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Need some advice with breeding
greeneggsandham:
First off I\'d like to say that I\'m not well read in genetics and struggle to understand what I\'m reading most of the time. Anybody got a recommendation for a good simple book that would help me get a simple understanding of the genetics of birds?
Secondly, I\'ve been pairing my birds up for the last few years based on looks to try and obtain some better looking birds. Like I said, I don\'t have a good knowledge of genetics. I did obtain my birds from a well known breeder here and have been working with what I have, taking notes on them, etc. I feel I have made some progress in this area, but still have some problem areas that need work. Mainly, eye color, and leakage. What I\'d like to ask about here is hackle and saddle leakage.
My colors are black, blue and splash LF. I have three nice blacks with good hackles and saddle feathers. I have one splash roo with good size, eyes, form etc. He has quite a bit of \"straw\" color in his hackles and saddle feathers though. I would like to get a nice splash roo from him without that problem. Same with a blue roo I hatched last year. I kept the best looking one. He was bred from a black roo x blue hen. I must say however, looking at pics, that the hen was more lavender looking than blue, imo. Anyway, he is about 9 months old now and when I put the camera on him, it appears that I am seeing some reddish tint in the hackles and saddle feathers there. The light in the pen isn\'t great and I never noticed it before. So, what should I be looking for in my hens to pair up with these two to try to eliminate this problem?
I\'ve got some good looking blue hens here with nice lacing and black legs (I think), a couple of lavender looking hens (with ticking though), blacks and only two splash hens.
John:
--- Quote ---a good simple book
--- End quote ---
I don\'t know of any that are as up-to-date as the info on the following website:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051207035940/marsa_sellers.tripod.com/geneticspages/page0.html
Also check out this one:
http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/
And, this culculator:
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingKipFlex.html?DATA=S;Kip
bantamhill:
I would recommend:
Starting Where You Are With What You Have, by Ralph Sturgeon. A Club member found one for me on a used book site. A good common sense look at breeding poultry. You might also spend some time using the search function of the forum. There are many good tidbits of information.
It looks like there is a reprint at http://www.poultrynz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1297
I would suggest you breed the best to the best and leave the rest! If you have a good black cock or cockerel with clean hackles I would use him over your very best black, blue, and splash hens.
I would not recommend using a cock or cockerel showing any straw hackles. He will pass it on to his daughters and they will produce sons with straw in the hackles. I would not use the blue hens without lacing unless they have exceptional egg color, and even then I would mark all those chicks and evaluate them very carefully.
My two-sense for what it is worth! I made the mistake of using a cock with a little bit of shafting many years ago and lost ground until I culled him and most of his daughters. Basically, I replaced my blacks with different stock.
Michael
greeneggsandham:
Thanks for your replies. So basically, there is no way to produce splash hens or cocks using this splash cockeral without him passing the gene to either sex produced?
What about using my blue cockeral to produce a splash? Or will the red tint I saw be the same problem different color? And I\'m trying to remember if there is a chance of producing a splash by a blue x blue mating?
John:
--- Quote ---will produce sons with straw in the hackles.
--- End quote ---
I\'ve found it very easy to get rid of. Whether you are talking wheat or oak straw a stiff brush will do the trick...I don\'t have any experience with barley straw though. ;)
MICHAEL...it\'s really good to see you back and having some time to contribute to the forum. B)
Michael once said:
--- Quote ---black x black = black
black x blue = 50% blue, 50% black
black x splash = blue
blue x splash = 50% blue, 50% splash
blue x blue = 25% black, 25% splash, 50% blue
--- End quote ---
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