- Feb 23, 2011
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I have a cockerel who hatched on January 5th and has a crooked tail. His father was a production red from the TSC "Pullets" bin (he definitely wasn't a pullet) and I'm not sure about his mother. He has a single comb but at the very back there are two points next to each other, small and pretty much touching each other but not like a Buttercup comb, so maybe it is a modified pea or rose comb? He is red. The mother is most likely a BSL (also from TSC) judging by the color, but could also be a hatchery EE (though he doesn't have a beard). However, the other hens who were laying at that time are a SLW and two Dominiques (all rose combed), but I doubt it is one of them because of the color. So, first question, who do think is his mother?
Second, his tail is crooked. It just sort of leans. I read somewhere that it it genetic and somewhere else that it is recessive? If it is recessive, I highly doubt the parents could have come from two different hatcheries (EE and SLW came from one hatchery, rooster and BSL from TSC, Dominiques may or may not be hatchery but definitely not the same one as the others) and both carry the crooked tail gene, so I guess that would mean it has to be the BSL? Or is it caused by environmental factors? He hatched on day 23 and the Coturnix quail that hatched with him (it was 6 days late!) has wry neck, so maybe something about the humidity of that hatch? He and his half-sister (whose mother is a bantam Cochin) are the only two chickens I have from that rooster (who died a few days before the cockerel hatched) and I would really like to keep him because his father was great and I think that his daughters would make awesome layers, but if it is genetic he will have to be culled because I don't want random crooked tails popping up in the flock.
Thanks in advance for any answers! If a photo is needed, I can attempt to make him sit still for one.
Second, his tail is crooked. It just sort of leans. I read somewhere that it it genetic and somewhere else that it is recessive? If it is recessive, I highly doubt the parents could have come from two different hatcheries (EE and SLW came from one hatchery, rooster and BSL from TSC, Dominiques may or may not be hatchery but definitely not the same one as the others) and both carry the crooked tail gene, so I guess that would mean it has to be the BSL? Or is it caused by environmental factors? He hatched on day 23 and the Coturnix quail that hatched with him (it was 6 days late!) has wry neck, so maybe something about the humidity of that hatch? He and his half-sister (whose mother is a bantam Cochin) are the only two chickens I have from that rooster (who died a few days before the cockerel hatched) and I would really like to keep him because his father was great and I think that his daughters would make awesome layers, but if it is genetic he will have to be culled because I don't want random crooked tails popping up in the flock.
Thanks in advance for any answers! If a photo is needed, I can attempt to make him sit still for one.
