Faverolles Thread

[SkylineFarms]

Those ARE NOT SQ birds. They are clearly Faverolles, and they have some good points, but I wouldn't buy from them if I was looking for SQ. For new blood, maybe, if I needed to add some to my own line.

That's what I thought.

I have been meaning to post here again but I kept forgetting. The two hens I hatched from Coastline Poultry are now laying and I am IN LOVE!!! These birds are so much BIGGER, FRIENDLIER, AND NICER than the hatchery birds I have. It's like night and day. I just purchased a dozen more eggs from Coastline... hoping to replace most of my hens from Cackle by next spring.



The darker hen is nicer IMO but I like them both.

They come from a Salmon/Blue Salmon flock so it is possible that they could be Blue Salmon.
Anyone know what's up with the ticking that the lighter hen has on her wing? I have never seen one that has that.

 

[elizmartin]

I have and enjoy light and dark colors of Favs….In the girls it helps to strive for a more even color transition from neck to tail. Sometimes they will get a speckle or two and it may disappear over time or not. I have a bantam gal that after one year decided she wanted to be speckled….pretty and pretty weird.

Wasn't able to see the tails very well on your girls….I have Blue and Splash Salmon girls….The blues have blue-gray in their tails rather than brown or charcoal, the splash will have white. I have noticed when young my cockerels had strong cherry mahogany shoulders, now mine and most internet pics i see have a more washed out appearance…..

Mrs. Fitz Darcy, i could be wrong about Privit??? I looked also at their list and couldn't find Favs…..but the girl at the feed store implied that was where they had come from…

 

[mame1616]

Quote:
Those are nice girls! The light one is a little TOO light, but the rest is very nice! Great beards, nice type. You did well! You can clearly see the difference between the ones on that website and yours.

 

[meltonmb18]

Those are nice girls! The light one is a little TOO light, but the rest is very nice! Great beards, nice type. You did well! You can clearly see the difference between the ones on that website and yours.

OK, I looked at Coastline Poultry but shied away from them since their colors are mixed. Does that matter when looking at getting show quality Favs? Won't their lines always carry the Blue color? Newby here trying to get it right. Would love to hear from those with more experience in this area.

 

[SkylineFarms]

I have and enjoy light and dark colors of Favs….In the girls it helps to strive for a more even color transition from neck to tail. Sometimes they will get a speckle or two and it may disappear over time or not. I have a bantam gal that after one year decided she wanted to be speckled….pretty and pretty weird.

Wasn't able to see the tails very well on your girls….I have Blue and Splash Salmon girls….The blues have blue-gray in their tails rather than brown or charcoal, the splash will have white. I have noticed when young my cockerels had strong cherry mahogany shoulders, now mine and most internet pics i see have a more washed out appearance…..

Mrs. Fitz Darcy, i could be wrong about Privit??? I looked also at their list and couldn't find Favs…..but the girl at the feed store implied that was where they had come from…

That is interesting about the speckles. I'll keep an eye on them and see if they start to change. I do still like my darker hens and I have a couple out of the bunch that I will keep. Here they are wondering why I haven't given them any treats yet.


I will check the tails on my two girls tomorrow and see what colors they have.

My older rooster has always had light shoulders but it does seem like he has lightened up with age. My new rooster is about 8 months old and he is darker than my older rooster ever was. The picture below really shows the difference between the two. Unfortunately, new rooster never grew a proper beard, so I will be rehoming him.

Something I have found interesting is how some Faverolles roosters have a more yellow colored hackle and saddle and in others the color is more white. Is one desired over the other?

 

[mame1616]

Quote:
If you're looking for true SQ lines, always buy from an experienced breeder. No matter how careful and conscientious hatcheries are, in the end their goal is to make money. (Although, I must admit, those Coastline birds are the nicest hatchery examples I've seen. Most hatchery birds are immediately identifiable.) Having said that, be prepared to wait for eggs - the best breeders have a waiting list. But, it's always worth the wait. The first time I got true exhibition quality birds, I could tell right from the hatch, and the difference was impressive. Well worth the wait and the expense!

Keep in mind: Even from excellent lines, no matter the breed, for every 100 chicks hatched, only six have the genes to make it to Champion Row. Amazing, right? So, while not every clutch of eggs will produce a winner, the better the foundation, the better the chances of hatching great birds.



Lemme get on my soapbox for a mo:

Picture this: three swimming pools. One has been treated and filtered, and the water is crystal clear. One is cloudy, with some algae, and debris floating on top. One is in the middle of the two - pretty clear, but with some stuff one top.

Now - take ten samples of water from each, and compare. Which ones look better?

When you breed birds, every egg is like a sample of that pool water. The genes that come together to create the birds are floating around in the pool. Every egg is a random sample from the million of genes available in the pool. The Faverolles pools are few, and small. The clear pools represent the best lines; the cloudy pools the poor lines. Every time someone breeds and passes on genes from poor birds, like those with four toes, or no beards, etc., those poor genes cloud the few clear pools that exist, and it takes years of filtering and skimming to get those pools clear again. Starting with birds whose genes came from the better quality pool will produce better birds, and help maintain the clarity of the pools.

Sometimes an experienced breeder makes a choice to deliberately cloud their own pool to add certain attributes, but that is done knowing ahead of time that heavy filtering and skimming will be required for several generations, and some bad genes, once in the pool, can never be eliminated. Most good breeders will also not sell birds from this line until they are back to SQ level, thus keeping the poor genes from entering the rest of the pools.

Knowingly breeding and selling poor birds because they are what you have to work with, or you want to make some money, or whatever the excuse, clouds the pools we have available, and, unless careful skimming and filtering is applied to the pools, the breed is harmed as a whole, as the number of clear pools - already small - is now reduced. Because there is no perfect bird, even the best Favs have room for improvement, so the goal is to start with the best, and improve - not start with hatchery and go from there. It can take DECADES to get SQ from that method, and damages all the pools if the results from those poor matings get spread around to multiple pools. Clear as mud?

With every mating you set up, ask yourself - is what I'm planning going to improve the breed, or is this for myself, because I love hatching chicks? (Or whatever the reason.) Of course, if you're going to keep all the birds to yourself forever, this does not apply.

Hence, the reason for educating yourself, and researching the breeders, and waiting for the opportunity to get the right birds from the right breeders.


Sorry for the speech - guess I've read too many posts about excessive hatchings already this season, and it makes me twitchy. My personal opinion is that it's better for all animals if there were fewer, but more conscientious breedings, than multiple pairings producing too many less-than-ideal results. We all want the Favs to be as great as they can be, and if we all get on the same page - and take samples from the clear pools - it's better for all involved. For the birds most of all!

 

[mame1616]

Thank you mame1616. I agree the one hen is too light. I am excited to see what I hatch out in this next batch.

Quote:

Type is always more important than color. Both the white and the yellow are acceptable, although the standard calls for straw. I know in my boys, the mahogany lightened, and the straw darkened, with age. You've got a nice group there - a lot of good material to work with, if you're planning on breeding.

 

[FVRM]

That's what I thought.

I have been meaning to post here again but I kept forgetting. The two hens I hatched from Coastline Poultry are now laying and I am IN LOVE!!! These birds are so much BIGGER, FRIENDLIER, AND NICER than the hatchery birds I have. It's like night and day. I just purchased a dozen more eggs from Coastline... hoping to replace most of my hens from Cackle by next spring.



The darker hen is nicer IMO but I like them both.

They come from a Salmon/Blue Salmon flock so it is possible that they could be Blue Salmon.
Anyone know what's up with the ticking that the lighter hen has on her wing? I have never seen one that has that.

THOSE ARE NICE!!!

 

[FVRM]

OK, I looked at Coastline Poultry but shied away from them since their colors are mixed. Does that matter when looking at getting show quality Favs? Won't their lines always carry the Blue color? Newby here trying to get it right. Would love to hear from those with more experience in this area.

would like to know also!

