Re: Advice on rearrangements


"Susan Hogarth" <hogarth@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1152746538.194659.50110@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
pammyt wrote:
"Susan Hogarth" <hogarth@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1152718295.785901.236360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
. Theplace where I think the 'extra' male will be going to has
around a half-dozen hens and a banty *** who is (according to the
owner) 'fairly benign'.

Poor banty ***. I have no doubt the Sumatra game *** will kill him
once
his hormones kick in :0(

Do you have experience with Sumatras?
Not personally I would not keep them, but I have a friend who is a famous
game bird breeder and class A judge. He keeps Sumatras and has to keep the
cockerels all seperated. He can let other game breeds run about out of the
breeding season in the big paddock but the Sumatras he keeps penned up. His
best winning bird is called 'the undertaker' for good reason.

I am very new to them, but my
reading indicates the males are actually fairly docile. One source
mentioned that the males will fight with other Sumatra males, but are
generally OK with males of other breeds.
Don't believe everything you read, especially if it is written by an
afficuionado of the breed. Of *course* they want to tell you all the good
bits.

I can check with the breeder to get his opinion, but if you are
speaking from extensive experience it may not be neccessary.
Check with the breeder but think about this: is he likely to be 100% honest
since he wants to get rid of the bird? Take with a pinch of salt anything
you are told by someone trying to sell you something is an adage my late
father told me. I have found it to be useful advice.

It's my
understanding that the Sumatras are more of an exhibition breed than a
game breed, and that is certainly the goal of the breeder who bred mine
(he's a longtail fancier).
Exhibition birds can still be aggressive. My friend has a couple of strains
that he has to wear a full face crash helmet when he goes in to feed and he
carries a net to net the cockerel to stop him attacking him. At a show in
April I watched an experienced judge attempting to judge Malay game birds.
There were 4 pens. after the 1st 2 pens attacked him savagely, he resorted
to simply moving the birds with the judging stick which his helper went off
for dettol and plasters.


.

Quantcast