Quote:
In the late 20's he made a fantastic amount of money selling BR's.
Walt
In the late 20's he made a fantastic amount of money selling BR's.
Walt
Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread
- Thread starter Robert Blosl
- Start date
- Status
Quote:
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
Hey, guess what! You can get "The Call of the Hen" downloaded to your kindle!
Robert Blosl wrote:
I just got an email from a person who needs Barred Rock Large Fowl females who has large fowl Cockerels. She also wants the old fashion Rhode Island Red Large Fowl and wants me to help her find a good true to breed line. It made me think how many people out there have or breed old fashion Heritage Large Fowl Chickens?
When I was a little boy growing up in South West Washington State my dad use to take us on drives every Sunday in the country. As we drove by these old farms there were signs outside these farmers fences that would show Registered Polled Herefords, Black Angus, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Holstein and Shorthorn Cattle to just name a few. When I would go to the sale barns I never saw these kinds of cattle just the normal mix match type of cattle or half Guernsey half Herford type caves.
What do you think is a Heritage Style of Poultry like the above cattle breeds I mentioned?
Do any of you have any of these rare breeds?
How many Heat age Large Fowl do you think are left in the Country during the winter months in the breeding Pens? 100 -200- 300 birds per old rare breed?
What has happen to the folks like Grand Ma who use to have a flock of nice Heritage Chickens in the 1950s?
Do you think many want to preserve these old rare breeds?
These are just a few ideas I had today as I was feeding my chickens and after I got this email from one of the members of this board. Look forward to your replies and pictures of old birds. One breed that has made major strides in the past ten years is the Buckeye folks. It proves what they have done in the past five years can be done with any old rare breed.
Little different point of view here for you....but one that I hope you take seriously. Ive read this thread all the way through and have been following it for some time now. The information on here is invaluable. Hands down the best thread on this forum.
I'm one of the many people who wants a legitimate dual purpose bird. Something I could have a self sustaining flock with. Meaning a closed flock that would keep us in eggs and meat. I spend a lot of time in the meat forum on this website. There are many posts about how to cook an old hen layer so its not just cornish crosses and hybrids. But it seems lately there are more and more people looking for information on dual purpose birds. Most folks want/expect a 4-5lbs dressed out carcass by 16-20 weeks. Thats how they define dual purpose. Just because a hen's 5lbs when she'd done laying so we can make chicken and dumplings doesn't mean its a dual purpose breed. Sure most birds get bigger by that 20 week time frame but most folks agree that by that time the meat starts to get tougher and you start losing your cooking options. And nobody wants to hold onto extra males for months and months just to get them up to size like a Jersey Giant. Thats more work and not very cost efficient. Most folks imagine feel they should be able to hatch birds out in the spring and any nonbreeder birds are ready to be in the freezer by fall.
The talk is always which breed should I get? Many times they are pointed to this thread. Common suggestions are Delawares (as they were the broiler before the CX became the standard and that appeals to a lot of folks since they know what a broiler is) Rocks, Orps, and Buckeyes usually get top billing. New Hampshires, Marans (though not really heritage) and Sussex do come up sometimes too. No mention of the Wyandotte, or the RIR. Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats how it is. But more folks are asking these questions about how to find these birds. The common answer is to go to to the breed club that your interested in and look for a breeder there. But many folks can't find somone who's willing to sell to them because they don't exhibit or they simply can't find birds in the breed that they like. Lot of folks can't find a New Hampshire worth its weight in feed to save their lives. Or a quality barred rock. I've lost count how many times Ive directed folks to the Delaware's club website.
But the thing to realize is, there are people who want the very birds your talking about here. Most of them have may not have an interest in showing or didn't realize they had an interest in showing but they still want quality birds so they can feed their families higher quality eggs and meat. That was my whole train of thought when I started looking into this. Im getting tired of ordering broilers every season myself and want to go with some quality dual purpose birds myself. They want a flock of birds that fits the description they read on the net when looking at many of the heavy breeds. They want the "good table bird that lays a large brown egg" or "dresses well, and because of their rose comb fairs well in very cold conditions". There's a whole market out there of people who want the very birds your trying to save.
