Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Marengoite]

Bob, I believe those type of articles need to be on the breed club websites. If a newbie is looking into a breed and they could get that type of information on a breed website, they might feel encouraged to try that breed. Without the help of such a reference, newbies are beaten before they get started. My breeding secrets were taken to the grave with the master breeders of the past.....with the technology we now have, there is no reason that this should ever happen again. The problem remains of how to great those breeders to "give up" their secrets...........

Exactly. The American Buckeye Club's Yahoo site has a Files section that has some great information. Their blog also has a pictorial guide on how to interpret the SOP with pictures of good and not-so-good birds. Kind of spoiled me, because I try to find the same kind of resources in other breed clubs and they just aren't there. I've been reading some of the old poultry books and there is a lot of information to have to skim through before finding some meat. I sure wish every breed club was dedicated to educating newbies.

 

[NYREDS]

Black Australorps... they don't look anything like what comes out of the hatcheries around here.

Much different than American bred Australorps, not just those from hatcheries. Much rounder. Interesting how breeds are interpreted differently in different parts of the world.

 

[Arielle]

Bob, I believe those type of articles need to be on the breed club websites. If a newbie is looking into a breed and they could get that type of information on a breed website, they might feel encouraged to try that breed. Without the help of such a reference, newbies are beaten before they get started. Many breeding secrets were taken to the grave with the master breeders of the past.....with the technology we now have, there is no reason that this should ever happen again. The problem remains of how to get those breeders to "give up" their secrets...........



Edited because I can't spell..........

Definitely a good job for Bob! If anyone can accomplish this , it's Bob!!

Maybe what I should do is set a five year goal on how to breed for color and have a list of all breeds that are considered Heritage Fowl which where chickens in the Standard of Perfection be for say 1960.

I have a list that I helped write for the Plymouth Rock Club all ready done. Buff, Barred, Colombian, Partridge, Silver Pencil led. Have Rhode Island Reds How to get started with Black Java.

Need articles and will work on this one myself How to breed Silver Spangled Hamburgs I have a friend who has been breeding them for 50 years. Got to get it on tape or paper befor he goes to Poultry Heaven.

So many more. How to breed for Color, Delawares New Hampshire's Mottled Javas or Co chins Domini ques Light Brown Leghorns Salmon Favorols Butter Cups

So what others would you like to see or help get written????

Maybe befor I unplug my incubator and go to the big Poultry Show in the sky I can try to to this task.

If people get the birds and dont stick with them for one reason or another so be it.

Maybe I am asking to much and the reason people stick for the more popular breeds like Reds or Rocks is the are easyer to breed true color. However, many of these colors are as rare as many of the less popular breeds out there wanted by folks today.

You mentioned that the breed clubs should have these article stored on their web pages or the sectary should have all the old literature this has not been done very well over the last 30 years. I think when you bird dog some of the old books that are now on the Internet digitally this will help us.

There are also very few people who are really slick breeders of color anymore or they breed color by hope and chance. Will see what we can do. I will ease up on telling you about the hear today gone tomorrow crowd. For one thing asking for sticking with a breed on this kind of web site is silly I think. Very few people even care about preservation only a very small hand full and most are satisfied with is all ready out there by feeds store suppliers.

I will put together a web site my self on my web site source and let you know when I get it to the point that its worth going to.

Give me something to do in my old age.

By the way I heard some very good news for the R I Red Club found a new News Letter Chairman and should get out the old Rhode Island Red Chronicles so save up some money for due and we will send it in when the time is right.

Thanks for your interest in these old breeds and maybe wanting to sponsor and own them to keep them from going extinct.

Bob, GO FOR IT!!!!

I've become a follower of this thread but one of my struggles as a newbie is getting to stage two of chicken ownership. Choosing the best breed for me AND having the support/mentor to help me "see" the conformation of the birds. I'm pretty good at hatching now, having practiced on a variety of chicken, duck and turkey eggs. Need a few other things in place though. I'm working on it.

BOb, I also look back at my Uncle, who I have mentioned before, he raised racing pigeons from about 15-16 years old until his daughter dispersed the flock after his passing. As kids we loved to see the birds and he trained them everyday. He won enough prize $$ to pay for their feed. The point I'm trying to get at is, Uncle Marty was from an era that is different from today. Birds were and are a cheap hobby relatively speaking. We need a way to hook people into birds--My kids can't relate to any other kids in school because no one has farm animals any more. We need a way to pull kids into 4H for support. ANd perhaps THAT is where you can reach MORE young people

Maybe WE need to create the network to connect young people to heritage lines, not just you Bob.

THe Boston Poultry Expo is is held about 40 minutes from me, a road I regularly traveled the last 20 years. I did not know that show was there!! Until a teenager on BYC told me about it. It's as if you have to be part of the chicken world to know it exists.

