Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[pysankigirl]

Your rooster looks nice. I like his full tail (and very little tail fluff). Looks like he'll fill in nice and stocky through the chest too. Looks like you have some nice tail angles on the girls as well.

thanks for the critique...I dont mind hearing the bad stuff, too so I can know what to breed for...Like is his tail too far down (ie, his back too long?)
I really like his personality, so I really want to use him, but I don't know his bloodlines at all and won't because I picked him up from someone I don't know when I was naively buying my first batch of chickens last year. I was hoping he was a girl.

But the girls I got several months later and are unrelated to him and supposedly come from great bloodlines. The guy I got them was really nice and I talked with him at length his supplier is importing birds directly from Holland. I am going to call him and see if I can get some more info.

 

[pysankigirl]

So I spoke with the fellow I got my chickens from. The ones I got were not from the Roo he got from the Holland line. They were from a group of chickens he’s been working with for 15 years from the Barber lines. But he has been working with them since 97 in kind of a closed flock, so really they are his line now, I’d say. His farm is Cornerstone farm in Virginia.

What are the well known lines of Barnevelders? “Barber” ring a bell to anyone?

He is a really nice guy and way enthusiastic, but he said he doesn't get online much. I think too busy with his farm.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Lowell Barber was a very well known breeder of Welsummers and Barnevelders. He passed away and his flocks were dispersed. His wellies supposedly went to Estes Hatchery. I'm not sure about the barnevelders.

Bjorn can give more information about him as he knew Lowell.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Royce,
The pic showed some really light (near white/cream) and some medium brown to light brown eggs. If those are Barnevelder eggs

The tail sets and body types are more extreme aren't they. Very short backs and high tail sets. Just like you said...kind of like a "check mark".

Did you get a chance to look at the Dutch link I posted too?

Trisha

Trisha, isn't the Dutch link the one I mentioned that I couldn't read a word of?

Not only are those tail sets & body types extreme but they're totally different. There are breeds that call for that Type though. I've seen them in the book and at shows. I just can't remember what they are. I have enough trouble trying to remember everything about my four breeds and I don't even have that conquered yet.

Btw, I did notice the BL Barnies in that article. Your birds are pretty much identical. Got me to wondering what might happen if I cross my BLRW's with my RC Barnie project birds.

God Bless,

 

[islandgal99]

These are my three Barnie girls that go back to someone who's birds came from tailfeathers. The girls would not pose and wanted to check out the camera. And the boys are from a Candian breeder and not hatchery. The girls are stunning and I am a bit surprised how different they all are. One has thick lacing, the other two have finer lacing. They have not molted yet, and although the breasts are not doublelaced the backs and tail bases show beautiful double lacing. These girls were so chunky as babies I thought for sure they were all boys...they had tree trunk bright yellow legs. They have not started laying but soon....

I'm glad someone talked me into keeping the boys. I don't like the combs on the boys, but like most of the rest of them. They have not matured quickly, and i was going to stew pot them but was talked out of it. They have nice bright yellow legs, good bone and depth of body, the photos dont really show it but decent tail sets. They have very dark almost black chests. Excellent personalities. I'm not entirely sure how I will manage these boys given the grief my neighbors have given me, but then maybe once I'm at only two they will leave me alone. Otherwise I will have to hide them in the basement. Lol

I know I have work to do, Barnies are hard to find up here. And I have avoided the hatchery birds as the hatchery birds available up here are clearly wellie crosses...we had someone advertising barnevelders eggs (from hatchery birds) for $60 a dozen and then the photo...glaring wellie feathered breasted Barnie cross!

The photos are not great...best I could get between the rain storms. I wish I had more side shots of the girls to show the double lacing.

I am open to comments and critiques...but please don't go too crazy on the negative as I posted these in a Canada forum and was eaten alive. I know they are not perfect but i do love them and hope that in 2-3 years I have a real good flock. Lol

The small boy, nicer comb and body but smaller in size

The bigger boy, who just pigged out prior to his photo shoot. He doesn't have the best comb but its not as bad as it looked a few months back. He wasn't posing well, he usually stands with a nice curve from neck to tail.

The girls, they have not molted yet so I expect alot of change in them by spring.

The wellie didn't want to be left out!

 

[birdnbeast]

. These girls were so chunky as babies I thought for sure they were all boys...they had tree trunk bright yellow legs. They have not started laying but soon....





The small boy, nicer comb and body but smaller in size

T

The girls, they have not molted yet so I expect alot of change in them by spring.

The wellie didn't want to be left out!

I love the WELLIE she wants to be a Star! Teach her some stupid pet chicken tricks.....

An ol'timer once told me to pick the boys for 'type' and color of his parents and get size (big or small) from your hens. True or not?
When I went to Andy (mtnvieworchards) to pick up a new young boy awhile back he had a couple for us to look over and we examined them pretty thoroughly and decided there were two to really consider. One smaller, a bit too elegant even tho he had good substance in his legs, and one larger more cock-ery but not as 'pretty'. I decided to try the ol' sage's advice and went with the "pretty" boy. It was a good decision and I used him exclusively for a whole season on my better hens/pullets. My prettiest keepers come down from him. I do not run 'flocks' but small numbers so each detail was important. Bottom line, no advice just my personal experience.

You are doing what you can do -- get the best you can find and go forward, but appreciate where you are. good luck k/

 

[pysankigirl]

Lowell Barber was a very well known breeder of Welsummers and Barnevelders. He passed away and his flocks were dispersed. His wellies supposedly went to Estes Hatchery. I'm not sure about the barnevelders.

Bjorn can give more information about him as he knew Lowell.

so are the Barber lines considered decent lines?

 

[faykokoWV]

in my opinion, unless you can get a "line" the first or second generation direct from a breeder, its kinda of irrelevant. Even if someone started with the best birds ever, non-selective breeding can destroy what ever work the original breeder had done. Knowing what line a breeder started with will give you some idea of what they might have, but your best bet is to always look at the birds and talk with the breeder.

 

[Happy Chooks]

in my opinion, unless you can get a "line" the first or second generation direct from a breeder, its kinda of irrelevant. Even if someone started with the best birds ever, non-selective breeding can destroy what ever work the original breeder had done. Knowing what line a breeder started with will give you some idea of what they might have, but your best bet is to always look at the birds and talk with the breeder.

x2

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote: x3 I'll add that knowing what lines or lines the birds originated from can help in breeding. Each line tends to carry slightly different traits. But once you start breeding or even selecting breeders what you have is really now your "line".

Trisha