The EE braggers thread!!!

[QueenBubbles]

Mine have been molting. Started 2 weeks ago

 

[FVRM]

*game of thrones voice* winter is coming

 

[COChix]

Thanks! Me too! Out of my 8 new chicks, the only breed that doesnt have the beard/muffs are the Australorps lol So pretty! Congrats!! Here are my EE twins lol Cwen and Chloe, from Ideal.

Aww so cute!

I'm pretty sure my Elsa is a EE. DO you think so? She's 8 weeks old. the EE behind her is really an EE but I can't keep him because he's a roo.

I am newer to chickens so I might be wrong, but I believe that EE generally have slate/greenish legs. Maybe your is an Ameracuana? I found this online from Wiki... "The Ameraucana is one of the few chicken breeds to lay blue eggs; another is the Cream Legbar, which also has Araucana influence.[4] The Ameraucana shows many similarities to the Araucana, including the pea comb and the blue egg gene. The Araucana has earmuffs and is rumpless; the Ameraucana has a tail and is muffed and bearded.[7] The earlobes are small and round, the wattles small or absent; earlobes, comb and wattles are all red. The shanks are slate-blue, tending to black in the Black variety.[1]" And from Wiki on the Araucana's "The current worldwide Araucana Standard (except North America) indicates a medium- to large-sized chicken with a tail that lays blue to turquoise eggs. Specific features are feather ear tufts, muffs, and beards, with a very much reduced comb, a small feather crest and a complete absence of wattles. The current North American standard calls for a chicken that is rumpless (missing their last vertebrae and lacking a tail), possesses ear-tufts (feathers that grow out from near the birds' ears), and lays blue eggs. In the United States and Canada, muffs, beards, and tails are all disqualifications" Of course that is the breed standard.

 

[COChix]

COCHix it'll be tough to tell. Especially not knowing the background on your hatchery birds.
I can tell you any time you mess with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics.
One of the guys like Jerry could give you many more tips than me, In still a newbie! Lol

So I am a complete newbie on genetics so bear with me. What did you mean by your statement on "messing with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics?" And thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.

Here are the boys, Rocco is the Alpha.

Bruno

Rocco

 

[COChix]

Ok I just had to post this picture I got today of Little One, another one of our EE. She almost didn't survive after shipment. She was ill and could hardly stand up, she looked drunk even, unable to sit up. I nursed her, gave her two crickets and hand watered her. After a 30 minute nap, she was ready to rejoin the flock. She is one of the friendliest, will come up to you and talk. Lol

Here she was the day after shipment being cared for and nursed to health.

 

[kenzier093]

Ok I just had to post this picture I got today of Little One, another one of our EE. She almost didn't survive after shipment. She was ill and could hardly stand up, she looked drunk even, unable to sit up. I nursed her, gave her two crickets and hand watered her. After a 30 minute nap, she was ready to rejoin the flock. She is one of the friendliest, will come up to you and talk. Lol





Here she was the day after shipment being cared for and nursed to health.

Wow, it's amazing how they can sometimes bounce right back to being healthy!

 

[jknox1982]

I have an updated photo of the chicks I believe they may be about 2.5 too 3 months old, I see muffs now and was so super excited. The one in front I named Dora and the one in the back is Stella. At first we thought they were both hens and now we don't know. I know I have posted allot but I really want to know because I am so attached to both of them and I don't have the space for two roosters Thanks in advance

 

[jerryse]

I have an updated photo of the chicks I believe they may be about 2.5 too 3 months old, I see muffs now and was so super excited. The one in front I named Dora and the one in the back is Stella. At first we thought they were both hens and now we don't know. I know I have posted allot but I really want to know because I am so attached to both of them and I don't have the space for two roosters Thanks in advance

I would say cockerels due to the red in the shoulders and back plus the comb . Splash with red leakage . Splash is 2 copies of the gene for blue . They appear to be bantam .

