Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Fentress]

"In some cases some of you are sticking with your poultry better than beginners who show their birds."

That's because we have a broader interest in the bird. The history, culture and especially the original agricultural purpose of the animal as that relates to today's emerging new focus on sustainable practices and local food. What goes around comes around. In some ways we are headed back to the 19th century. Omnivores Dilemma is a great book if you have not read it.

I have not made the switch yet, but I plan to. I was hopeing that the stock from Sand Hill Preservation Center would be good enough. That remains to be seen. "Standard Bred" is not a term that is used in the literature most beginners are reading. "Heritage" and "dual purpose" are, especially dual purpose. Of course, the chickens I got from the hatchery last year are just layers. There are specific warnings out there, not to buy from a breeders who breeds just for show. I think these warnings can be well founded for the person who wants an agricultural bird.

Mark

 

[Fred's Hens]

There have always been top notch breeders, of the American Class, who have bred birds good enough to show anywhere, anytime, but who have always and faithfully kept their eye on the agricultural heritage of the breed. May it always be so.

 

[chickadoodles]

We need more pictures on here!

These are Black and Blue Australorps from Hupp Farms:




This is a Black Pennedesenca pullet from Florida

They are beautiful birds Ron!

 

[Lorien]

Is there a craze out there?


For the past three months I have been getting messages or emails wanting rare breeds of large fowl chickens and yesterday I got another which makes me wonder is this a FAD or a Craze going on.

Is there a trend that new age  Back Yard Chicken people are wanting something different from the norm of feed store chickens. I thought they where as happy as a pig in slop with these chickens. A fellow called yesterday out of the blue asking me where he could get some Heritage yes H Rhode Island Red chickens like I use to breed. I found your web site on the internet and read your articles and I want some of these chickens.. He lives about five hours from me and willing to make a drive to pick some up.

My question to you is there a trend or fad coming on? Do  you think it will stick. Are these people who said I don't care what they look like I am happy as a cat in a littler box with my scrub barred rocks or rhode island red production chickens changing there mine?

If the editor of Mother Earth News contacted you have made the conversation to Standard Breed Heritage Chickens what would you tell them in sixty words or less why you switched. Are you glad you did.?

Just something to think about as we reach our third year on this this thread. I wanted to change a hand full of you guys to the real world but I did not think I would see this many after nearly three years. In some cases some of you are sticking with your poultry better than beginners who show their birds. They seem to have a higher failure rate. Maybe its the continuous education we provide that helps out rather than them doing it on their own and making so many mistakes. Look forward to your replies and lurkers watch out. You may make a change someday.

As a lurker and someone making the switch from hatchery birds to (hopefully) well bred heritage birds here are my two cents.

I am not certain that I am going to have what it takes to be a poultry breeder, but I want to give it a shot. I do know that I appreciate beautifully bred birds. Why wouldn't I keep them instead of hatchery or in addition to hatchery? BYC is pretty divided into hatchery vs breeders simply because that is how the posts fall. I think there are a lot of people who are interested in supporting heritage breeders but don't necessarily want to go all in themselves.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Is there a craze out there?


For the past three months I have been getting messages or emails wanting rare breeds of large fowl chickens and yesterday I got another which makes me wonder is this a FAD or a Craze going on.

Is there a trend that new age Back Yard Chicken people are wanting something different from the norm of feed store chickens. I thought they where as happy as a pig in slop with these chickens. A fellow called yesterday out of the blue asking me where he could get some Heritage yes H Rhode Island Red chickens like I use to breed. I found your web site on the internet and read your articles and I want some of these chickens.. He lives about five hours from me and willing to make a drive to pick some up.

My question to you is there a trend or fad coming on? Do you think it will stick. Are these people who said I don't care what they look like I am happy as a cat in a littler box with my scrub barred rocks or rhode island red production chickens changing there mine?

If the editor of Mother Earth News contacted you have made the conversation to Standard Breed Heritage Chickens what would you tell them in sixty words or less why you switched. Are you glad you did.?

Just something to think about as we reach our third year on this this thread. I wanted to change a hand full of you guys to the real world but I did not think I would see this many after nearly three years. In some cases some of you are sticking with your poultry better than beginners who show their birds. They seem to have a higher failure rate. Maybe its the continuous education we provide that helps out rather than them doing it on their own and making so many mistakes. Look forward to your replies and lurkers watch out. You may make a change someday.

