The Wyandotte Thread

[BooBear]

I may have to break down and order some chicks as the eggs I am waiting on are stuck enroute with the USPS due to the poor travel conditions from the big storm that blew across to the eastern states.
Really want the eggs to arrive today......come on postman

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Mrs. Turbo :

Is that green grass in Idaho????
the birds look great.

The SLW rooster are big guys and sometimes it takes them a little longer to get fertile in the spring. We just got a fertile SLW egg and the lights have been on them for almost 2 months now. 1 egg out of many...hope it picks up.

Is it possible that you're hitting the rose comb problem and not a seasonal one?​

 

[nancy/pets]

Quote:
Since you ask so nicely

I will not deem their quality however here are some of mine:

Hansemann, GLW roo:
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/celticmoon666/Hansemann-1.jpg

Fjalar, Partridge bantam roo:
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/celticmoon666/CIMG0501.jpg

Tuppen, Partridge bantam hen:
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/celticmoon666/CIMG0492.jpg

Pocahontas, GLW hen (sorry the pic is rather small):
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/celticmoon666/poca2.jpg

SLW hen:
http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv230/celticmoon666/Slvrandet.jpg

Sorry for flooding! This is me restraining myself - I have soooo many pictures!!!
Roocrazy - nice white one - is she from white parents or is she a recessive white sport?

Very nice chickens!!! Want to share, LOL

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Quote:
Is it possible that you're hitting the rose comb problem and not a seasonal one?

We shipped out a good number of SLW chick orders last spring and grew out a ton of chicks for us.....not a fertility problem.

We don't believe the rose comb has anything to do with fertility.....just a lot of out dated information. We have other rose comb varieties here on the farm that do not produce any single comb chicks and they have great fertility.
Our SLWs have always taken longer to get fertile in the spring and with lights. We think that is because of their massive size, but that is just our thoughts on it.....we also found that we have to keep the rooster to hen ration about 1/5 in order to get good fertility on the SLWs.

 

[WyandotteTX]

I am going to agree with Mrs Turbo on the lack of influence on fertility because of Rose Combs. Has nothing to do with it. From my own experience and talking to many older breeders I have found that Wyandottes, especially males from 2 years of age and up do not have good fertility early during the cold weather. As the weather warms up fertility goes up. Also would agree that large birds like their LF Silver Laced will take a little longer to mature sexually than other breeds.

 

[turbo]

If you do some research you will find that most modern lines of Wyandottes that keep producing single comb chicks have had Rocks crossed on them to improve their color or for whatever reason the breeder thought he/she needed to do an outcross..maybe that line of Wyandottes was at a dead end or something.

The big Wyandotte males need alot of light...about 12-14 hours of light to get going....I know that by March of last year we were hatching out around 50 slw chicks every week....so not bad for Rosecomb birds...

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Seriously? They just found the mode of action and absolutely confirmed why it happens in '96, so I don't think it's outdated.

http://www.biolreprod.org/content/54/1/168.short

It's also behavioral, of course; hens prefer roosters that carry for single comb and roosters prefer hens that carry it, which is why it shows up so often in rosecomb flocks. But the behavior is because the chickens know, somehow, that himozygous rosecomb sperm is not as good (sperm leads to behavior, not vice versa).

Researchers actually use Wyandottes as their models for low fertility, because of the sperm problems with the comb.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Quote:
All I can say is we are going by the personal experience on our farm and the opinions and experience of other exhibition and backyard breeders. There is also a big debate about high protein causing angel wing in waterfowl.....something else that not everyone agrees on.

 

[WyandotteTX]

My response to that information would be that its incorrect. Been raising Wyandottes for many, many years now and its just not true. At least with my birds and those of other breeders I have known. If you start talking about a Wyandotte with a single comb, the first wrong thing you are saying is that it is a Wyandotte. If its not a rose comb, its not a Wyandotte. Period.

I love scientific research, love to read about stuff like that but sometimes it just doesnt hit the nail on the head or does not refute what common knowledge or experiences may have taught.
I am a coach, have been so for 15 years. I will talk to new coaches who will start spouting the scientifics of this exercise or that exercise....my question to them always is? Does it work? They usually dont have an answer. I will train a certain way because I know it works, from experience and my own common knowledge. There is no science that replaces wisdom of experience.

My apologies. Not trying to flame and I will get off of my soap box now.
Have a great day!

 

[chickenlady81]

Quote:
Ummm So your saying that my hen below isnt a Pure Wyandotte just cause she has a single comb even though she came from two wyandottes with rose combs and a very well known breeder in the wyandotte chicken world??? Im sorry I dont agree with that statement.