 

[jerryse]

So I am a complete newbie on genetics so bear with me. What did you mean by your statement on "messing with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics?" And thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.

Here are the boys, Rocco is the Alpha.

Bruno


Rocco

Buff is not understood very well . There are many genes involved to get buff . When you cross buff you seldom get a true buff . There will usually be a lot of buff involved but the tails are usually black .


These are some examples .

 

[RoosterLew]

COCHix it'll be tough to tell. Especially not knowing the background on your hatchery birds.
I can tell you any time you mess with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics.
One of the guys like Jerry could give you many more tips than me, In still a newbie! Lol

So I am a complete newbie on genetics so bear with me. What did you mean by your statement on "messing with buffs, there is a lot of restricting and modifying on their genetics?" And thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.
]

Ok lol...lesson one: Chickens have a "Genotype", that is their actual genetic make up. Then they have a "Phenotype" ... Which is what they look like.
Best example off the top of my head is Recessive White: not all white birds are " White" genetically. They may be any color , but if they possess two copies of the Recessive white Gene, they will look white.

So if you have a black Rooster, And a black Hen that both have 1 copy of recessive white they can and will have Some white offspring. Though those offspring are Genetically Black (Genotype) they look White. (Phenotype)

Now, before somebody tells me that is not completely correct.. I know it's not , but it illustrates a point well

Lesson 2: Chickens have 2 sets of Genes. One set from Mom, and One Set from Dad.
In a Certain Variety of A Certain Breed, both sets are very Similar, therefore the offspring look very Similar to Mom and Dad!

Lesson 3: There are only 2 colors in chickens. Black or red!! Everything else is a modification, dilution, inhibition, restriction or other form of messing with Black or Red.

A good Example here is Blue and Splash. The Blue Gene (Bl) dilutes Black. Having one copy of Bl dilutes Black to that grey color...which we call blue. Having 2 copies dilutes further to that mixed up dirty white, splotchy color we call Splash.

Another example would be white. White is not actually a color, but more the Lack of Color. White basically turns the black and Red Off.

So how does all of this apply to Buffs? Just imagine how many different things you have to do to make a black and Red bird be solid Buff?? It takes a lot of those genes to mess up the black and red just right to get this color. Many of the genes the really smart geneticalististis folks aren't even sure of yet!

So now imagine, when you breed a buff to anything not buff and you get half of those genes? Some of them dilute black or red, or just black or just red. Some of them do different things with a single copy vs Two copies, some don't do anything with a single copy, and some of those could be hiding in the not buff bird and the buff bird then Show up in the offspring half the time and not show the other half....buffs are a genetic mess!! Lol

Ok...now the sad part is, I have typed a book here and haven't really taught you anything!! I have left out so much that your now armed with just enough knowledge to get it all wrong!!
This is why people spend their entire life trying to get one Variety of One breed figured out! With buffs, it has taken many dedicated Poultry men several lifetimes and we are still learning!
This is also why even in a simple color like Black, you cannot just breed good black to good black to get better black. Btw- black isn't is as simple as it looks!!

There are pages devoted to one color, on countless forums! I think every breed club has a forum with a " How to get better blacks" thread.

For me to even try to start explaining here would be insane...so I guess I did! Lol

If you really want to learn genetics, you can spend the countless hours I have reading, researching and studying - then you will be as lost as I Am Seriously, I have researched it A lot and I know very little. Which is why I defer do much to guys Like Jerry Segler, Ted Adkerson( Hope I got that right) , and many many others. These folks have dedicated a major part of their lives to this.

Just a note on Jerry Segler. I defer to him a lot as I frequent many of the same threads as he. We seem to have similar tastes in birds and breeds and both really enjoy "Projects". Jerry doesn't even know, until now I guess lol, how much of a type of mentor he is to me. Basically, the guy just does stuff the way I'd do it!! I hope some day to be half the poultry man Jerry is!! I have followed his work and teaching for awhile now.