The Plymouth Rock Breeders Thread- Part Deux

[Mosey2003]

I dunno. I gotta scrap everything on the farm I think besides the cock. Just checked all the chicks, and even the oldest has it. The one from shipped eggs. That's completely unrelated to anything here. I'm starting to wonder about environmental factors. Radon or lead in the water? I'm seriously baffled now.
If the pullet I get from my cock's breeder throws this too I might condemn the farm
Gonna look into water testing, it's been a while and now I'm worried about all of us.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Well that sounds terrifying. Let us know what you turn up.

 

[Mosey2003]

I'm just at a loss. Gonna revise the feed for everyone too. I'll report back if I ever find anything concrete. Otherwise, I guess I'm out.

 

[Mosey2003]

Last post about comb drama, I swear

I looked at the shipped egg pullet again, and I think she actually has an injury and not the same defect as my chicks. So that clears up the "my farm is deforming animals" worry. Although I am going to change up my feed and have added some Poultry Cell to the breeder pen because I have concerns about my ration, but that's another topic entirely.

I finally truly hit on what defect this really is. I know a defect is a cull and it shouldn't really matter, but it bugs the life out of me not to know things.

It's an inverted comb. More common in rose combed breeds, where it's known as an inverted leader or inverted spike. The genes can be present in single combed breeds and just hide out until they hit the right cross to surface.

I'll never know how it popped up in my hens from the local breeder, and it's really not important at this point as I'm not getting anything from them again. Considering it is present nearly fully in one hen, and less so in another, I have to assume they had to see it. It would have been nice for a heads up, like, "Hey, watch the combs on these, I've gotten a few off ones. Working on it." Oh well.

I'm going to run one more hatch on the visibly normal hens and see if I get any clean chicks. Out of curiosity more than anything. I do find it interesting that at this point of growth there are still 3 cockerels that appear normal. I don't really need one, but a friend wants a fresh one in the spring, so we'll see just how often this defect comes up.

I'll get my pullet next month and hatch from the pair next spring, that will give me a good line since they're a matching pair. I'll see what else I get from these guys and play with the breeding a bit to see if I can make it come out again or if as long as both parents are normal, it won't surface. As long as I keep everything banded and recorded, it will be fine. I can use more layers and more freezer cockerels, and if I ever have interest for 4H chicks or the like, I'll have the good line to pass on.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Well I'm glad you figured out what was going on. I was worrying about the birds.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I've got to get a few photos of the birds. Writing this to save thread location and remind myself to do it during the few daylight hours tomorrow...Hope they show well, it's cold this week.

I believe I managed to raise two K's without the side sprig issue from crossing lines. *Knock on wood* Will be intensely inspecting during photo shoot. Some of the pullets look to be bunny tailed and that will be high on list of things to look out for when I choose breeders this coming spring. Other than that the pullets look good. Coloring and lacing is fantastic but I'll be looking at the bodies closer during photo shoot too.

All in all it was a hard summer with the cock being low fertility and poor niche of lines resulting in extreme high rate of side sprigs on k's combs. May have pulled it out of the hat though. One possible two K's without expression and they look good for body type thus far. Will check and recheck combs on pullets but the push on F2 I'll be breeding for this spring is yellow legs and tail lift. 15 degree lift is not a lot but it's far higher than horizontal backs. Tired of leg color paling with age, want them as bright as highway paint.

Spring trio/quad for F2's and separate single mating of f1 to Dam. Will result in start of new line of Silver and my own line of Partridge. I'm pumped to move forward!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Cold and they didn't want to show. I'm fitting up the winter run tomorrow as I've finally got some time to do it. Will have better photos then but here are a few to give an idea and show this K may be the breeder I sought.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Finally getting around to winter run to find I only had enough plastic to do one side of lean to. Oh well, that and hay made them much happier. Have a photo of good body type with tail lift, tried to show the feet of a pullet that are yellow and she has good type (not as good as the one silhouetted), few pics of wider pullets with good backs and a pic of back end of my potential breeder cock. Couldn't get many good photos but meh, here are a few I like:

These feet are my most yellow and on a good body type bird. Didn't show up in color as it truly is. Dang.

 

[Dr.Dale]

the push on F2 I'll be breeding for this spring is yellow legs and tail lift. 15 degree lift is not a lot but it's far higher than horizontal backs.

What is the SOP on back and tails (or body shape in general) in Plymouth Rocks now? I think I may start breeding my whites to the SOP.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'll look up the exact wording for you later, I'll just say it's a curve from neck line, not abrupt change rather a curve to back and back is a straight line all the way to tail tip. The angle of this straight line to horizon is 15 degrees on females. Cocks are curve from neck to back, back is straight then curve to tail that is 30 degree lift from back. At least that's my memory. I'll get back later with exact wording.

Heck, I just posted (#128) some photos...look at the second from last pic of pullet in profile. That's what you want for body type. She is not as wide as some of the girls but that profile is to die for. As for width you'll see it in the tail tent. Wide tee pee tent looking at birds from back side. That would be the pullet shown in first photo.