I don't know what the answer is to get the info out so these folks can find you but those of you who are breeding need to get the word out if your looking for more support for your breeds. Leg color, eye color, feather color, smallish heads whatever the reason your culling doesn't matter to someone who's going to put it in the freezer. They just want something better than the egg laying machines that the hatcheries have available. Most folks may not give you a 90 point bird if you were to go to their home in 5 years to see how the flocks developing but I tell you this; they'll have birds that do the job alright and are still very recognizable as the breed that you originally sold to them. A little tweaking and you'd be right back to that 90 point bird that keeps being referenced on this thread. And that's nothing to pass on. Tomato, tom-ahto, its still a heritage chicken and thats what we're really all about isn't it?
I just got an email from a person who needs Barred Rock Large Fowl females who has large fowl Cockerels. She also wants the old fashion Rhode Island Red Large Fowl and wants me to help her find a good true to breed line. It made me think how many people out there have or breed old fashion Heritage Large Fowl Chickens?
When I was a little boy growing up in South West Washington State my dad use to take us on drives every Sunday in the country. As we drove by these old farms there were signs outside these farmers fences that would show Registered Polled Herefords, Black Angus, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Holstein and Shorthorn Cattle to just name a few. When I would go to the sale barns I never saw these kinds of cattle just the normal mix match type of cattle or half Guernsey half Herford type caves.
What do you think is a Heritage Style of Poultry like the above cattle breeds I mentioned?
Do any of you have any of these rare breeds?
How many Heat age Large Fowl do you think are left in the Country during the winter months in the breeding Pens? 100 -200- 300 birds per old rare breed?
What has happen to the folks like Grand Ma who use to have a flock of nice Heritage Chickens in the 1950s?
Do you think many want to preserve these old rare breeds?
These are just a few ideas I had today as I was feeding my chickens and after I got this email from one of the members of this board. Look forward to your replies and pictures of old birds. One breed that has made major strides in the past ten years is the Buckeye folks. It proves what they have done in the past five years can be done with any old rare breed.
Little different point of view here for you....but one that I hope you take seriously. Ive read this thread all the way through and have been following it for some time now. The information on here is invaluable. Hands down the best thread on this forum.
I'm one of the many people who wants a legitimate dual purpose bird. Something I could have a self sustaining flock with. Meaning a closed flock that would keep us in eggs and meat. I spend a lot of time in the meat forum on this website. There are many posts about how to cook an old hen layer so its not just cornish crosses and hybrids. But it seems lately there are more and more people looking for information on dual purpose birds. Most folks want/expect a 4-5lbs dressed out carcass by 16-20 weeks. Thats how they define dual purpose. Just because a hen's 5lbs when she'd done laying so we can make chicken and dumplings doesn't mean its a dual purpose breed. Sure most birds get bigger by that 20 week time frame but most folks agree that by that time the meat starts to get tougher and you start losing your cooking options. And nobody wants to hold onto extra males for months and months just to get them up to size like a Jersey Giant. Thats more work and not very cost efficient. Most folks imagine feel they should be able to hatch birds out in the spring and any nonbreeder birds are ready to be in the freezer by fall.
The talk is always which breed should I get? Many times they are pointed to this thread. Common suggestions are Delawares (as they were the broiler before the CX became the standard and that appeals to a lot of folks since they know what a broiler is) Rocks, Orps, and Buckeyes usually get top billing. New Hampshires, Marans (though not really heritage) and Sussex do come up sometimes too. No mention of the Wyandotte, or the RIR. Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats how it is. But more folks are asking these questions about how to find these birds. The common answer is to go to to the breed club that your interested in and look for a breeder there. But many folks can't find somone who's willing to sell to them because they don't exhibit or they simply can't find birds in the breed that they like. Lot of folks can't find a New Hampshire worth its weight in feed to save their lives. Or a quality barred rock. I've lost count how many times Ive directed folks to the Delaware's club website.
