The American Cemani Breeders Club...open forum

[pitbullmomma]

This is my little roo, I think he's quite handsome!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you! You seem to be the Supreme Goddess of the All-Black Chickens on here, so I value your opinion. Your birds are freaking gorgeous!

About the flight thing, yeah, my poor bird-fearing husband found that out when he opened the box when he received them and one flew out and got loose around the garage! Poor guy just about had a heart attack! He videotaped the "unveiling" and it is beyond hilarious, I wish I could post it on here (it made me cry laughing, can't stop watching it) but it is chock-full of obscenities so I probably can't....

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but no, I'm not, lol... many here have been breeding much, much longer than I have and have absolutely stunning birds... yes, I have bred a couple of very nice males, but until that becomes more consistent, I am still an apprentice...

Besides, I have had an amazing mentor in @Pyxis and all I have done is ask advice and make sure I apply it... I do hard, no holds barred culling and keep moving forward... nothing that anyone here couldn't do themselves...

I would love to see the vid, lol, but yeah, doesn't sound BYC appropriate...

They really are eating machines!! Little gavons, they feast on *everything*, and they kinda are like dinosaurs! The roo looks like some kind of alien burned-up stegasaurus with that freaky black comb, lol. They are beyond cool, the first time I saw pictures of them I knew I had to have them. I just hope they eventually get over their terror of me.

This is a weird question, but do they have a funkier smell typically than regular chickens? Cuz mine are a little bit gamey. It's not horrid, just strong and distinctive. They do look and act totally healthy, except for the little one who seems to have a bit of an eye issue which I have to check out.

They are extremely amazing foragers... if they have access to free range, your feed bill will drop, no joke...

What kind of eye issue? That concerns me...

This is my little roo, I think he's quite handsome!


View attachment 1086178 View attachment 1086182

Nice looking young cockerel... can't wait to see how he fills out...

 

[Ravynscroft]

My current batch, 13 fresh hatched...

5 keepers...

8 culls... I have raised my culling bar much higher...

 

[Pyxis]

Besides, I have had an amazing mentor in @Pyxis and all I habe done is ask advice and make sure I apply it...

Aw, thanks! I might give advice, but you do all the hard work!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Aw, thanks! I might give advice, but you do all the hard work!

Agreed... but without learning who to breed with who, and what is best to cull out I would be propagating sub-par birds...

 

[pitbullmomma]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but no, I'm not, lol... many here have been breeding much, much longer than I have and have absolutely stunning birds... yes, I have bred a couple of very nice males, but until that becomes more consistent, I am still an apprentice...

I've seen your pics, your birds are stunning too!

Besides, I have had an amazing mentor in @Pyxis and all I have done is ask advice and make sure I apply it... I do hard, no holds barred culling and keep moving forward... nothing that anyone here couldn't do themselves...

Couldn't do the culling thing! That's why I will never breed, just want a few for myself, if they're not perfect I don't care. But I do appreciate the hard work the breeders on here have done to perfect their lines of this awesome bird. ...

I would love to see the vid, lol, but yeah, doesn't sound BYC appropriate...

Totally not. It's hysterical though. I never get sick of watching it!


What kind of eye issue? That concerns me...


The right eye is swollen and closed. S/he is acting perfectly normal, peeping and walking around and eating and drinking like a beast. I've been rinsing it with saline and applying ophthalmic neo-poly-bac 2-3 times a day. We'll see what happens. It's been 24 hours. Doesn't look any worse, when I treat the eye s/he opens it a little bit. But the cornea is a little cloudy so Peanut (what I've been calling it) may wind up blind in that eye. THe other eye is perfectly fine.

 

[Pyxis]

The right eye is swollen and closed. S/he is acting perfectly normal, peeping and walking around and eating and drinking like a beast. I've been rinsing it with saline and applying ophthalmic neo-poly-bac 2-3 times a day. We'll see what happens. It's been 24 hours. Doesn't look any worse, when I treat the eye s/he opens it a little bit. But the cornea is a little cloudy so Peanut (what I've been calling it) may wind up blind in that eye. THe other eye is perfectly fine.

Any symptoms besides the eye swelling? Nasal discharge etc? If not she probably just got pecked in the eye. Try some terramycin on it

 

[Ravynscroft]

Just FYI, "culling" does not automatically mean "killing"... it simply means removing from the breeding program in the manner of each breeders preference... put into a layer flock, sold of as mixes, etc...

You can still be a successful breeder and never euthanize a single bird...

Any symptoms besides the eye swelling? Nasal discharge etc? If not she probably just got pecked in the eye. Try some terramycin on it

X2

But if there is any discharge, wheezing or other symptoms I would check that out...

 

[Pyxis]

Just FYI, "culling" does not automatically mean "killing"... it simply means removing from the breeding program in the manner of each breeders preference... put into a lyer flock, sold of as mixes, et

X2!

My cull pullets go right into my layer flock. The boys usually get rehomed to people who want yard candy with firm instructions not to breed them. If I don't trust that someone wouldn't breed them, then I call them mixes.

 

[pitbullmomma]

Any symptoms besides the eye swelling? Nasal discharge etc? If not she probably just got pecked in the eye. Try some terramycin on it

Nah, no other symptoms. Initially when I flushed it out I saw what looked like a tiny nub of feather come out, so I'm hoping that's all. I used to be a vet (small animal, albeit not avian, and definitely not chickens, lol!) so I'm pretty confident it's not any kind of systemic illness, just localized to the eye... I'm thinking the NPB should work if it's infected. Could be a bunch of different things, but I'll start with the simple.