Author Topic: Culling for Duckfoot  (Read 11464 times)

Mike Gilbert

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2014, 11:20:22 AM »
He's a really nice bird.   I would use him to test for the gene in females, and maybe keep the best of his offspring with normal toes and feet out of those females who turn out not to be carriers.   But ultimately it is your decision as you know better than anyone what your current needs are. 

Max

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #16 on: July 10, 2014, 07:33:56 AM »
Thanks, Mike. You may have just saved his life. Since I did not get any duckfoot chicks in the last three hatches, do you think that would be a sufficient test? There were only three pullets in with him during that time.
Max Strawn

Mike Gilbert

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #17 on: July 10, 2014, 08:38:33 AM »
Were all of the pullets laying?   And how many chicks did you hatch from them?  And how old are the chicks?

Max

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #18 on: July 10, 2014, 08:46:31 AM »
Yes, all were laying. I have about 40 chicks combined from the last three hatches on May 5th, 12th, and 19th.
Max Strawn

Lee G

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #19 on: July 10, 2014, 10:17:34 AM »
Max, your black cockerel pictured is beautiful. I really like his shape and full breast.  What does he weigh?

sometimes it seems I take two steps forward and one step back all in the same year lol

Yup. I like to think its all part of the intricate art of breeding for improvement. Sometimes you have to backtrack three steps to make one step forward...or so I keep telling myself. lol

~ The duty of the breeder today and tomorrow is to create rather than imitate or simply perpetuate -- Horace Dryden

Mike Gilbert

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #20 on: July 10, 2014, 12:31:28 PM »
Yes, all were laying. I have about 40 chicks combined from the last three hatches on May 5th, 12th, and 19th.

If none of those chicks have or develop duckfoot later, you have some good stock to go forward with.
Duckfoot has not really been studied that much, as it has no commercial significance.   My gut feeling is that it involves at least two recessive genes. 

Max

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #21 on: July 14, 2014, 04:27:33 PM »
  What does he weigh?

Thanks for the compliments. He is around 6 pounds. I wish he had a little more tail...

Mike, thanks for your input and advice.   :)
Max Strawn

Clif Redden

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #22 on: July 14, 2014, 06:52:10 PM »
Hi Max, I think your cockerel bird looks great! If your talking about the length of his tail it looks like a nice medium length.

Clif Redden

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Re: Culling for Duckfoot
« Reply #23 on: July 14, 2014, 07:10:30 PM »
I meant to say cock bird my spell check  put cockerel in.