But the thing to realize is, there are people who want the very birds your talking about here. Most of them have may not have an interest in showing or didn't realize they had an interest in showing but they still want quality birds so they can feed their families higher quality eggs and meat. That was my whole train of thought when I started looking into this. Im getting tired of ordering broilers every season myself and want to go with some quality dual purpose birds myself. They want a flock of birds that fits the description they read on the net when looking at many of the heavy breeds. They want the "good table bird that lays a large brown egg" or "dresses well, and because of their rose comb fairs well in very cold conditions". There's a whole market out there of people who want the very birds your trying to save.
I don't know what the answer is to get the info out so these folks can find you but those of you who are breeding need to get the word out if your looking for more support for your breeds. Leg color, eye color, feather color, smallish heads whatever the reason your culling doesn't matter to someone who's going to put it in the freezer. They just want something better than the egg laying machines that the hatcheries have available. Most folks may not give you a 90 point bird if you were to go to their home in 5 years to see how the flocks developing but I tell you this; they'll have birds that do the job alright and are still very recognizable as the breed that you originally sold to them. A little tweaking and you'd be right back to that 90 point bird that keeps being referenced on this thread. And that's nothing to pass on. Tomato, tom-ahto, its still a heritage chicken and thats what we're really all about isn't it?
- Thread starter
- #3,185
Robert Blosl
Rest in Peace 1947-2013
Quote:
Little different point of view here for you....but one that I hope you take seriously. Ive read this thread all the way through and have been following it for some time now. The information on here is invaluable. Hands down the best thread on this forum.
I'm one of the many people who wants a legitimate dual purpose bird. Something I could have a self sustaining flock with. Meaning a closed flock that would keep us in eggs and meat. I spend a lot of time in the meat forum on this website. There are many posts about how to cook an old hen layer so its not just cornish crosses and hybrids. But it seems lately there are more and more people looking for information on dual purpose birds. Most folks want/expect a 4-5lbs dressed out carcass by 16-20 weeks. Thats how they define dual purpose. Just because a hen's 5lbs when she'd done laying so we can make chicken and dumplings doesn't mean its a dual purpose breed. Sure most birds get bigger by that 20 week time frame but most folks agree that by that time the meat starts to get tougher and you start losing your cooking options. And nobody wants to hold onto extra males for months and months just to get them up to size like a Jersey Giant. Thats more work and not very cost efficient. Most folks imagine feel they should be able to hatch birds out in the spring and any nonbreeder birds are ready to be in the freezer by fall.
The talk is always which breed should I get? Many times they are pointed to this thread. Common suggestions are Delawares (as they were the broiler before the CX became the standard and that appeals to a lot of folks since they know what a broiler is) Rocks, Orps, and Buckeyes usually get top billing. New Hampshire's, Marans (though not really heritage) and Sussex do come up sometimes too. No mention of the Wyandotte, or the RIR. Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats how it is. But more folks are asking these questions about how to find these birds. The common answer is to go to to the breed club that your interested in and look for a breeder there. But many folks can't find somone who's willing to sell to them because they don't exhibit or they simply can't find birds in the breed that they like. Lot of folks can't find a New Hampshire worth its weight in feed to save their lives. Or a quality barred rock. I've lost count how many times Ive directed folks to the Delaware's club website.
But the thing to realize is, there are people who want the very birds your talking about here. Most of them have may not have an interest in showing or didn't realize they had an interest in showing but they still want quality birds so they can feed their families higher quality eggs and meat. That was my whole train of thought when I started looking into this. I'm getting tired of ordering broilers every season myself and want to go with some quality dual purpose birds myself. They want a flock of birds that fits the description they read on the net when looking at many of the heavy breeds. They want the "good table bird that lays a large brown egg" or "dresses well, and because of their rose comb fairs well in very cold conditions". There's a whole market out there of people who want the very birds your trying to save.
