Amers d’Anvers

[Amer]

My breeding male just finished his molt and he went from “the best pick out of the cockerels I bred this season” to a super cute and typey cock. Look at that beard on him! The thick, full neck! He almost never stands upright because he is always trying to attack me but he also has that very short, broad sloping back you are looking for. His breast is broad and muscular and carried well forward, (could still be a bit more round and prominent)
It isn’t relevant for pullet breeding but he also has the slightly curved, nearly straight sickles that Belgian Bantams are known for.
He is just so adorable! That earned him a name today. Punkin. Punk when I am done with nonsense. With all his rounded edges and orangeness, the name is self explanatory.

 

[Amer]

I can really see his influence on his offspring. The up and comers all have full beards and proud breasts that seemed to be lacking when Fireball ruled the roost.
I still need to select for correct beak shape and eye color this round though.
At least Moon’s eyes are brown.

 

[CastielH]

View attachment 3867995




View attachment 3867996
My breeding male just finished his molt and he went from “the best pick out of the cockerels I bred this season” to a super cute and typey cock. Look at that beard on him! The thick, full neck! He almost never stands upright because he is always trying to attack me but he also has that very short, broad sloping back you are looking for. His breast is broad and muscular and carried well forward, (could still be a bit more round and prominent)
It isn’t relevant for pullet breeding but he also has the slightly curved, nearly straight sickles that Belgian Bantams are known for.
He is just so adorable! That earned him a name today. Punkin. Punk when I am done with nonsense. With all his rounded edges and orangeness, the name is self explanatory.

What a handsome boy! Are you double mating for color or type, I don't remember if you've said or not.

 

[Amer]

What a handsome boy! Are you double mating for color or type, I don't remember if you've said or not.

For color. In order to get females with proper lacing, you need males with much oranger hackles than the Standard calls for. But males with good type produce females with good type.

 

[Amer]

Best in show at the fair for Praline

 

[Amer]

Punkin got reserve rccl
Was going to go to Nate but he lost a feather right in front of the judge just for kicks

Nate is the definition of “it’s not your looks that are the problem, it’s your personality.”

 

[Amer]

There has only been one show I have brought him to where he wasn’t molting
He’s not even molting though he did that for fun
Praline is also losing a couple of feathers but she just finished molting. I think it’s actually just that she has been fighting every chicken she has come across, which is why she won, she’s been showing nonstop
Now she is trying to fight the other chickens and the pigeon on champion row. They also want to fight her with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

 

[CastielH]

There has only been one show I have brought him to where he wasn’t molting
He’s not even molting though he did that for fun
Praline is also losing a couple of feathers but she just finished molting. I think it’s actually just that she has been fighting every chicken she has come across, which is why she won, she’s been showing nonstop
Now she is trying to fight the other chickens and the pigeon on champion row. They also want to fight her with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

What the Belgians lack in size they make up for in personality. One of my boys Terran is convinced he can take on my German Shepherd through the fence.

 

[Amer]

Breeds I specifically have owned (not counting whatever mom bought and included in the order)


Belgian d’Uccles (mille fluer, porcelain)


Dominique bantams


Faverolles (salmon obviously, I actually liked these silly birds even though they were dumb as rocks and mom didn’t want them. They weren’t the most hardy though, but I liked how they Naruto ran across the yard


Ameraucanas (wheaten, blue wheaten.) I was called AMERAUCANAS4REAL on byc because they were my dream breed I switched to Amer because I became disillusioned with the breed.)


Bantam Brahmas (dark)


Then my brother got a quail d’Anvers pullet (along with other colors)


I decided to get some bbs d’Anvers and a quail cock and blue quail pullet to go with my brother’s quail pullet. He decided to get out of chickens so I took over the project because they became my ultimate favoritist breed and I wanted to breed the very best.


I also got bantam Buckeyes at about this time because my mom liked Buckeyes (she got a few LF Buckeyes) and got involved in the club and they were giving pairs of bantams to youth in order to advance the breed. So I bred and showed those until I graduated because I felt obligated to. They are excellent birds, docile, friendly, vigorous and intelligent, but not cute or exciting enough to me to be my true love, so I sent them away when I graduated.


The d’Anvers were my true love. I started with quail, blue quail and bbs and cuckoo.


But BBS and cuckoo had issues. I began focusing on the quail and blue quail and got rid of the others.


But since cuckoo is one of my favorite colors in that breed I couldn’t give up on it that easily. I began a project where I introduced better barring genes to the cuckoo using a Dominique bantam.


So that’s where I’m at now. Continuing my quail/blue quail line and working on the cuckoo project. My mom took over the Buckeye bantams after I got rid of all but one hen because apparently she changed her mind and didn’t want to get rid of them after all (I got rid of them when we moved to make space). She got a rooster that is probably substandard to the ones I had so that project is not doing great yet but they are fun to have around, it’s just they don’t deserve to be second priority in MY breeding program.

Btw when I say they don’t deserve to be second priority that means I mean they deserve better not that they suck or anything


It’s just I would coddle the d’Anvers and get excited if just two hatch and ignore the 12 Buckeyes that hatched and ignore the fact that the Buckeyes are objectively better at breeding and producing viable offspring just because they aren’t as cute.

Recently, I have developed an interest in Modern Game Bantams. I like breeds with personality and good looks and those apparently have both. Also, they are nothing like the many other breeds I have owned and dismissed as sort of boring.


But since I don’t live at home for most of the year I certainly can’t add to the burden.

 

[AprilWC]

Cuckoo d'Anvers are so pretty! That would be the color for me.