Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[thedragonlady]

Yellow House Farm:
Please move that superb 18 part post you put on heritage farm poultry over here.
It is awesome! 13 ovations and worth every one!

x2 Joseph ! This is a learning thread, and everyone needs to read it !

 

[Wynette]

If it's not posted here, a link to where it is posted would be great.

To the person (sorry, forgot your user ID) asking about "protocol" for asking longtime breeders questions...use your good judgment. I don't find it "wrong" to mention you've been researching something, have found that most folks are saying XXX, but would really like their opinion. Of course, do ask first if they have a moment to chat, and do thank them when you're through. Do not argue with them - you're asking an opinion...you may agree or disagree, but an opinion is neither right nor wrong. Ask several folks, and do what makes sense to you and your poultry operation.

 

[armorfirelady]

If it's not posted here, a link to where it is posted would be great.

To the person (sorry, forgot your user ID) asking about "protocol" for asking longtime breeders questions...use your good judgment. I don't find it "wrong" to mention you've been researching something, have found that most folks are saying XXX, but would really like their opinion. Of course, do ask first if they have a moment to chat, and do thank them when you're through. Do not argue with them - you're asking an opinion...you may agree or disagree, but an opinion is neither right nor wrong. Ask several folks, and do what makes sense to you and your poultry operation.

I found it so thought I would share the link. Now back to reading the post

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...esteading-heritage-poultry/1690#post_12141875

 

[NanaKat]

If it's not posted here, a link to where it is posted would be great.

To the person (sorry, forgot your user ID) asking about "protocol" for asking longtime breeders questions...use your good judgment. I don't find it "wrong" to mention you've been researching something, have found that most folks are saying XXX, but would really like their opinion. Of course, do ask first if they have a moment to chat, and do thank them when you're through. Do not argue with them - you're asking an opinion...you may agree or disagree, but an opinion is neither right nor wrong. Ask several folks, and do what makes sense to you and your poultry operation.

I always carry a little notebook with me so that I can take notes on what the breeder is willing to share. I use my own version of short hand. I ask first if it is okay to take notes. I also get contact information. Never had anyone say no. Especially helpful if you are going to be talking with several breeders. I like to follow up with a thank you note also.

 

[Wynette]

I always carry a little notebook with me so that I can take notes on what the breeder is willing to share. I use my own version of short hand. I ask first if it is okay to take notes. I also get contact information. Never had anyone say no. Especially helpful if you are going to be talking with several breeders. I like to follow up with a thank you note also.

A thank-you note is certainly a nice touch! I take notes as well, but typically not while talking; I'm not great at doing 2 things at once, so I write things down immediately after a conversation.

Thanks for posting the link, Armor.

 

[finnfur]

Perhaps, but I think it killed the thread ;-)

No it didnt kill the thread - we are still absorbing all that information.
Actually we move slower on that thread. You know us want-a-be Homesteaders. LOL

 

[Fentress]

No it didnt kill the thread - we are still absorbing all that information.
Actually we move slower on that thread. You know us want-a-be Homesteaders. LOL

I agree, Joseph's response pulled together some loose ends and provided context. I especially like the historical context. A comprehensive response like this, when the time is right, helps beginners connect more dots, more quickly, than they other wise could do. I'm not sure if breeding chickens is for me. I do know for certain that one breed is all that I could handle. it would be so easy to just default to separate flocks of hybrid layers and meat birds.

 

[bantams galore]

I had to read your post on the other forum a few times to get it in my head. Then I found it very informative. It was really interesting to me how the history of poultry breeding led us to were we find ourselves today. It really does make scence that if we are looking to improve our poultry we need to take those pages out of History while poultry was being improved. Why not do what worked?

 

[3riverschick]

I agree, Joseph's response pulled together some loose ends and provided context. I especially like the historical context. A comprehensive response like this, when the time is right, helps beginners connect more dots, more quickly, than they other wise could do. I'm not sure if breeding chickens is for me. I do know for certain that one breed is all that I could handle. it would be so easy to just default to separate flocks of hybrid layers and meat birds.

Then do what I did. Find a breed you like and buy the best quality you can find. Then enjoy your birds
and spend time improving the tiny details, not the major faults. Or just hold the line on a top quality line.
The top lines need conservers the same way the needy lines need preservers. Did the "big genetic
experiment" in collies for 15 years. It worked out very well. However, now I just want to work on the
small details. Fine tune the beauty someone else has already created. Nothing wrong with that.
You might even want to get some high quality birds from a top show line 500 miles from yourself.
Then enjoy them. Because of the different methods of raising individuals use and the large distance,
... several generations down the road...if the original breeder ever needs new blood, he/she could
source from your flock. Those factors would make the mating seem like a limited outcross, despite
the fact they originated from the same flock. You enjoy your birds and do the breed/breeder a favor too.
Best,
Karen
" A thing of beauty is a joy forever".
unknown

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: Your set and proud of you. Glad I could help you and so many this year. Its not relly that hard to get started if you do it right. Also, you need to interview or talk to super good breeders even if they only been raising chickens for five years. You can learn from anyone.

Your message brought back a moment in my youth in 19 65 at the Central Washington Fair in Yakama Washington. I was there all week feeding the chickens and had a chance to watch CM Cy Lewis Judge the top two birds for champion of the show. He had to make a tie barker or protest as a Black Cochin Ckl beat a White Rock Large Fowl Ckl for champion of the show. There was a protest by the guy who had the White Rock ckl saying bantams cants beat large fowl for champion of the show. Well I watched Mr. Lewis score each bird and my mentor Bill Morris a Red Breeder kept the score of each bird. The white rock won by a half a point. It was 96 points for the white rock and the Cochin was 95 1/2 points. In my view the bantam should have won.

Heck I grabbed the white rock large fowl at Carl Hoves yard first and then put him on the ground and went with another male. Paid $10. for both males. The male that won matured and won at three shows that year for my junior partner. So much for using my quickest eye in the west training on that male. Never did that again once I make my mind up I stick with my gut.. I should have kept him and I would have won all the big champion ribbons. But he was a bought bird. No fun in winning with a bought birds rather than won you breed and raised yourself.

Non the less my mentor Mr. Morris asked Judge Lewis would you judge a Rhode Island Red Pullet and Hen using the old point system for Robert to learn how you do this..? I would be happy to. So we went out and got a hamburger and coke and came back and started this educationally event. I did not have a note pad, I did not have a reel to reel portable tape recorder. I had a good memory but it was coming at me to fast for a teenager. So I said about every 15 minutes please excuse me I got to go to the bath room. What I did was I had a ink pen and two paper feed sacks empty so I took the brown paper off of the sack and wrote down what they where telling me as fast as I could. Then come back and they would go again and hit me with all this point cuts and stuff about type vs color. And off I would go to the bath room but I didn't and made notes. Finally after about 45 minute's I had all my notes written down and latter that night I got some note book paper and rewrote my notes and every thing they told me on scoring Rhode Island Reds using the old point system and how to breed Red Color if you have faults from my mentor Mr. Morris ect.

I was so excited that night I could hardly sleep in the Poultry Barn in my sleeping bag. I got a 1 hour mentoring class worth $1,000. for free. I will never forget it and was so great full that my Mentor Mr. Morris did this for me. Since then I interviewed many other Mentors and Master Breeders pumping their brains out. You take what you can use and apply it to your program. This was tought to me by my grandpa as a 10 year old. Want to be good at something learn from ten of the very best in their field and apply it to your life and program. It works some think its witch craft but they are not master breeders of old time Standard Breed Poutlry. Keep kicking the can down the road. The tread wont die.