I don't know what the answer is to get the info out so these folks can find you but those of you who are breeding need to get the word out if your looking for more support for your breeds. Leg color, eye color, feather color, smallish heads whatever the reason your culling doesn't matter to someone who's going to put it in the freezer. They just want something better than the egg laying machines that the hatcheries have available. Most folks may not give you a 90 point bird if you were to go to their home in 5 years to see how the flocks developing but I tell you this; they'll have birds that do the job alright and are still very recognizable as the breed that you originally sold to them. A little tweaking and you'd be right back to that 90 point bird that keeps being referenced on this thread. And that's nothing to pass on. Tomato, tom-ahto, its still a heritage chicken and thats what we're really all about isn't it?
What breed do you want to raise?
I have a list in my head of breeders who have most of the popular Dual Purpose breeds.
Just dont confuse them with the hatchery chickens as they are not breed in that manner or do not have that kind of gene pool.
Many of the breeds I push such as Rhode Island Reds the dark ones or Plymouth Rocks are slow growing and lay only about 175 eggs a year. Most of the new people I am helping are trying only to preserve the rare breeds and the gene pools of which we have left. Some breeds only have two or three breeders fooking with them.
Some breeds only have 50 birds alive in the USA. There are a few folks that will sell you chicks or eggs that have birds that I would score above average about 92 to 93 points which is very good. There are a few breeders I know who will not sell eggs or chicks to you and may sell a few birds at a show or at thier home. I have a few breeders who sold their birds to people and should not have and painted them selves in a corner and never recovered from it.
We can find a good breeder to supply you good Standard Qualty birds. They may be slow growing but they will be true to breed for you. Also, dont get to worried if they are Heritage or Rare Breeds and that you have to breed them to a certain look. If you want to try to preserve these rare breeds for color and shape that is wonderfull. No one has to unless they want to. Most people do not own a Standard of Perfection or show thier birds.
Look forward to your wish list. Then we can help you find the breeder in your region. Bob
Little different point of view here for you....but one that I hope you take seriously. Ive read this thread all the way through and have been following it for some time now. The information on here is invaluable. Hands down the best thread on this forum.
I'm one of the many people who wants a legitimate dual purpose bird. Something I could have a self sustaining flock with. Meaning a closed flock that would keep us in eggs and meat. I spend a lot of time in the meat forum on this website. There are many posts about how to cook an old hen layer so its not just cornish crosses and hybrids. But it seems lately there are more and more people looking for information on dual purpose birds. Most folks want/expect a 4-5lbs dressed out carcass by 16-20 weeks. Thats how they define dual purpose. Just because a hen's 5lbs when she'd done laying so we can make chicken and dumplings doesn't mean its a dual purpose breed. Sure most birds get bigger by that 20 week time frame but most folks agree that by that time the meat starts to get tougher and you start losing your cooking options. And nobody wants to hold onto extra males for months and months just to get them up to size like a Jersey Giant. Thats more work and not very cost efficient. Most folks imagine feel they should be able to hatch birds out in the spring and any nonbreeder birds are ready to be in the freezer by fall.
The talk is always which breed should I get? Many times they are pointed to this thread. Common suggestions are Delawares (as they were the broiler before the CX became the standard and that appeals to a lot of folks since they know what a broiler is) Rocks, Orps, and Buckeyes usually get top billing. New Hampshire's, Marans (though not really heritage) and Sussex do come up sometimes too. No mention of the Wyandotte, or the RIR. Not trying to ruffle feathers but thats how it is. But more folks are asking these questions about how to find these birds. The common answer is to go to to the breed club that your interested in and look for a breeder there. But many folks can't find somone who's willing to sell to them because they don't exhibit or they simply can't find birds in the breed that they like. Lot of folks can't find a New Hampshire worth its weight in feed to save their lives. Or a quality barred rock. I've lost count how many times Ive directed folks to the Delaware's club website.
