The Wyandotte Thread

[BlacksheepCardigans]

The rose comb effect on fertility has been studied REGULARLY for almost a hundred years. It's not a new idea or a few scientists getting it wrong; it's been known for decades and studied exhaustively. And yes, Wyandottes are used as low-fertility controls in experiments. It's that predictable.

I've never thought that a comb made a breed. A comb makes a show bird, but if I breed a single-combed Wyandotte with a rose comb male and get a rose comb chick, I didn't make like Houdini and go from purebred to not purebred to purebred again.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

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We were told the same thing about fertility when we started with Wyandottes, but over the years breeding and raising them we found the information to be far from the truth. Like I said.....everyone will form their own opinions on the matter....doesn't matter either way.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

It has been scientifically proven that a bumblebee CAN NOT fly. Its wings are too small for its large body. However, a bumblebee can not read, so therefore it does not know it can not fly.

Not all scientific information is correct. It is also possible that the strains of rose combs they researched had bad fertility and the single combs had good fertility. If the object of the research was to prove the RC caused infertility, then perhaps their research was flawed. Just a thought.

 

[Ivywoods]

Scientific studies definitely can be flawed.

People's opinions can be biased due to their views of own experience. Ask two people to watch a movie or people to report on an accident they witnessed. You will get as many different reports as you get people to report it.

People may never agree on this rosecomb issue, but hey! I'm learning a lot here.

 

[Whimsy]

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They are such puff-balls! How old are yours? I think ours are about 8 months or so. They are pretty young yet (the hen isn't ready to lay yet). I'm so glad to have found this breed. They are so nice and great for cold climate. We get to add another coop in the spring-we have it, but it's too cold out to work on it, so we'll have one for the BLR and one for the silvers. One will be "the Mansion", the other "the guest house". Then all we'll need is a broody hen

8 MONTHES! Goodness when should I expect my Wyndottes to start laying?? They are 21 weeks old. My Black roo Zebeedee started crowing last week and today attacked and chased a feral cat away

. He lets our cat Kit wander among them.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Our roosters will fight anything that comes in the chicken yard.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Yay, I get to introduce my favorite webpage of the year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

Bumblebees work like helicopters and their flight has been very well described. It's aerodynamically sound.

The way a lot of show breeders raise their birds, with a very low rooster-to-hen ratio, can mask the low fertility, but that doesn't mean it's a false statement. Homozygous rose comb means low sperm count, less virility, etc.

I am not sure what would convince you - I can give you sixty studies documenting low fertility in rose comb breeds. Are ALL of them lying? Every single one of the hundreds of researchers that have consistently found low fertility in a homozygous rose comb chicken, all the ones who narrowed it down to a predictable chemical reaction, they're all wrong? I just have a very hard time believing that, when I know that show breeders don't have their flocks set up to test it. If you've got one rooster in with fifteen hens and are getting 100% fertility year-round and never producing a single-combed chick, then I admit that I am totally wrong.

 

[mame1616]

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Here's the thing - no one needs to be convinced of anything by anyone else. We're all supposed to share information with each other, and then we all take that information and use the portions that work best for us. Choosing sides or forcing issues only succeed in getting threads shut down. I've lurked on this thread for many months now, reading and learning. I was here the last time it was shut down, and I'd prefer it not happen again.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

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Here's the thing - no one needs to be convinced of anything by anyone else. We're all supposed to share information with each other, and then we all take that information and use the portions that work best for us. Choosing sides or forcing issues only succeed in getting threads shut down. I've lurked on this thread for many months now, reading and learning. I was here the last time it was shut down, and I'd prefer it not happen again.

I agree.....lets not get locked again.
There will always be breeders trying to breed the single comb out of the Wyandottes and there are breeders that breed the single comb in and not everyone will agree on the matter. Just do what works best for you and your birds.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

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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.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/11721_chickens_june_010.jpg

She's pretty! How old is she in this photo?? Mine are looking sooo ratty after the snow an rain and more snow.... I can't wait for spring!