Author Topic: Eye Candy  (Read 14711 times)

Dan Pitts

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Eye Candy
« on: February 03, 2016, 04:07:25 PM »
Thanks to Susan Mouw, I now can resize my images for posting. picresize.com/

I am working with my first flocks of black/blue/splash Ameraucanas, and I will need the advice of the experts as I move forward. I have a black rooster over three blue hens and a splash, and a splash rooster over three blacks and a very dark blue. I will post pics here to get feedback, but by no means is it thread jacking if someone else wants to post pictures of their birds. I'm a little chatty, I love taking pictures of my birds, and I love looking at other's birds, so I'll start it off

Cesar “CJ”

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2016, 07:24:59 PM »
I am working with my first flocks of black/blue/splash Ameraucanas, and I will need the advice of the experts as I move forward. I have a black rooster over three blue hens and a splash, and a splash rooster over three blacks and a very dark blue. I will post pics here to get feedback, but by no means is it thread jacking if someone else wants to post pictures of their birds. I'm a little chatty, I love taking pictures of my birds, and I love looking at other's birds, so I'll start it off

What is your goal with your breeding?

Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2016, 07:54:14 PM »
My short term goal is to just maintain the quality I have and learn what the different pairings produce. My longer term goals are to improve my flocks and to sell chicks and eggs. I may eventually show, but that is not in the foreseeable future right now. I am in the process of transitioning from a flock of older backyard pets, ranging from hybrid layers to pet quality d'uccle and silkies, to more of a breeder setup of only AMs and BCM. The chickens have always been a fun hobby for me, but after getting some of Paul's birds, I am fascinated with the difference in well bred birds. I want to learn to be a real breeder myself, and I want to pare down to two breeds and really learn about them instead of raising and hatching just backyard birds

Edit: If you mean what is the immediate goal with my current flocks, I am purposely mating for more blues this year in hopes of darkening their color. I only have one that is really dark, so I am crossing the splash rooster with the blacks and a very dark blue, and the black rooster with lighter blues and a splash. I hope to get a good blue rooster to put into a third pen with some black and blue hens so that I can get some blue by blue splash offspring
« Last Edit: February 03, 2016, 07:57:19 PM by Dan Pitts »

Don

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2016, 10:12:52 PM »
Dan,  I like the Black male, he has a nice front, better than most I've seen recently.  I think he maybe could use a bit more tail. But it could be just that he is so strong in the breast. Some of the picture almost shows some blue on the top of his tail, but this is probably just the light.  Are his tail and wing feathers nice and wide?  The Splash hen with him looks nice and I hope will be able to give you some good prospects for this year.  I like the Black male's type better than the Splash male.  Some of this could be in the two poses.  But you should be able to get a good blue male to work with next season.   Toward the end of the breeding season you might cross the two splashes, hatch a few chicks and see how they color out too.  It would be great to see some of these at shows for sure.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2016, 07:56:10 AM by Don »
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Susan Mouw

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2016, 09:56:57 PM »
Dan, that black needs to be shown!
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Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2016, 09:03:47 AM »
Dan,  I like the Black male, he has a nice front, better than most I've seen recently.  I think he maybe could use a bit more tail. But it could be just that he is so strong in the breast. Some of the picture almost shows some blue on the top of his tail, but this is probably just the light.  Are his tail and wing feathers nice and wide?  The Splash hen with him looks nice and I hope will be able to give you some good prospects for this year.  I like the Black male's type better than the Splash male.  Some of this could be in the two poses.  But you should be able to get a good blue male to work with next season.   Toward the end of the breeding season you might cross the two splashes, hatch a few chicks and see how they color out too.  It would be great to see some of these at shows for sure.
Susan has loved the black ever since seeing him for the first time. He is still a little young in that picture, his tail has grown out a little more, but not as flashy as the splash rooster's. The splash tail set is high, and that picture of him is pretty accurate as to how he carries himself. I will see if I can find or take a better picture of him.
I candled my second set of eggs from these pens a couple of days ago, and again I have a lot of clears from the black pen. Before I split them to the breeder pens, I grew them out from straight run, culling down to 3 roosters from the original 8. The black was low man in the order, and submissive. I hope he's just taking a little time to assert himself with his own ladies. I've seen him mate, and he spends a lot of time "lining up". I'm really hoping he improves in the next month or so.
My first set from the splash pen was 90% fertile, and both pens have 4 females.

Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2016, 09:05:46 AM »
Dan, that black needs to be shown!
You keep saying that, and I want to so bad, but I just don't have the time to work with him right now. I don't think plucking him off the roost at 4AM and throwing him in a cage the day of show would make for a good showing  ;)

Good luck this weekend!!!

Susan Mouw

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2016, 09:08:08 AM »
Hi Dan

Yes, I sure do like that black male! but  you already knew that. :)

I wouldn't be too stressed about fertility just yet.  I know my black pens were slower to start than my wheaten pens, but I'm getting decent fertility of them now.

This is my first year with breeding blacks, so it might be a seasonal thing?  I don't know, but just give it some time.
Susan Mouw
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Susan Mouw

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2016, 09:10:24 AM »
Dan, that black needs to be shown!
You keep saying that, and I want to so bad, but I just don't have the time to work with him right now. I don't think plucking him off the roost at 4AM and throwing him in a cage the day of show would make for a good showing  ;)

Good luck this weekend!!!

Ok, Ok, I'll quit nagging you...for now. ;)
Susan Mouw
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Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2016, 09:15:21 AM »
Dan, that black needs to be shown!
You keep saying that, and I want to so bad, but I just don't have the time to work with him right now. I don't think plucking him off the roost at 4AM and throwing him in a cage the day of show would make for a good showing  ;)

Good luck this weekend!!!


Ok, Ok, I'll quit nagging you...for now. ;)
Here are a few better shots of him

Susan Mouw

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2016, 09:19:26 AM »
Dan, what size are those pictures when you post them?  When I click on them to view full size - because these old eyes can't see those small thumbnail prints so well - they are huge and heavily pixelated.

What are the dimensions showing after you resize? They need to be around 400-600 pixels by 400-600 pixels max. 

N/M - I see the size - can you reduce those down some more...quite a bit more?  lol  They are still huge files.

Go back to the original - reduce it by percentage instead of reducing the file size to a max - I think you're losing resolution, but not losing dimensions and what you want to reduce is dimension without losing resolution.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2016, 09:21:38 AM by Susan Mouw »
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Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2016, 09:23:53 AM »
Dan, what size are those pictures when you post them?  When I click on them to view full size - because these old eyes can't see those small thumbnail prints so well - they are huge and heavily pixelated.

What are the dimensions showing after you resize? They need to be around 400-600 pixels by 400-600 pixels max. 

N/M - I see the size - can you reduce those down some more...quite a bit more?  lol  They are still huge files.

Go back to the original - reduce it by percentage instead of reducing the file size to a max - I think you're losing resolution, but not losing dimensions and what you want to reduce is dimension without losing resolution.
I noticed the same thing after posting. Let me try again

Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2016, 09:27:44 AM »
Trying again

Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2016, 09:28:26 AM »
Ok, I've got it now, thanks. Let me redo the others

Dan Pitts

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Re: Eye Candy
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2016, 09:33:44 AM »
Now I'm getting better results clicking "fit to 800 resolution"