But the thing to realize is, there are people who want the very birds your talking about here. Most of them have may not have an interest in showing or didn't realize they had an interest in showing but they still want quality birds so they can feed their families higher quality eggs and meat. That was my whole train of thought when I started looking into this. I'm getting tired of ordering broilers every season myself and want to go with some quality dual purpose birds myself. They want a flock of birds that fits the description they read on the net when looking at many of the heavy breeds. They want the "good table bird that lays a large brown egg" or "dresses well, and because of their rose comb fairs well in very cold conditions". There's a whole market out there of people who want the very birds your trying to save.
I don't know what the answer is to get the info out so these folks can find you but those of you who are breeding need to get the word out if your looking for more support for your breeds. Leg color, eye color, feather color, smallish heads whatever the reason your culling doesn't matter to someone who's going to put it in the freezer. They just want something better than the egg laying machines that the hatcheries have available. Most folks may not give you a 90 point bird if you were to go to their home in 5 years to see how the flocks developing but I tell you this; they'll have birds that do the job alright and are still very recognizable as the breed that you originally sold to them. A little tweaking and you'd be right back to that 90 point bird that keeps being referenced on this thread. And that's nothing to pass on. Tomato, tom-ahto, its still a heritage chicken and thats what we're really all about isn't it?
What breed do you want to raise?
I have a list in my head of breeders who have most of the popular Dual Purpose breeds.
Just dont confuse them with the hatchery chickens as they are not breed in that manner or do not have that kind of gene pool.
Many of the breeds I push such as Rhode Island Reds the dark ones or Plymouth Rocks are slow growing and lay only about 175 eggs a year. Most of the new people I am helping are trying only to preserve the rare breeds and the gene pools of which we have left. Some breeds only have two or three breeders fooking with them.
Some breeds only have 50 birds alive in the USA. There are a few folks that will sell you chicks or eggs that have birds that I would score above average about 92 to 93 points which is very good. There are a few breeders I know who will not sell eggs or chicks to you and may sell a few birds at a show or at thier home. I have a few breeders who sold their birds to people and should not have and painted them selves in a corner and never recovered from it.
We can find a good breeder to supply you good Standard Qualty birds. They may be slow growing but they will be true to breed for you. Also, dont get to worried if they are Heritage or Rare Breeds and that you have to breed them to a certain look. If you want to try to preserve these rare breeds for color and shape that is wonderfull. No one has to unless they want to. Most people do not own a Standard of Perfection or show thier birds.
Look forward to your wish list. Then we can help you find the breeder in your region. Bob
Last edited:
- Jul 21, 2010
- 3,788
- 15
- 181
Quote:
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
Get any buckeyes?
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
Get any buckeyes?
Jared,
What a thoughtful post- you have me thinking about how to reach the general public, who won't generally know about PP or Backyard Poultry, or other great places where there are ads.
And may I insert, thank you! for sending people to the Delaware Club site. We are trying so hard to promote and preserve the dual purpose qualities of these birds- we think they are a pretty perfect bird for the backyard flock owner who wants to become a bit more self sufficient.
I am not the most knowledgeable person here, obviously, but I have eaten some of my own Dels, and there are a couple of things that come to mind - I don't know if this is true for other Heritage breeds or not. First, when people order the Cornish cross broiler birds, it seems to me from what I have read, that they are getting a chicken who basically sits there and eats and poops- there are no long range plans for these chicks. They will be in the freezer in a flash. Your Heritage bird is apt to be active, foraging, running around and playing,and will have a different texture meat because of this. There are great articles out there on HOW to cook Heritage fowl, and it does make a difference. I know, I experimented. Also, people may have to wait longer to process Heritage birds, they DO grow slower than the CX: we processed ours at about 20 weeks, and they really needed maybe another month on most of them. But that is worth it - even if it costs to keep those extra roos around for a while, because our goal is better and healthier food that we have grown ourselves. I think there are breeders out there who are working on their Heritage lines for faster maturity, but in general, it is just going to take a little longer, from what I understand.
