Look What I Made!

[Jean]

I just wanted to post a photo of a cockerel I bred.  I am very proud of myself.  

He\'s not perfect and has other issues, but check out those hackles.....

I have another one available to me that has no red in the breast and is heavier.

Well, I cannot get the photo to reduce, so here is a link:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c387/Guitartists/bw2Large.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c387/Guitartists/bw3Large.jpg

[Mike Gilbert]

Great hackles!    Better keep that boy.

[Jean]

He belongs to someone else.

My buddy here in Spokane has a better one.  I gave her some birds last fall and he is one of them. I get to use him this year. YEAH

[bantamhill]

Those are very nice Jean . . . I am tempted!

Michael

[John]

red in the breast

Along with the red in the breast that you mention I notice a lot of red/brown in his tail feathers.  I don\'t know it for a fact, but have suggested before that males with completely black tails will produce pullets with the nice desired black tails.
The red in the breasts seems to go with the red in the tails.  
Jean has done well getting a hackle that is clear of black or with very little, which is great.  If someone breeds from this guy I would be interested in knowing how his pullets are colored.  We\'ve recently had a topic that talked about pullets with darker wheaten color.  Just as Michael reminds us that we need to breed from cocks that came from the bluest eggs, not just hens that lay them, to improve egg color I think we need to breed from wheaten cocks with solid black breasts and tails to get good black sections in the females.

[Jean]

The lady that owns him may consider selling him if one of the breeders wants to use him.  She didn\'t end up with any pullets to breed him to and just couldn\'t bring herself to cull him.

I will try to get pictures of the other cockerel that looks like this guy.  I think his hackels are lighter.

[Tailfeathers]

Well, obviously you can see it\'s been some time since I have been to the Forum.  Sorry guys but I\'ve just got an awful lot on my plate right now and have very little spare time at all.

Jean, I really doubt I\'m gonna be able to do a turkey hunt this year, but if I do, does that lady still have your roo  for sale?

I kind of wanted to work on getting the black out of my hackles from the birds I\'ve got but now I\'m thinking a short cut might not be so bad.  Besides, I can go ahead and mate the two I have and cull the worst of them once I see what they all produce.

God Bless,

[Jean]

Here is my newest attempt at perfecting the blue wheaten, I like the body on this guy better than last years.

Again I cannot reduce it, so here is the link:


http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/5845_newblwtncockerel.jpg

[Mike Gilbert]

What ever happened to the one you posted pics of last February?   This one does look heavier in the body, but needs to finish out - tail and muffs.  By the way, thanks for all your help in Columbus.   It was good to meet you in person, and your relatives as well.   Hope they had a good time at the show.  

[Jean]

The first one was owned by someone else that bought eggs or chicks from me.

I\'m not too worried about the tail finishing, but I hope his beard turns blue, it\'s getting a little late for it to change, but I will give him a month or two more since he is such a nice specimen.  I have one more blue wheaten in the brooder.

Here is another one I sold and shipped out right before Ohio:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10376_dsc_0081.jpg

He is more finished out in the muff, but he is lacking in the tail region.  :rolleyes:

It was nice to finally meet you too Mike!  I had a good time!

[Jean]

Here is another picture of the second bird that I posted on Nov 24, 2009.  He has filled out nicely; wish I had kept him.

[dak]

You are killing me! I don\'t have room for another color! Just beautiful.

[John]

He has some nice colors.

[Mike Gilbert]

I like the way his legs are set far apart, it usually means there is a good solid body under all those feathers.  Nice color, but don\'t care for all the white fluff at the base of the tail.

[Jean]

Mike, that can be worked on......

I also need to work on getting the hackles and saddles to match the wing patch.  I will be keeping an eye on the muffs too, this guy has a smidge under the chin that is not blue.

I like this one better than the one I kept, but what can you do when you\'ve already made a deal?  The other has done well at show, even placed reserve breed over my very nice black cock bird.