Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Wynette]

Interesting comments on feather quality; my Jersey Giant mentor talked with me about feather quality a few years ago. We're across the U.S. from eachother, and so we rarely see each other in person, but we were both at Crossroads show in 2011; she got several birds out of cages at the show (with owner permission of course) and showed me firsthand some interesting feather qualities/issues. VERY very intresting stuff!

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Very interesting comments on feathers. Thank you. One reason I asked was because of the different widths of feathers I see on different breeds. The recreated Iliodana (sp?) variety of the Euskal Oilia has almost circular feathers on its body. Never seen anything wider. They come from Basque desert country . So I was wondering if feather width had anything to do with environment climate or if I could use feather width to chart expression of foreign blood in a purebred strain?
Thanks,
Karen
I did try surfing the Net for : "feather width" hackle : but came up with a slew of "genetic hackle" sites. Very interesting reading on breeding feathers for fly tying, but no help for my research.

 

[ronott1]

Hi,
Very interesting comments on feathers. Thank you. One reason I asked was becuase of the differnt widths of feathers I see on different breeds. The recreated Iliodana (sp?) variety of the Euskal Oilia has almost circular feathers on its body. Never seen anything wider. They come from Basque desert country . So I was wondering if feather width had anything to do with environment climate or if I could use feather width to chart expression of foreign blood in a purebred strain?
Thanks,
Karen

Hi Karen,

Penedesencas are Ultra-Heat hardy and they have feathers like the one on the left:

 

[fowlman01]

Hi, folks - I'm sorry, I saw you were wondering about the egg in my avatar. Frankly, I was a bit annoyed after I made my last post & decided I needed to stay out for a few days.

The egg is not a Cayuga, it is from a Black Runner duck. It was her very first egg, and they got progressively lighter quickly:



They are now consistently a lovely light green, and she hasn't missed a day in laying. She was a gift from a good friend after I'd lost a duck I was quite keen on last fall; I was told she came from a breeder, but I would not know good quality conformation in a duck if it quacked in my face, and I honestly don't really care - I have them because I like their eggs. Here she is, before she began to lay. I have to say, for those of you who don't have waterfowl....they sure are a whole lot more engaging than chickens! (Don't shoot!)

Since you had black runners listed I thought that was what it was. If you were closer I would give you a black runner that had a neck......lol

Waterfowl are much more engaging and actually funny enough to make a person laugh out loud on a regular basis.

Walt

 

[Wynette]

Since you had black runners listed I thought that was what it was. If you were closer I would give you a black runner that had a neck......lol

Waterfowl are much more engaging and actually funny enough to make a person laugh out loud on a regular basis.

Walt

Ah, her neck is too short? I'm not surprised, as I honestly didn't think she was from a breeder who showed his/her birds. She also doesn't have that Runner stance that I think she ought to - very tall/upright. She's not much more upright than my other ducks, in fact.

Most definitely they are a hoot! Even my husband thinks so, and he's fairly grumpy!

 

[fowlman01]

Ah, her neck is too short? I'm not surprised, as I honestly didn't think she was from a breeder who showed his/her birds. She also doesn't have that Runner stance that I think she ought to - very tall/upright. She's not much more upright than my other ducks, in fact.

Most definitely they are a hoot! Even my husband thinks so, and he's fairly grumpy!

It must be a male thing.......the grumpy part. Chickens are very interesting, but waterfowl are very funny.

They should look about like the blacks in this picture. When they look like this, they are egg machines..far more eggs than any chickens I have had.



Walt

 

[3riverschick]

Found this surfing for Sussex fowl feather articles. I don't know if it also applies to Sussex. Sometimes, so hard to judge if articles are general or breed specific, sigh. These old poultry magazine sometimes ran books/booklets in installments or as whole pieces.
Karen

A Living from Poultry, Issues 120-134 (magazine)
By Michael K. Boyer 1904
http://tinyurl.com/bwa3wq5
Page 35 in Google Books
Rhode Island Red Fowl
"Knowledge"
Their Origin and Evolution
By the Rhode Island Red Club of America
Page 55 on Google Books; Page 19 in magazine
a chapter in the above book:
http://tinyurl.com/csde7dw
THE IMPORTANCE OF RHODE ISLAND RED FEATHER
QUALITY AND FEATHER CHARACTER
By Arthur O. Schilling Poultry Artist, Breeder, and Judge

 

[Wynette]

It must be a male thing.......the grumpy part. Chickens are very interesting, but waterfowl are very funny.

They should look about like the blacks in this picture. When they look like this, they are egg machines..far more eggs than any chickens I have had.



Walt

HOLY COW - those are beautiful! DARN YOU, Walt!

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

It must be a male thing.......the grumpy part. Chickens are very interesting, but waterfowl are very funny.

They should look about like the blacks in this picture. When they look like this, they are egg machines..far more eggs than any chickens I have had.



Walt

They look like "little people with feathers"

 

[fowlman01]

HOLY COW - those are beautiful! DARN YOU, Walt!

Once you see it....you will never forget it.......especially if you see the difference in person. This is another reason to go to shows ...to see what birds look like if they are bred to the SOP. These perform better than the squat runners and eat less. The shape is needed to do their job...to lay and not eat as much as other ducks.....to be like Leghorns.

They are pretty hyper and don't take to diapers well.......certainly not a house duck.

w.