Chantecler

[nissa_loves_cats]

Mine are due May 20th, which should give me some time to set up the brooder room in the barn.

I was just reading the article on Chanteclers in Wikipedia, I didn't realize that in 1979 they thought the last living Chantecler had died, but evidently some were found on small farms.

I was thinking about what StrawberryHouseMouse said about white being a bad color for a winter hardy breed. I assumed that the white color was simply for practical reasons--- most breeds of chicken preferred for commercial farming have white feathers. But the fellow who developed the Chantecler was a Trappist monk, Brother Wilfred, and I just found out that Trappists wear white habits (with black scapulars, which are a sort of apron-like thing down the front.) So maybe Brother Wilfred just wanted his chickens to look like Trappists.

But for more winter-hardiness perhaps someone ought to develop a black version of the Chantecler. (Gee, what kind of monks wear black habits? Benedictines, I think.)

 

[drom]

Quote:
I saw some Chantecler chicks last summer that came from Ideal. They were about 4 or 5 weeks, the partridge type and were beautiful. I almost got one, but it's really hot in the summer where I live and I figured I would do better with a breed that does well in heat not cold.

 

[patandchickens]

I don't honestly think that feather color has anything meaningful to do with how cold-hardy a chicken is. First, it is only relevant at *all* during the daytime, which is not when your really cold temperatures are; second, up here there is little enough winter sun (low and brief) that dark things don't really warm up that much more than light things; and finally, the fluffy insulation value of feathers works both ways, so that mildly warming the outermost layers of feathers is just not going to transfer meaningful heat to the bird's actual body.

They don't really have much exposed tissue for mosquitos to bite, either, not compared to other chickens anyhow (b.c of the tiny cushion comb and no wattles)

White was chosen for clean-looking carcasses (no black pinfeathers), I'm sure, same as other dual-purpose-but-especially-meat breeds of that era.

Pat

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

Well, I've gone and joined Chantecler Fanciers International . You can pay by paypal. (I dare you to join!)

And now that I'm a member I'm thinking of ordering a few more Chantecler chicks since I ordered such a small number to start with. I had been thinking of ordering some black Australorp pullets to use to crossbreed to my Brahmas in the hope of developing some black Brahmas (a step on the way to developing lavender Brahmas), and if I do order the Australorps I may as well order a few more Chanteclers as well. Then I'd be pretty well set for chickens for awhile.

UPDATE: Ideal Hatchery is sold out of Chanteclers until 2010, except for males. I'm glad I didn't wait to order!

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

I found another source for Chanteclers--- Sand Hill Preservation Center . They are sold out of white Chanteclers for this year but still have partridge and buff Chanteclers available. They don't have the red Chanteclers though, which is too bad since I thought it might be nice to get some next year from a different source.

Anyway, I thought I would pass that on to anyone who was interested in getting Chantecler chicks this year.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Am getting some buff chicks this week. Can someone post some photso of the Buff Chantecler adults?

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I love my chanteclers, but it did take them 10 months to start laying, and now, at age 10 1/2 months, one is broody! Yeesh!

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
Yes, and according to the story this breed's rooster has the most beautiful crowing voice. True??? I'm curious about that.

 

[Baybrio]

I have two buff pullets that I purchased last summer.

They have strange tastes!

 

[Klorinth]

I just finally read through this thread.
The slow maturing and beginning of egg laying does seem to be an issue in the Partridge and Buff types. I'm not sure about the whites.

The buff and partridge have not really been bred for production, not since they were first developed anyway. I'm wondering if it is a trait that has been let go to the wayside... Like any other trait it will weaken in a line if we do not select for it. Seems to me that that is what has happened here. Breeders have been keeping the breed going. A few working on colour and size (although they are still small in many lines). The egg laying has not been something people have worked on.

It is not always easy to tell who has matured first and started laying eggs. Not in a flock of 10 young pullets. You would need to have a very nice setup of coops and runs to be able to really work on this trait. It would be good if people could do it though. It would be a shame to lose a major purpose in this dual purpose breed.

The prevention of this kind of lose is part of the reason for me working on a breeder/owner database. Once it is finished, it can then be expanded to include information such as laying and maturing, weight gain and size, colour conformation, comb/wattle development. All of this can be included to create a database of information similar to the Hendersons Breed list, but it would be the Chantecler Flock List.

That's the dream anyway.

Have a good day everyone.