Amers d’Anvers

[troyer]

Any Cubalaya?

 

[Amer]

We have three sizes during the migration times, but they're usually all mixed together.
During breeding season there's two sizes, jumbo and regular and they seem to interbreed. It can be either sex as a breeding pair.
I've never seen a dusky around here.

I don’t think I have seen Giants even though they are in Minnesota and Michigan.
I swear I saw a dusky and a regular Western in Nevada once.

 

[Amer]

Any Cubalaya?

65 LF and 29 bantam. I don’t believe they are as badly off as the poultry census seems to think. But I believe their numbers are thrown off by hatcheries. Just because they are rare in hatcheries doesn’t mean they are unpopular.
This is the definition of “Critical”
For poultry, fewer than 500 birds in the U.S., with five or fewer primary breeding flocks (50 birds or more), and an estimated global population less than 1,000.
Yet the APA yearbook says “nearly three quarters of the 5,328 chicken breeding flocks held by family farms contained 10 birds or less.”
So yes, of course there are 5 or fewer primary breeding flocks.

 

[Amer]

It’s frustrating that Belgian d’Anvers didn’t make it on the Livestock Conservancy list even though d’Uccles did, which are definitely more common (in the US). To be fair, d’Anvers were imported later, but they are still a much older breed.

 

[NanaK]

I only have LF but I would love to see bantam Marans.

 

[fluffycrow]

It’s frustrating that Belgian d’Anvers didn’t make it on the list even though d’Uccles did, which are definitely more common. To be fair, d’Anvers were imported later, but they are still a much older breed.

That's a shame. D'Anvers are my favourite Belgian bantam breed, followed by either the De Watermael, or the D'Everberg. D'Uccle are my least favourite out of all of those. If I didn't have serama, I'd keep these guys, the Belgians are my second favourite bantam "group"

 

[Amer]

That's a shame. D'Anvers are my favourite Belgian bantam breed, followed by either the De Watermael, or the D'Everberg. D'Uccle are my least favourite out of all of those. If I didn't have serama, I'd keep these guys, the Belgians are my second favourite bantam "group"

D’Anvers are my favorite followed by d’Grubbes, d’Uccles, and then the rest.

 

[fluffycrow]

D’Anvers are my favorite followed by d’Grubbes, d’Uccles, and then the rest.

If I were to get any, D'Anvers or D'Grubbe is what I'd get De Watermael too. I really like the look of D'Everbergs, but can't deal with the extra maintenance of feathered feet. Don't know why, but the D'Uccle don't appeal to me as much, although still pretty

 

[Amer]

Why I think d’Uccle are more popular in the US despite the d’Anver being one of the most popular breeds in Europe:
Hatcheries. D’Uccles are well-known by backyard chicken owners who have never seen a show.
Which is why my brother and I saw them and fell in love with them at the first fair we went to and why hatchery d’Uccles were the second chickens I ever owned, along with the Dominique bantams and “Jersey Giants” (hatchery birds so far removed from actual Jersey Giants they shouldn’t be called such.)
If d’Uccles are well known by the general chicken public, it stands to reason that they are well-known by standard breeders. Meanwhile, d’Anvers are fundamentally misunderstood. First off, they are rare in hatcheries. Secondly, if you are to look at the birds that won best-of-breed at the d’Anvers National this year and the last, you can see that judges do not know d’Anvers type.
The reason I liked d’Uccles more at first glance is because the pictures of d’Uccles in Storey’s Guide to Poultry Breeds were show-type d’Uccles. They were attractive, appealing. Meanwhile, the d’Anvers were substandard. Storey’s Guide, flawed as it was, was what introduced me to purebred poultry. So if everyone starting off doesn’t know what a good bird looks like, then how can they appreciate the breed?

In Europe, the Belgian breed complex (everything from d’Anvers to d’Boitsfoot) is often supported by one breed club. D’Anvers are the original breed and the lowest maintenance (and in my opinion best-looking, but lets go off of objective truths) so of course if someone has Belgian bantams, they probably have d’Anvers.
D’Grubbe are probably even easier to care for but while cute, they don’t have the beautiful tail. Also d’Grubbe and d’Anvers are often bred together so can almost be considered two varieties of d’Anvers.

 

[troyer]

65 LF and 29 bantam. I don’t believe they are as badly off as the poultry census seems to think. But I believe their numbers are thrown off by hatcheries. Just because they are rare in hatcheries doesn’t mean they are unpopular.
This is the definition of “Critical”
For poultry, fewer than 500 birds in the U.S., with five or fewer primary breeding flocks (50 birds or more), and an estimated global population less than 1,000.
Yet the APA yearbook says “nearly three quarters of the 5,328 chicken breeding flocks held by family farms contained 10 birds or less.”
So yes, of course there are 5 or fewer primary breeding flocks.

The bbreds are doing fine, it's the whites and blacks that are rare with the blacks being the rarest in both bantam and standard.
I often don't realize how rare the blacks are because I have a bunch of them.