I can only speak for myself and my family but our adventure into backyard chickens had more to do with knowing where our food came from and how the animals were treated. We started with hatchery birds but as we are now into year three and we have learned that although we treat our girls well - the "factory farming" methods that are utilized by most hatcheries don't seem much better than the "factory farming" for grocery store eggs. And if that is the case, then why would we keep giving our money to support that. It just makes sense to purchase hatching eggs/chicks/pullets from folks that care about preserving the breed and their intended use. We buy our pork & beef from local farmers and 4-H kids so why not buy our birds locally as well? ( or as close to locally as we can get for the breeds we would like to have) I truly appreciate all of your hard work in educating us regarding this topic and I sent my APA membership & dues in a couple of weeks ago. Even though we can't have our own breeding program due to regulations that prohibit roosters, we can still support the breeders!

 

[ronott1]

I can only speak for myself and my family but our adventure into backyard chickens had more to do with knowing where our food came from and how the animals were treated. We started with hatchery birds but as we are now into year three and we have learned that although we treat our girls well - the "factory farming" methods that are utilized by most hatcheries don't seem much better than the "factory farming" for  grocery store eggs. And if that is the case, then why would we keep giving our money to support that. It just makes sense to purchase hatching eggs/chicks/pullets from folks that care about preserving the breed and their intended use. We buy our pork & beef from local farmers and 4-H kids so why not buy our birds locally as well? ( or as close to locally as we can get for the breeds we would like to have) I truly appreciate all of your hard work in educating us regarding this topic and I sent my APA membership & dues in a couple of weeks ago. Even though we can't have our own breeding program due to regulations that prohibit roosters, we can still support the breeders!

I found some Friends to keep Cock Birds for me and I am hatching eggs to help a Breeding Program for SG Dorkings.

Even though I live in a City that only allows Hens, I am helping in my own little way.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I found some Friends to keep Cock Birds for me and I am hatching eggs to help a Breeding Program for SG Dorkings.

Even though I live in a City that only allows Hens, I am helping in my own little way.

Ron we should encourage more of this somehow. I'm at a loss of how to encourage folks, exactly, but suggesting partnering somehow with a person who can "board" your cock birds or share in them. Share in the costs and share in the experience of breeding. I know a lot of homesteaders who although they may have hogs or dairy cows, they rely on their partnership with someone keeping a bull or boar. That kind of thing.

I would think that even if people may primarily live in the city, they may have a friend, a relative or someone they can partner with. Someone who they met at a chicken stock or club meeting or even right here on BYC.

 

[bnjrob]

As a lurker and someone making the switch from hatchery birds to (hopefully) well bred heritage birds here are my two cents.

I am not certain that I am going to have what it takes to be a poultry breeder, but I want to give it a shot. I do know that I appreciate beautifully bred birds. Why wouldn't I keep them instead of hatchery or in addition to hatchery? BYC is pretty divided into hatchery vs breeders simply because that is how the posts fall. I think there are a lot of people who are interested in supporting heritage breeders but don't necessarily want to go all in themselves.

There are some people that I have seen that are interested in standard-bred birds but don't want to spend the money. Big box stores have changed the way people think about things - putting price above quality in many people's minds.

I also think part of the reason that people go with hatchery even when they want standard-bred birds is because they want instant gratification as society has been programmed that everything should be fast these days. I see people getting upset because they want to obtain chickens when THEY want them, not necessarily when breeders have birds available to sell. I see people that want birds that mature fast and give them eggs quickly, and every day. I see people that say they want to breed chickens, but they don't want to wait a year for chickens to mature to choose the ones with the best type.

Best that can be done is to keep trying to educate these people and hope that more of them will eventually slow down their pace and be willing to wait for the good stuff and realize that quality rarely comes cheap or fast.

 

[Apdeb]

Great idea
I would be willing to share a rooster
Im in suburban ct about 1 1/2 hours from nyc
Im planning on breeding barnevelders
And buckeyes
The good old fashioned way!!!

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Same here. Lots of research and study on my chosen breed. Then flew in my trio of started Sussex birds from Montana to western PA.
One thing I did learn from studying. Because of all the sex-linked genes in poultry, it is much harder to set a plethora
of virtues in a strain at the same time. This is why it is so important to get the genes from a veteran line-bred strain
close up in one's foundation stocks' pedigree. It can take a decade or more to bring hatchery stock up to an level of quality which might compare. It is also why one does not cross strains to found a flock unless lack of numbers in the breed force it.
Best,
Karen