Quote: Good to know! I'm leaning toward the BUckeyes-- I love dark meat.

 

[ashandvine]

All this talk of articles and such is making me think of a great Faverolles breeder of 20+ years. He is still around and sometimes on this site. Hatched a couple promising boys from him ( I know hatching eggs a no no but it was the only way to get the genetics) I will be breeding those boys this spring.

Here is the website. Very helpful articles about breeding faverolles:
http://peterfmerlin.tripod.com/Choices.htm

THank you for sharing this. The new Favorelle babies are here, peeping and hopping. I have been looking for something like this, straight forward, a little funny, and easy to read. Words get thrown around in here often and I am still trying to learn what they mean.... rangey... line breeding... breeding styles... Why are hatching eggs a no no??

Marans folks put together a great thread that has a list of DQ and faults as well as what to look for (SOP standards) and then they posted PICTURES for folks like me to go with them. Its awesome!

 

[hcammack]

THank you for sharing this. The new Favorelle babies are here, peeping and hopping. I have been looking for something like this, straight forward, a little funny, and easy to read. Words get thrown around in here often and I am still trying to learn what they mean.... rangey... line breeding... breeding styles... Why are hatching eggs a no no??

Marans folks put together a great thread that has a list of DQ and faults as well as what to look for (SOP standards) and then they posted PICTURES for folks like me to go with them. Its awesome!

No problem. Peter is a great resource! He is very funny haha. I would say hatching eggs are no no because for example I only hatched 4 chicks out of these eggs. (My fault) Therefore I only had a few birds to choose from for breeders. If you buy started birds you know what your getting more so then hatching eggs and the breeder will have already made some culling decisions. That is why I got these started pullets from Cindy and Dick. They are more mature and I can already pick out faults and things I want to fix.

 

[lildinkem]

No problem. Peter is a great resource! He is very funny haha. I would say hatching eggs are no no because for example I only hatched 4 chicks out of these eggs. (My fault) Therefore I only had a few birds to choose from for breeders. If you buy started birds you know what your getting more so then hatching eggs and the breeder will have already made some culling decisions. That is why I got these started pullets from Cindy and Dick. They are more mature and I can already pick out faults and things I want to fix.

Maybe you may know something about what I was told recently. I heard Peter no longer has any Favs. A DaveK wrote me and told me this. And said that my Merlin/Boulanger crosses MAYBE worth more now that Peter no longer has any Favs. Does anyone know more about this?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Bob, I believe those type of articles need to be on the breed club websites. If a newbie is looking into a breed and they could get that type of information on a breed website, they might feel encouraged to try that breed. Without the help of such a reference, newbies are beaten before they get started. Many breeding secrets were taken to the grave with the master breeders of the past.....with the technology we now have, there is no reason that this should ever happen again. The problem remains of how to get those breeders to "give up" their secrets...........



Edited because I can't spell..........

If you can point me to a breed club for the Andalusian, I would be absolutely thrilled! There was a young man in Michigan whom I met at the first Crossroads show who wanted to start a club for them and he had gathered information and gotten the ball rolling and then he dropped the ball. I have called him several times as he told me he would send all that information to me so I could carry it on because he just doesn't have time. But for whatever reason, he won't talk to me and I have never been anything but the most cordial with him. I think he went off to college but the last time I called, his dad answered the phone and said he would get him. Then I heard them talking, quietly, even though dad had covered the receiver with his hand and then he told me that the person in question was not home. What's a girl to do?

NYREDS, Since John Hayes is retiring, and you are close to him, could you spend some time with him to get him to write down his methods for the Andalusian? I know show season is upon you in the northeast but... I'd really hate to lose the knowledge that he has, and I can't come there to do it. There was one master breeder of the Andalusian that I read about and this was Arthur Phiel of New York. As far as I know, he didn't leave anything for those of us coming afterward to learn from. From what I understand, John Hayes got his start from Arthur Phiel a long long time ago so he's the next candidate.

I do have a link for a book on breeding the Blue Andalusian. I will come back with an edit, to share the link.

http://archive.org/stream/blueandalusianit00duns#page/n5/mode/2up

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Maggiesdad,
They are definitely not Black Australorps, The leg color is all wrong. BA's would have slate colored legs, not those light colored legs in your picture.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Maggiesdad,
They are definitely not Black Australorps, The leg color is all wrong. BA's would have slate colored legs, not those light colored legs in your picture.

Might they be proper to the British Standard? I don't like the looks of them myself with the light legs and little tiny heads perched on top of a big round body, so they obviously aren't bred to the American Standard.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

I am not up on the British standard but even Black Orps call for a slate leg color. The original Aussy standard and the American is the same on leg color too.