Breed Information

I'm looking for PUBLISHED data on the following poultry breeds:

Delaware

New Hampshire

Plymouth Rock

Java

Welsumer

Australorp

Maran

I'm looking very specifically at Rate of Lay; Growth rate and Foraging Habits. Does anyone know a good publication, website or published source that would contain the information that I'm looking for on these breeds of poultry??

I have been collecting information and purchasing texts on poultry looking for data on verious poultry breeds for the last few years. It has been a frustrating task; my search is revealing that PUBLISHED data on the breeds that I'm interested in is quite dated. Some of it not updated since the turn of the last century...

I posted an information request to this site and I also forwarded my request to several College Professors and experts in the field of Heritage Poultry Breeds, and of those that have replied...the consensus has been that there is no current Peer Reviewed information on these breeds. The best sources of information on these breeds was published beginning about 1900 and then ending at about the 1950's.

All current PUBLISHED information is geared towards the modern breeds of commercial cross broilers and layers; much of it is considered proprietary and is kept very secret....any current information of the breeds that I'm looking for is at best anectdotal...DANG!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3riverschick 

Rare Marans Research Study in English

Hi ,

 Here's a rare treat I found in the USDA National Agricultral Library Digital Repository.

A lengthy 4 page , 1951 report to the World Poultry Congress in English about the Marans goings-on at the Cooperative Poultry Centre in France.Covers breed development, incubation and analysis of Cuckoo and White Marans, etc. . Some of the genetics terms are obsolete, however their meaning is obvious in modern terms.

 USDA NAL Digital Repository
 Title  Volume IV: Second Section   
 World Poultry Congress   1951  
 Volume  10th (August 13-21, 1954)  
 Pages 87-168 total. This article on pages 127 thru 131. 

Go to this URL:

http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT11091790/PDF

 Scroll down to Page 607 of 647. This will be the same

as page as "Vol. 4, 2nd section, Vol.10, page 127".

(Move your mouse across the bottom middle of the page to see the grey bar appear which tells you which page you are on of 647 total pages.)
"On the Improvement of the Marans Breed at the Cooperative Poultry Section , La Marans"
a Legord near La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime)
pages 127 thru 131 .

 

 Karen in western PA, USA

Thank you for the link...it took 3 days before I found anything. I just tried the link again this moring and everything worked. I'll be able to read it later this week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3riverschick 

If I wanted to learn more about Javas, I would go here:  http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/

It's only 10.00 to join the Club. I joined it for a year and found the folk very friendly and helpful!

 Loved talking about their breed, the research and develpment. Very knowledgeable folk.

Well worth the money.

   I did end up going with the Marans because I liked the dark egg and

wanted to breed wildtype. Failing to find foundation stock, I moved on to Sussex and have

settled in with the  Light Sussex and very happy.

 Java is a slower maturing breed. They come in Black, Mottled and

the rare Auburn. The Java folk do have a nice discussion list. Maybe it mentions it on the Club

webpage. I am sure they can answer all your questions whether you join the Club or not.

Karen in western PA, USA

This was a good link....application of the Hogan Method for Javas. I'm familiar with the Hogan Method, it was nice to find a link with modern applications.

Without naming names...here are some of the responces that I have recieved from acedemia concerning my query.

"....Thanks for your interest in this interesting array of chickens. Most are not in commercial production so published data is rare. I am forwarding your request to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy where the staff may be able to better direct you to published sources.

Best wishes,..."

"I don't know of any such data, especially published, peer reviewed.  If its out there, it's not reliable - more something like you'd find in Mother Earth News or such.  A lot of people misunderstand and think poultry scientists work on such issues.  But there is no funding for this type of work.  All new data is for commercial poultry.  You might find something in very old literature, like the 1920s or 1930s.  The birds you see today were bred by the show people, and most are just a shell of what they used to be.  No one has kept up on breeding for soundness, no matter what they tell  you.  Sorry I can't help."

"I have read a few of the really old extension pubs from university before the start of ww2 and found them to be surprisingly good. Those old breeds have never been improved since that time so the data is still pretty good. Good luck on your project."

"Google search the North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Test.  Look for the 38th test report Vol. 38,No. 4 and No. 5

There is other works but they are very old for the other strains typically from the 1930- 1950 range."  This was a very promising lead and has absorbed a bit of my time this last weekend.

Thank you all very much for your posts to this thread; and should anyone come across any PUBLISHED Research on these breeds, or any of the Heritage Breeds, please post to this thread so that we all may benifit from it.

My search continues.