How to get the word out there? I think it is up to the individual selling to make a point to market the good dual purpose birds AS dual purpose birds- most CL ads or IWANNA ads that I have seen just list the breed with no other info. I know ads cost money, but just adding the words "dual purpose" could raise interest, and it doesn't cost much to explain what that means over the phone or by email to the people that respond to the ads.
Breed Clubs that take out ads could certainly promote that aspect. I do think there is going to be a continued interest in the dual purpose bird, and promoting that aspect is a two fold good thing - the more rare breeds could experience a revival, and the general public who is interested will be getting some darn good eggs and Sunday dinners.
I hope I didn't miss your point and go rambling off, but little sleep and posting on one cup of coffee sometimes takes me off on side roads.
What a thoughtful post- you have me thinking about how to reach the general public, who won't generally know about PP or Backyard Poultry, or other great places where there are ads.
And may I insert, thank you! for sending people to the Delaware Club site. We are trying so hard to promote and preserve the dual purpose qualities of these birds- we think they are a pretty perfect bird for the backyard flock owner who wants to become a bit more self sufficient.
I am not the most knowledgeable person here, obviously, but I have eaten some of my own Dels, and there are a couple of things that come to mind - I don't know if this is true for other Heritage breeds or not. First, when people order the Cornish cross broiler birds, it seems to me from what I have read, that they are getting a chicken who basically sits there and eats and poops- there are no long range plans for these chicks. They will be in the freezer in a flash. Your Heritage bird is apt to be active, foraging, running around and playing,and will have a different texture meat because of this. There are great articles out there on HOW to cook Heritage fowl, and it does make a difference. I know, I experimented. Also, people may have to wait longer to process Heritage birds, they DO grow slower than the CX: we processed ours at about 20 weeks, and they really needed maybe another month on most of them. But that is worth it - even if it costs to keep those extra roos around for a while, because our goal is better and healthier food that we have grown ourselves. I think there are breeders out there who are working on their Heritage lines for faster maturity, but in general, it is just going to take a little longer, from what I understand.
How to get the word out there? I think it is up to the individual selling to make a point to market the good dual purpose birds AS dual purpose birds- most CL ads or IWANNA ads that I have seen just list the breed with no other info. I know ads cost money, but just adding the words "dual purpose" could raise interest, and it doesn't cost much to explain what that means over the phone or by email to the people that respond to the ads.
Breed Clubs that take out ads could certainly promote that aspect. I do think there is going to be a continued interest in the dual purpose bird, and promoting that aspect is a two fold good thing - the more rare breeds could experience a revival, and the general public who is interested will be getting some darn good eggs and Sunday dinners.
I hope I didn't miss your point and go rambling off, but little sleep and posting on one cup of coffee sometimes takes me off on side roads.
- Jul 21, 2010
- 3,788
- 15
- 181
Quote:
This a a article on Cornish cross alternatives I bet those "freedom rangers" grow just a bit faster than these heritage breeds like NH, PR, buckeye, delaware ect.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/4/4-2/alternatives_to_the_cornish_cross.html
This a a article on Cornish cross alternatives I bet those "freedom rangers" grow just a bit faster than these heritage breeds like NH, PR, buckeye, delaware ect.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/4/4-2/alternatives_to_the_cornish_cross.html
Last edited:
- Jul 21, 2010
- 3,788
- 15
- 181
from that artical:
I found the limits of my own willingess to coddle such a compromised bird one year when a sharp, unseasonal temperature spike resulted in the loss of 22 Cornish Cross broilers, right at slaughter weight, in a matter of a couple of hours before I discovered their distress. They had sat on their butts in the shade of their pasture shelter, panting desperately, and diedrather than walk six feet for a drink of water outside the shelter
Quote:
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
If you have any "extras" you know where our coops are!!!!
Our incubator is also now empty.
I just ordered some Barred Hollands from Urch this week. He can only get about 10 or 12 at a time, but has a minimum order of 25, so I had to order a lot of others to get my hollands. But it should be worth it. Off to read Call of the Hen, I guess.
If you have any "extras" you know where our coops are!!!!
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