Are big hatcheries true to their breed standards?

[can you hear me now?]

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when you see some of te heritage bird threads i would say it is a good idea to look through them. There is tons of info in them if you take the time to read. I downloaded some pdf's last night from a heritage thread that has been quite helpful as well.

 

[ocaw]

Hi all, thanks for your replies. I wanted to make it known though that i do not plan to show any birds from any hatchery, I mostly am looking for eggs. So if all hatcheries want is maximum egg production then thats not to bad for me. But it is nice to know that you have a chicken that if you keep there chicks then you have part of a long line (and if you give some to your neighbor then your not passing off some kind of mutt, tho im sure they would like them just the same) Not something that kind of was "made", I think its kind of like having a certain type of dog thats all one breed. Its that internal piece of mind that you know the breed. If that makes any sense at all

 

[math ace]

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Do your research means know what the standard says - - - know what the birds should look like. Then ask to see photos of the parents / stock. If the parents are show quality, you are not gauranteed to hatch or recieve show quality. However, the chances are better than if you starated with substandard stock.

Do your research does mean ask around about that breeder. If you hear negative things . . .then that is a WARNING and should not be ignored. If you hear NOTHING - - - that is not good either. Some people with bad experiences have been raised to obey the "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" rule.

Ask educated questions - - - If people say they have wade Jean marans - - - well did they get directly from the breeder or did they get them from someone who got them from someone who got them from wade jean.

There are no absolutes, but each question you ask gets you more information to make an inform decision.

 

[MomMommyMamma]

Quote:
Do your research means know what the standard says - - - know what the birds should look like. Then ask to see photos of the parents / stock. If the parents are show quality, you are not gauranteed to hatch or recieve show quality. However, the chances are better than if you starated with substandard stock.

Do your research does mean ask around about that breeder. If you hear negative things . . .then that is a WARNING and should not be ignored. If you hear NOTHING - - - that is not good either. Some people with bad experiences have been raised to obey the "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" rule.

Ask educated questions - - - If people say they have wade Jean marans - - - well did they get directly from the breeder or did they get them from someone who got them from someone who got them from wade jean.

There are no absolutes, but each question you ask gets you more information to make an inform decision.

Thank you

 

[math ace]

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If you just want eggs - - then order from a hatchery.
It did appear on your original post that you wanted something that would not be kicked out of a "show".
There are many Disqualifiers that each standard specifies. MOST Hatcheries are not going to worry about those disqualifiers.

There is NOTHING wrong with wanting chickens just for eggs. Many people want these "mutts" because they are improvements over the pure breeds . . . For example, comets are a "mutt" that is calmer than the leghorn BUT are small and great layers like the leghorn. So my making the "mutt" they improved the personality of the original breed . . .

 

[ultasol]

Quote:
Do your research means know what the standard says - - - know what the birds should look like. Then ask to see photos of the parents / stock. If the parents are show quality, you are not gauranteed to hatch or recieve show quality. However, the chances are better than if you starated with substandard stock.

Do your research does mean ask around about that breeder. If you hear negative things . . .then that is a WARNING and should not be ignored. If you hear NOTHING - - - that is not good either. Some people with bad experiences have been raised to obey the "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" rule.

Ask educated questions - - - If people say they have wade Jean marans - - - well did they get directly from the breeder or did they get them from someone who got them from someone who got them from wade jean.

There are no absolutes, but each question you ask gets you more information to make an inform decision.

Frankly, if you want birds that look like the standard, then go with a breeder that shows. A breeder can think they are breeding to standard, but might be off of the generally accepted interpretation of it. Really, showing and placing in some capacity is where the proof is.

 

[cubalaya]

was just informed on another topic that urch/turnlund hatchery has birds that are up to apa standard or show quality. marans are not recognized by the apa so doesn't matter whether breeder or hatchery.

 

[math ace]

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There is a proposed standard for BCM marans that is in the process of being finalized. The process should be complete within the year. . . . The example was given for illustration purposes

It is a breed close to my heart, but I could of just of easily of said Bill Bradens Delawares. The point being that when someone names a "name" that alone is not enough. You need to know how long they have been removed from that breeder to know how much the line could of changed . . . .

 

[ghulst]

The reason most of the common hatchery breeds are poor compared to the breed standard is because feather sexing is bred into them.

 

[Illia]

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That doesn't make sense, because hatcheries vent sex. . . They don't even have the time to feather sex. The real reason is because of production demands.