The Wyandotte Thread

[DMRippy]

Quote: Thanks, that is exactly what I was doing. I also didn't want someone to think they should NOT KEEP a bird with faults, I would breed a bird that was GREAT in every way, but a ault. It is only a small amount of point for a comb and if you breed a bad comb to a good comb you will get improvement. Now with that said, I would not breed a bird with a DQ, I would not want to breed that forward.

 

[sixpugs]

I don't think she was contradicting you. She was just clarifying the difference between a fault and a DQ for me.

I've read the standards for my breeds over and over again. But, if you're new like me, the terminology doesn't mean a whole lot. I like the diagrams on the Wyandotte club site. What I need is a "Standards for Dummies" book.

I guess I thought that I explained it pretty well in my original post, but perhaps not.
Some of the terminology is confusing & it always helps to have more experienced breeders help clarify it for you. I tend to be a visual person. I prefer to see a picture, actual bird etc. to get the point across. One thing I can suggest is buying the actual SOP's from the ABA & APA. If you have Large Fowl only, the APA standard book is excellent. It breaks down things like "shafting" (which was a real head scratcher for me in the beginning), feather patterns, head types and alot of terminology. You could even buy an older used one, as most standards don't change much. I bought a great one on Ebay awhile back.New ones are $50 or $55. I think.
Just be aware, that if you are looking for edification of a color variety not yet accepted, you won't find it there! Some breeds have those colors, so you can use their standard to get an idea.
On the BLRW thread, I posted pics of some of my bantam combs (good and not so good). It is towards the end of the thread (maybe a couple pages back). That might help you.
Poultry is different (I am finding) that breeding dogs, horses and other mammals. I find the peculiarities in the color breeding alone a bit mind boggling!

 

[sixpugs]

Thanks, that is exactly what I was doing. I also didn't want someone to think they should NOT KEEP a bird with faults, I would breed a bird that was GREAT in every way, but a ault. It is only a small amount of point for a comb and if you breed a bad comb to a good comb you will get improvement. Now with that said, I would not breed a bird with a DQ, I would not want to breed that forward.

I guess I felt that the way you worded your reply, implied otherwise. More like you were correcting my statement....but ok.

In my post, I said the bird was otherwise outstanding. If he wasn't, I wouldn't have taken him to a show. Most people in attendance thought he should have been BB. They deduct 1/2 pt for each point missing, so two points missing is 1 point from perfection. In some breeds it can be higher. Of course there are no perfect birds and I agree, you often have to breed some faults, to improve other areas. This is particularly true with new varieties, breeds with limited quantities etc. If you breed a bad comb to a good comb you should get improvement (in theory). Sometimes, it can take a couple of generations. Often the slightest change or improvement can take 3 or more generations to fix. Other things can bite you in the tail, when you thougth you'd eliminated that trait.This is what I am finding out on my own and from reading posts on other forums or articles by longtime breeders. Silly me, I tried some experimentation early this breeding season......I quickly discovered that I'm not ready for that sort of thing yet....

I think it was best said by a breeder recently, that breeding chickens is an art form. I tend to agree.

 

[colby318]

Colby318 -- Very nice birds! I had always wondered what the brownish color on blues was and if it was good or bad. Do you only breed black and blue wyandottes or do you have a few other colors as well?

Sorry to take so long to post. I acquired some LF whites from Duane Urch this year, he has really nice birds. I'm picking up some chocolate and chocolate-recessive blacks this weekend at a show from a friend. I'm using the whites to add bulk to my blacks. The chocolates are for kicks and giggles. I do have some blr juveniles in the growing pens. They're no longer my focus, I love the solid colors on wyandottes. It doesn't matter to me that they're not as popular as the laced variety.

I am (unhappily) surprised that the rust leakage is bleeding through on the cockerels with the softest suede coloring and the pullets with lacing. I don't know if it is the particular blue hen throwing it - my cocks are black - or related genetically to the lacing. Either way, I won't keep any of them. It's a DQ.

 

[sixpugs]

Sorry to take so long to post. I acquired some LF whites from Duane Urch this year, he has really nice birds. I'm picking up some chocolate and chocolate-recessive blacks this weekend at a show from a friend. I'm using the whites to add bulk to my blacks. The chocolates are for kicks and giggles. I do have some blr juveniles in the growing pens. They're no longer my focus, I love the solid colors on wyandottes. It doesn't matter to me that they're not as popular as the laced variety.

I am (unhappily) surprised that the rust leakage is bleeding through on the cockerels with the softest suede coloring and the pullets with lacing. I don't know if it is the particular blue hen throwing it - my cocks are black - or related genetically to the lacing. Either way, I won't keep any of them. It's a DQ.

Are you picking up Chocolate/black recessive blacks in Bantams or LF? I am a fan of the solid colors myself. I am trying Partridge & BLR's, so we'll see how that goes. I raise bantams exclusively. Would love to have the LF, just not enough room.

 

[colby318]

They're English bantams so they are much larger than the American ones. Hopefully, with a couple of years of linebreeding, I can bring their up their size using my LF blacks. A friend of mine has partridge and silver penciled. I love the lacing on the hens.

 

[JeffOeuf]

Just looking for some advice with regard to my Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks. Here's one of them, at about 6-7 weeks.

Will her feathers get more white, or is this pretty much the coloring she'll have as an adult? She's young, but it looks to me like she has a single comb. I wasn't planning on showing or breeding, but I like the look of a rose comb.

 

[sixpugs]

She looks more like a silver pencilled or possibly a birchen. She should already be well laced, as she is mostly feathered out. This looks to be close to her adult color, though it is difficult to see some of the feathering up close. She also appears to have a single comb. Do they all look pretty much like this one?

 

[JeffOeuf]

There are just two, and they're virtually identical. I can't tell one from the other.

I'm a little bummed about the lacing. Oh well.

 

[sixpugs]

I'm sorry, I know what you mean. Are they LF or Bantam?