Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Chris09]

I was surprised to see my East Indie ducks fighting over a mouse.........I guess they gum them to death. lol

Walt

LOL,

We have Muscovy and they tear into the field mice and rat snake population around here.
Its funny to watch them hunt in the tall grass down by the creek, just one line of ducks side by side until one finds something then it a free for all.

Chris

 

[fowlman01]

I just have to post this. There are lots of famous "lines" around. Unless you buy the birds directly from the person the famous line is named after, chances are you are buying a bird that does not have the same characteristics of that "famous line". It only takes two years to totally foul up a famous "line". Some people can mess it up in one year, but the average is two years.

Be very careful when someone is new to this hobby and is saying that they have pure "so and so's line". It may be pure, but it won't look like the birds they originally bought and in some cases the name of the line stays even though it has changed hands several times or is many generations removed from what the original real breeder produced.

This is just a FYI and not meant to apply to anyone posting here.

Walt

 

[Lacy Blues]

LOL,

We have Muscovy and they tear into the field mice and rat snake population around here.
Its funny to watch them hunt in the tall grass down by the creek, just one line of ducks side by side until one finds something then it a free for all.

Chris

I have a life-sized visual of this

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I just have to post this. There are lots of famous "lines" around. Unless you buy the birds directly from the person the famous line is named after, chances are you are buying a bird that does not have the same characteristics of that "famous line". It only takes two years to totally foul up a famous "line". Some people can mess it up in one year, but the average is two years.

Be very careful when someone is new to this hobby and is saying that they have pure "so and so's line". It may be pure, but it won't look like the birds they originally bought and in some cases the name of the line stays even though it has changed hands several times or is many generations removed from what the original real breeder produced.

This is just a FYI and not meant to apply to anyone posting here.

Walt

Walt, glad you made this comment. While I know a majority of my birds originated with Dick Nieuwland in Canada and a few from Ohio, after breeding them for several years I really consider them "MY" line...I feed them, I select the breeding pens each year, I cull based on my criteria for the year and I keep breeders based on my plans for the following year.

After all.....even the "famous name line" had to originate somewhere, right??

 

[Robert Blosl]

This is a Don Nelson Bird from about ten or so years ago. I have been told his stock came out of Pennsylvania many years ago and they had some of Harold Tompkins Old Blood maybe in them. There was two breeders who had his old line at their old age about 35 years ago be for they died. So after seeing this bird I have a felling this could be true.

Like Walt says it only takes two to three years to foul up a good line that is why most people who get started into large fowl Reds dont last three years. In the old days many good exhibitors would order 25 to 50 chicks from a master breeder raise them up and then reorder the next year. They had only skills to raise and condition their birds and did it very well.

When I got started back in large Reds 28 years ago the first person I called was HV Ken Cooke in Oregon and asked him who has Aldon Wilkies line. He said Bob they where gone in three years after he sold out. I about cried what a strain they where in the 1960s. He may have purchased his chicks from a Master Breeder in Iowa a Mr. Martin each year, but I dont have any proof of it. But what he showed where like this male above.

Be care full dont get fooled on these Indiana names people come up with. Most of the time after I see the birds they are not all that great and dont breed true. If you hear a fella crossed three different lines into his birds to make his birds the genes are flying all over the place. You will not have anything to really work with. If all you want them for is pets and dont want to Preserve them for the future that's a whole different issue. That's what 99 percent of the folks on this site do and that's fine with me.

At least you lurkers who are reading this message this is the real Rhode Island Red like they had in the 1950s.

 

[Lacy Blues]

What a gorgeous bird!

 

[bnjrob]

I just have to post this. There are lots of famous "lines" around. Unless you buy the birds directly from the person the famous line is named after, chances are you are buying a bird that does not have the same characteristics of that "famous line". It only takes two years to totally foul up a famous "line". Some people can mess it up in one year, but the average is two years.

Be very careful when someone is new to this hobby and is saying that they have pure "so and so's line". It may be pure, but it won't look like the birds they originally bought and in some cases the name of the line stays even though it has changed hands several times or is many generations removed from what the original real breeder produced.

This is just a FYI and not meant to apply to anyone posting here.

Walt

Amen. This is what goes on with quite a few people that have Javas. They say they have this or that line for sale but when I've asked questions about Javas - nobody can give me an answer to the question because they are just breeding their Javas for back yard pets and haven't bothered to actually learn much about Javas or breeding. Guess they figure they just need chickens that will have sex with each other and that's it. Makes me nuts! Good thing I know how to do my own research and can apply what I've learned from books and listening to ya'll so that hopefully I can do ok when I start breeding my Javas. Bob has been good about writing articles for the Java Breeders group and that has been a big help to me as I have been watching our Javas grow and make breeding plans.

 

[fowlman01]

Amen. This is what goes on with quite a few people that have Javas. They say they have this or that line for sale but when I've asked questions about Javas - nobody can give me an answer to the question because they are just breeding their Javas for back yard pets and haven't bothered to actually learn much about Javas or breeding. Guess they figure they just need chickens that will have sex with each other and that's it. Makes me nuts! Good thing I know how to do my own research and can apply what I've learned from books and listening to ya'll so that hopefully I can do ok when I start breeding my Javas. Bob has been good about writing articles for the Java Breeders group and that has been a big help to me as I have been watching our Javas grow and make breeding plans.

Bob has helped lots of people...........through his threads online and his telephone calls etc. I don't know how he finds time to fish ...and feed that Silkie. I haven't disclosed this before, but I have the George Mahlik line of black Silkies. The breeding of these birds are about 5-6 generations removed from the time George sold them. One of thee males has white ear lobes and I know that is not a trait that would be found in any of George's birds. So all these other people have run them downhill in grand fashion. I have no idea how they managed to get white lobes on these, but they did. I don't normally raise sissy birds, but Bob has helped me get in touch with my sensitive side and at some point I want to stomp him into the ground with my Silkies at some Silkie national.....that I will rename "The Bob Strain" of black Silkies. I have two males and 6 females. I already had Res featherleg at our fair with two birds competing. The other bird was best of show, so.......I'm coming for you Bob.

Walt

 

[Lacy Blues]

 

[thedragonlady]

Bob has helped lots of people...........through his threads online and his telephone calls etc. I don't know how he finds time to fish ...and feed that Silkie. I haven't disclosed this before, but I have the George Mahlik line of black Silkies. The breeding of these birds are about 5-6 generations removed from the time George sold them. One of thee males has white ear lobes and I know that is not a trait that would be found in any of George's birds. So all these other people have run them downhill in grand fashion. I have no idea how they managed to get white lobes on these, but they did. I don't normally raise sissy birds, but Bob has helped me get in touch with my sensitive side and at some point I want to stomp him into the ground with my Silkies at some Silkie national.....that I will rename "The Bob Strain" of black Silkies. I have two males and 6 females. I already had Res featherleg at our fair with two birds competing. The other bird was best of show, so.......I'm coming for you Bob.

Walt

Walt,

You with Silkies ?? I love it. I'll send you "Mama's" Photo. Still winning at 12 1/2 years old. She was from old Fred Woodham breeding. I think Marty Mcguire has some of his now.