Ok DonO I have a question for you. I have a Whiting Barred Dark Ginger Variant cape. Alot of the feathers are Cree in color. Black, Dark Ginger & White on each barb. Also there a furnace hackles on it. So how did this bird come about? Only the first inch of the cape by the neck are barred ginger. Have you ever seen a cape like this?
BobH ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Ordes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, November 29, 2002 12:10 PM Subject: Re: [VFB] More on Cree 101, Part B > Very good, Allen. You may have the podium. > SO there! Del! > > And if you breed the ABC to another ABC or any AA, BB, etc, it will break > down into the AA's, BB's, BC's, etc., since these are the dominant genes. > > DonO > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Allan Fish" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, November 29, 2002 9:28 AM > Subject: Re: [VFB] More on Cree > > > > Del, > > > > -You asked: > > " So what makes Cree so valuable is that it is a genetic freak? > > (Rarity) And that it can't breed true?" > > > > Re-read Don's letter. This isn't breeding A with B with C to get ABC > (cree). > > It's breeding A with B to get AA, BB and AB. Then when you bread AB with > > C, you will STILL get AA, BB, CC, AB, AC, BC, and the OCCASIONAL ABC. > > > > I'm no geneticist but that's a little of what I think I remember (and > > memory at my age is unreliable) from 1956 zoology class. > > > > You also stated, "Seems to me that if we can clone sheep, goats, and pigs, > > we should be able to get a rooster to breed true Cree." > > > > You're right. We COULD. But do you have a spare 20 million or 3 billion > > or whatever dollars to do the genetic cloning? 'Tain't cheep (typo > > intentional). Would you like to spend $500,000 per neck instead of $500? > > > > In the meantime, I'll look at Don's pictures and just absolutely envy him > > his source. > > > > Allan > > > > Don's epistle on Chickenbreeding 101 (don't let the rooster see this): > > > > >During the last discussion on Cree hackle coloration, a few questions > came > > >up that I didn't get a chance to answer. I'll do that now. Remember > that > > >Cree hackles have 3 bands of color- black, tan or ginger, and cream in a > > >grizzly-type pattern, preferrably not chevroned, with each barb having > all > > >three colors on it. > > > > > >It takes 2 generations to produce Cree, with 26 months from first > breeding > > >to final product. > > >It involves a 3-way cross. The initial cross-mating is between a grizzly > > >and a brown, either way. Out of this mating comes 'grizzly variants', > which > > >is a darker grizzly with some badger and furnace feathers mixed in. It > > >takes about 13 months from breeding to the time a grizzly variant roosted > > >can be selected (carefully) as the next breeder stock. These selected > > >grizzly variant roosters are then crossed with selected basic brown hens, > > >and sometimes cream or black, as these too have the correct genes. This > > >results in a small yeild of Cree roosters, as true high quality Cree > > >coloration is seen in only a small fraction of this brood- the others > being > > >variants or poorly marked Cree. Then they must be graded, with no > > >guarantees of silver, golds, or platinums even being in the batch. So > the > > >final well-colored high grade Cree rooster is a rarity and it is this > > >scarcity that makes them so valuable, along with the fact that it's so > > >beautiful. The Cree roosters are also a dead-end and must all be > harvested, > > >as the Cree coloration does not breed true. So in order to have a > > >consistent yeild of Cree pelts, the breedings are overlapping and > > >continuous. Another thing to be considered is Cree necks versus Cree > > >saddles. A bird yeilding a Platinum neck may yeild only a bronze saddle, > > >and vise versa. > > > > > >Cree is a very small percentage of what Whiting breeds every year, but > the > > >harvest still generates between 300 to 500 Cree necks and saddles per > year. > > >With 1000's of shops and pro tiers ordering cree and on the waiting list, > > >it's not surprising it's in short supply. Whiting has a program to get > them > > >out equally to all their customers, but Tom also donates many of them to > > >fund-raising auctions. I auctioned off a donated, framed Signature > Platinum > > >Cree Neck and Saddle for a river project here, and it brought in $815.00. > > > > > >Tom is now selling and donating mounted platinum grade Cree roosters. > These > > >have fetched as high as $1200 at auction. I have my personal one on > display > > >at the local fly shop and they tell me they've been offered $1250 for it. > > >If anyone wants to see a picture of Mr. McCreedy, let me know and I'll > email > > >a photo of him. > > > > > >Ever wonder how a grizzly feather grows out white, then black, then white > > >again, continuing in bands- up to 18" long on supersaddle hackles? > Stay > > >tuned for Poultry Genetics 102. > > > > > >DonO > > > > > > > > Allan Fish > > Greenwood, IN > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >
