A Heritage of Perfection: Standard-bred Large Fowl

[Wisher1000]

I went out after dark and pulled each off the roost. I put leg bands on the ones that were the flattest. I banded about six or seven.

6-7 good ones out of how many total?

w.

Does flattest mean flat, or better than the worst?

There are around thirty five or forty in that pen. It is the " prospective breeders " pen. I have been culling to different locations. I have just under 100 total.

They are not perfectly flat. Are they supposed to be? I think they are useable or at least worth trying until they show that they will not help improve the future generations.

 

[gjensen]

There are around thirty five or forty in that pen. It is the " prospective breeders " pen. I have been culling to different locations. I have just over 100 total.

They are not perfectly flat. Are they supposed to be? I think they are useable or at least worth trying until they show that they will not help improve the future generations.

Wisher, I do not know whether or not you have the problem. I wish that I could see and handle them. I would recommend bringing your best and worst example to someone that could help on this point. I do not know if there is anyone near you or not. Matt1616 lives in Alabama, and he is certainly able. He is a Auburn fan though, LOL.

 

[NeilsHamburgs]

I check all mine by holding a folded up wing in each hand and have them facing me, then run both thumbs down their spine. If they have severe roachback you will feel it hump up right before or right after the shoulders. If they just have a general curve you can tell by holding out a hand and "rocking" it down their back.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Thanks for the responses! I looked up all of the NE shows, and of course the closest is 3 hours away. That makes it quite difficult for me to just volunteer. I would love to be able to help and realize that this is a good first step in meeting people... I did manage to go to a show last year in NH, but people seemed so busy and I had no idea who to talk to! I guess I felt a bit out of the "clique" as I tend to be shy to begin with.

As far as my birds... Yep, I know about the hatchery "Americaunas". Luckily I didn't get suckered into that! I do, however, have an unrecognized color variety (Lavender). For those who know - do there tend to be a lot (or at least, some) Ameraucana's at the New England shows? I would imagine that the Boston Poultry Expo & Congress would have the most variety.

Next step, and I have been meaning to, is to get the SOP. Guess I shouldn't wait 'til Christmas since I will have to pick through my birds before then! Thanks for the help, and hopefully I will see some of you at some shows in the future.

Well, a lot of the breakdown happens immediately after the show; so volunteering on that level is outstandingly appreciated and a great opportunity to meet people.
I wouldn't say that there are cliques so much as many, if not most of us, only see each other at the shows. We get quite happy to hang with chicken friends; so people are busy talking. The tick is to find your way into a conversation--shy or not you can do it.

The Self-Blue Ameraucana is certainly a lovely bird; I actually find that the Ameraucana type and the Self-Blue color are rather complementary, but I would recommend adding some high quality Blacks to your program. There's really no sense in trying to enter the SOP-based exhibition community with naught but a variety that's not in the SOP.

There isn't a lot of Ameraucana competition up here, but that can change. However, an unaccepted variety is a dead-end.

I also handled several of my other birds and found that they also have a slightly curve so I am not as concerned as I was. I was looking for table-top flat and I think that there is a natural slope toward the tail. Still studying, getting more SCs Saturday, over my brief panic, and moving forward.

This is where getting to as many shows as possible is an essential.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

Hmm, yes, the plan was to get some blacks next spring from either John Blehm or Paul Smith... Probably the former as I think the distance is a bit shorter. I remember that there was not a single Ameraucana at the show in NH last year (that I can remember). Is it even worth showing if there are no other breeders around also competing?

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Hmm, yes, the plan was to get some blacks next spring from either John Blehm or Paul Smith... Probably the former as I think the distance is a bit shorter. I remember that there was not a single Ameraucana at the show in NH last year (that I can remember). Is it even worth showing if there are no other breeders around also competing?

It doesn't create competition in your breed, but it does create competition in your (AOSB) class. Also, as you develop relationship the other poulterers in the region, it's where you learn much of what will eventually make you a breeder. Studying the SOP and then studying birds at shows are outstanding ways to expand you understanding in a hands-on manner. Mentors will start showing you neat, thitherto unimagined tricks. In truth, you have to see thorough-bred birds to start to understand what a standard-bred chicken actually looks like; herewith I don't mean in your breed alone, but rather, standard-bred birds possess a common, for lack of better term, essence of excellence. It is a unique combination of symmetry, weight, type, and feather quality; these four elements really frame a fowl. It is in seeing them all together that you can begin to develop the firm image you need to direct your own breedings. Indeed, I refer to it as Chicken Church. It's where you go to get inspired, refreshed in your thinking, and confirmed in your determination.

There is a VT contingency that comes, perhaps your goal can be to connect with them. The APA District 1 director is from VT.

Best,

Joseph

 

[troyer]

What really is the difference between black and slate legs? This is a directional question as I am finally getting youngsters the way I want them. The standard calls for slate legs, but I don't really know what a slate leg looks like.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

What really is the difference between black and slate legs? This is a directional question as I am finally getting youngsters the way I want them. The standard calls for slate legs, but I don't really know what a slate leg looks like.

I understand "slate" legs as blue; the Standard says bluish cast. Genetically, a black leg has both a black dermis and a black epidermis. A slate, or blue, leg has a black dermis and a white epidermis. The black visible through the white gives the impression of slatish blue.

 

[gjensen]

What really is the difference between black and slate legs? This is a directional question as I am finally getting youngsters the way I want them. The standard calls for slate legs, but I don't really know what a slate leg looks like.

If I can get a good picture, I will take one and post it. My birds have slate legs.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Greetings! I have a soft spot for Houdans, but unfortunately they do not fit into the grand scheme of what we have at our farm.

Houdans are in need of an outcross to regain their proper type and functionality. The proper bird for this outcross is a White Dorking. The basic project would take three to four years, and then there would be, of course, further seasons of refinement. It is a specific project with necessary steps. It will require significant culling.

We have some Cackle Hatchery Houdans growing out here. An ideal start would be two Houdan cockerels, Houdan female and one White Dorking female. We would be interested in providing this start to serious, no-nonsense, trainable folks who would honestly like to dedicate time and infrastructure to the redemption of the Houdan as a breed.

We folks can pick-up stock here at the farm, at any of the New England Shows or at the Ohio National.

Again, this is a project for someone with, or at least willing to learn, a proper breeder's mentality and husbandry practices. This is not a "my pet chicken" sort of project.

Best,

Yellow House Farm