Howdy ya\'ll.
After going through the discussion regarding brassiness in white fowl I felt I may have something to offer in the way of advice to my fellow poultry enthusiasts.
Regardless of your level of experience and knowledge, any time you\'re just starting out with a new breed, variety, strain or even a new cross, it is extremely helpful to take photos of the newly hatched or received chicks. Tag, label or band each chick with an individual marking and label each photo with it\'s owner\'s ID. At regular intervals, about every 2-4 weeks or so, take a new photo of each chick. Make sure at the very least, that you take a newly hatched photo and a fully mature photo. Keep these on file \"forever\". Why? You\'d be amazed at just how much it will tell you about the genetics of your birds and because you keep them safely filed, you can refer back to them eons from now even if you\'ve gotten rid of the birds. Just as an example, I purchased 25 buff minorca chicks two years ago and noticed marked differences in chick down coloration and patterns amongst them. When they finished growing I was able to go back through the stack of photos to see exactly which colors and patterns in chicks produced the worst cases of \'smut\' in the tail and wing feathers of the mature fowl.
I\'ve used this technique for the last several years and it\'s remarkable just how much it has helped me to understand each one of my lines.
Regards,
Dan