 

[meltonmb18]

If you're looking for true SQ lines, always buy from an experienced breeder. No matter how careful and conscientious hatcheries are, in the end their goal is to make money. (Although, I must admit, those Coastline birds are the nicest hatchery examples I've seen. Most hatchery birds are immediately identifiable.) Having said that, be prepared to wait for eggs - the best breeders have a waiting list. But, it's always worth the wait. The first time I got true exhibition quality birds, I could tell right from the hatch, and the difference was impressive. Well worth the wait and the expense!

Keep in mind: Even from excellent lines, no matter the breed, for every 100 chicks hatched, only six have the genes to make it to Champion Row. Amazing, right? So, while not every clutch of eggs will produce a winner, the better the foundation, the better the chances of hatching great birds.



Lemme get on my soapbox for a mo:

Picture this: three swimming pools. One has been treated and filtered, and the water is crystal clear. One is cloudy, with some algae, and debris floating on top. One is in the middle of the two - pretty clear, but with some stuff one top.

Now - take ten samples of water from each, and compare. Which ones look better?

When you breed birds, every egg is like a sample of that pool water. The genes that come together to create the birds are floating around in the pool. Every egg is a random sample from the million of genes available in the pool. The Faverolles pools are few, and small. The clear pools represent the best lines; the cloudy pools the poor lines. Every time someone breeds and passes on genes from poor birds, like those with four toes, or no beards, etc., those poor genes cloud the few clear pools that exist, and it takes years of filtering and skimming to get those pools clear again. Starting with birds whose genes came from the better quality pool will produce better birds, and help maintain the clarity of the pools.

Sometimes an experienced breeder makes a choice to deliberately cloud their own pool to add certain attributes, but that is done knowing ahead of time that heavy filtering and skimming will be required for several generations, and some bad genes, once in the pool, can never be eliminated. Most good breeders will also not sell birds from this line until they are back to SQ level, thus keeping the poor genes from entering the rest of the pools.

Knowingly breeding and selling poor birds because they are what you have to work with, or you want to make some money, or whatever the excuse, clouds the pools we have available, and, unless careful skimming and filtering is applied to the pools, the breed is harmed as a whole, as the number of clear pools - already small - is now reduced. Because there is no perfect bird, even the best Favs have room for improvement, so the goal is to start with the best, and improve - not start with hatchery and go from there. It can take DECADES to get SQ from that method, and damages all the pools if the results from those poor matings get spread around to multiple pools. Clear as mud?

With every mating you set up, ask yourself - is what I'm planning going to improve the breed, or is this for myself, because I love hatching chicks? (Or whatever the reason.) Of course, if you're going to keep all the birds to yourself forever, this does not apply.

Hence, the reason for educating yourself, and researching the breeders, and waiting for the opportunity to get the right birds from the right breeders.


Sorry for the speech - guess I've read too many posts about excessive hatchings already this season, and it makes me twitchy. My personal opinion is that it's better for all animals if there were fewer, but more conscientious breedings, than multiple pairings producing too many less-than-ideal results. We all want the Favs to be as great as they can be, and if we all get on the same page - and take samples from the clear pools - it's better for all involved. For the birds most of all!

No apologies! That has been incredibly helpful! I really wanted to get into Favs because there are so few of them and they are a breed in need of being advanced (for lack of a better word). Once I decided on the breed, then I began my hunt for birds. But as you stated, the clear pools are few, and that makes it difficult when I'm really excited about the prospect but am having a hard time making it happen. That being said, I appreciate your wisdom about waiting and possibly hatching out eggs. I haven't hatched out eggs in a long time, so I'd like to practice with some of my backyard flock before I spend the money on eggs. I'd also really hate to be the reason that they didn't hatch well.

On a somewhat different note, I started my search with the Faverolles Fanciers of America, and was informed that they had dissolved. With no club associated with Faverolles, where is the best place to look for reputable breeders to ensure that I am dipping water out of the clear pool, as you put it.

Thanks for your response!