A Heritage of Perfection: Standard-bred Large Fowl

[gjensen]

I'm not sure if this fits in completely with these discussions, but how does one find a mentor? I'm afraid they are few and far between here in Vermont. I have found a number of great poultry people, but they are not breeding to standards nor are they showing. And what I would like to do is start exhibiting my birds next year if possible. The more I read, the more worried I get that I will make a great buffoon of myself and my birds! FWIW I am growing out my first generation of Ameraucanas. My first thought was to join the ABC but there are sadly no breeders listed for Vermont. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

If you already have your breed, I would recommend finding a breeder of those birds. If you cannot find one locally, they can be found online. Sometimes that has to be good enough. I do think they have a breed club, so joining that club might be helpful. There are some talented people working with this breed.

Joseph said to start going to shows. LOL.

 

[Wisher1000]

I do believe Chris will be going to Ohio. He MIGHT be able to be of help. Let me know what's going to happen, though, far ahead of time. I might be able to finagle something if I have notice.

If you finagle on my behalf, I'll be there!

 

[bnjrob]

On pride, I agree! All I am afraid of is that I would be introduced to the poultry breeders world as "that poor girl that brings those pitiful birds." On the other hand, everyone would be witness to my eventual success! That would be quite a motivation to keep working at it.

Besides, if I'm already spending the money on gas and hotel (to attend shows,) I may as well be hauling birds.......

You know, if you like the birds you have - who give's a rat's *** what other people think. Heck, from comments I've seen - plenty of people think Javas are a lost cause and not worth the time to try to get Javas back to where they should be. That's their opinion and it's ok. I like my Javas and I believe that Javas are still good birds and worth the extra effort required to preserve them for the future. Is it a pain sometimes to see problems crop up that weren't apparent in the parents? Yep. But that's a part of breeding and the crap shoot that chicken genetics is. Lots of variables to work with. But that also means that there are a lot of good things that can be seen as you go along in your breeding. To me, that's the fun of it, the challenge of working with what you have to improve and maintain the birds. Work with the birds because YOU want to and don't worry about what other folks think of them. Think of how proud you can be when you see improvements because you know where you started from.

As a side note...saw someone that wanted to know if there was such a thing as Blue Mottled Javas because they like blue colored birds...

 

[gjensen]

I think sticking with what interests us the most, generally, makes the most sense. I heard more than more than one disparaging remark concerning my decision to give the Catalanas a shot.

I get the wisdom and logic to go with what is in better shape, concerning a variety. The discussion was varieties and not breeds. Is the commitment to a breed or a variety or both?

I think the advice is generally understood to be a better start for someone getting a start. Tackling the big problems, might be better for those more experienced than us. There is a couple ways to look at it.

I still have not heard whether or not all of the birds in the flock had deformed backs. Certainly if they all had bad backs, something would have to be done. There are still options for someone with the commitment and skill to pull it off.
It sounds like there is an opportunity to get some birds at the Nationals? A trio with good backs is all that is needed. Then, far be it from me to say this, an option to get some from a hatchery. Purchase a 100 chicks, and their might be a pair . . . Goal number one is to fix the structural problems.
Maybe Glenn picked up on the remnants of a decent flock, and they are still throwing the occasional decent bird.

I can think of a quite a few options to get out of the hole. Goal number one is to fix a single problem. Then worry about the rest. Narrow the focus, and it is not as overwhelming.

Sometimes we have to start worrying about things we did not intend to before we get to what we want to deal with. Kind of like buying an old house to remodel. There is no sense in worrying about the interior if the foundation is failing and the roof is leaking. Fix the structural problems, and get the building in the dry before anything else.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

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.

 

[fowlman01]

Wisher......It would seem the first step is to determine if you have any birds without the roach back and what the ratio is to good vs bad backed birds. You will need to get your hands.......literally on the birds......all of them to see what you really have.

Walt

 

[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.

 

[fowlman01]

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.

 

[gjensen]

Does flattest mean flat, or better than the worst?

 

[Wisher1000]

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.