black pullet with a hen tail but pointy rooster-like neck and sickle feathers
When bred to a wheaten colored mutt- a brown hen with black stippled feathers and a black head
When bred to a gold duckwing phoenix- a black hen with silver birchen-like neck feathers

I also culled two cockerels, one was all black (Orpington mix) and the other was black with red leakage in all the male areas (phoenix mix)

And all of them with black faces, pea combs. I know this is the Sumatra thread but if anyone is interested in what the mutts look like let me know and I'll go snap a few pics. I apparently need to re-read the color genetics of the domestic fowl books

You might find that his black is hiding a few odd recessives

I would like to see pic's of both the hen and the get, if you would be so kind!

Thanks much
Scott

 

[sumatrass]

Looks like i have all males, oh well they are awesome looking!!!!