Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[capayvalleychick]

I would just love to have a chicken that comes from a long line of true bred, longstanding, strong and sturdy heritage ancestry, that's all. Namely, the silver grey dorking.

Try the link that Bob posted for Duane Urch. See if he will be offering them this year. He does have SGDs.

You can also join the Dorking Breeder's Club and get a breeder's directory:

http://www.dorkingbreedersclub.webs.com/

The SPPA is a great resource for heritage breeds, maybe not SGDs at this time, but one of the best resources nonetheless.

 

[tigercreek]

Does anyone know of a line of quality Barred Rock that are good layers? The line of heritage barreds that I currently have are most certainly not great, or even good layers as the rocks are supposed to be. I do want quality birds with size and crisp barring, not hatchery birds. I do appreciate any and all help......stan

 

[CluckyCharms]

I would ask username Jwhip about the barred rocks, his are heritage and are of very old blood. I'm not a barred rock fan at all, but as barred rocks go, his look like some of the very best in regard to what I have seen. If you have trouble contacting him I would ask kathyinmo. I don't know her at all but I do know she knows people with some uber heritage breeds, including jwhip's BRs.

You can learn a ton on this site by using the search feature at the top. If you type heritage barred rock in there you'll get all sorts of juicy links.

 

[fowlman01]

Regarding Heritage/Heirloom breeds. The American Poultry Assn has no position or statement on what the APA considers a Heritage chicken. The ALBC does, but the APA does not. The APA has a committee studying the term Heritage as it applies to poultry, but as of yet has no position regarding it.

Walt

 

[CluckyCharms]

Regarding Heritage/Heirloom breeds. The American Poultry Assn has no position or statement on what the APA considers a Heritage chicken. The ALBC does, but the APA does not. The APA has a committee studying the term Heritage as it applies to poultry, but as of yet has no position regarding it.

Walt

Ahhhhhhh....now *that* helps, thank you Walt. As I've said many times, I'm still very very new to all of this so every little bit helps. I thought the ALBC was a non-profit offshoot (part of) the APA, like a division of it. Knowing the two are separate and not affiliated does help explain the not-so-clear bits of it now though. Thanks again.

 

[ashandvine]

I just passed a beautiful NH Red cockerel on to my neighbor and am kicking myself. He is bigger than everyone but my Marans. I want meat mutts, as you may recall, and he says, 'meat maker" all over him! That Orp dumpling is developing more and more faults and he isn't growing to be much bigger either. He is gentle and has a nice crow but its between him and a Delaware rooster right now for who gets to stay on and make meaties.

Not that you all care but I am finally closing in on my breeds. A few folks who are regulars in here have helped intentionally and not, so I wanted to report. A lot of looking and a few fairs and shows and a few birds bought and traded. I am down to four that I like a lot (I know, four is still to many) which are: Russian Orloffs, Marans, Favorelles and this is the real maybe bird- Dorkings. They and my Favs are the youngest bunch here so its hard to tell. I love the Welsummers and do like the blue egg of the Ameraucana but in the end I hate how much they eat and eat and eat and don't forage the way I want to see-- the Ams I mean. I still love the look of the Dominique but all birds have something appealing... well, most. I still love the crested birds but don't have time for all that fussing. I am totally comitted to the Orloffs for sure and hope to do well by them. Thanks all for supporting me so far. I am sure my eye will adore other birds but for now this is where I sit which is a lot closer than I was to start. (Those Sumatras are still tempting me though... retirement birds they are

 

[3riverschick]

Hi CluckyCharms,
Ok, let me see if I got this straight.You don't suffer fools and trolls lightly. Want to breed a heritage breed pure in the strain. Think you can't have a breeding program because you can't have roosters. Can have 10 birds. Think folk won't sell you top quality birds because you're a newbie and don't have a big breeding program planned.

Ok, let's take another look at the situation.
I've never seen a fool or a troll on this list so you can relax and don't need to worry about that here.
This is exactly the list to be on if you want to breed heritage poultry 'pure in the strain'.
You don't need roosters on your place for a breeding program. You can send your females out to a stud rooster on a friend's place and they will lay from his union for at least 2 weeks. You can incubate the chicks at your place. Feather or color sex the chicks. Discard the males (no crowing allowed!) and raise the females up to culling age. Send the ones you don't want to freezer camp. Keep the best 10 in your flock for next year. Cooperative breeding in poultry works just like in dogs. Might even try giving your neighbors some eggs or chicks to start their own flocks. Make a problem into a possibility.
Donate chicks or breeding trios to the local 4-H for good PR in the neighborhood.
Yes, folk on this list do start serious folk out with top quality stock, as per the very first post in this discussion.
This list is about creating Preservationists. If you have that mindset already, then you are 1/2 way there . Pick a breed where you can get stock from a top winning , veteran strain One where you have at least 2 other unrelated sources to go to if you ever need to do a loose line-breeding. Start with a trio or quad. Inbreed them, then line breed them. Do not cross strains to found your flock. Because of their wide genetic base and plethora of sex-linked genes, poultry can stand inbreeding much better than dogs and cats. Never breed your show quality birds with hatchery birds. One can lose decades of perfection in just 1 or 2 generations and have it take years to get it back.
So there are only supposed obstacles to your plans. No real prohibitions, smile. Build a pretty little coop like a kids playhouse. Something that looks like garden art for your neighbors sake. Pick a breed which is docile and friendly like Sussex, true Heritage RIR, Dorkings, Orpingtons. Whether it is true or not, the big soft-feathered birds look more friendly to little children. The idea to contact Urch is a real good one. He has lots of rare heritage breeds. Can find show quality there too.
Looking forward to further reports of your chicken activities. Start with the very best stock you can obtain. Many of the 4-Her's will be looking for show stock and if you have that right off the bat, good PR for you, good for the strain , plus you can show your birds if you want.
Best Success,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[cgmccary]

Quote:
Ditto. I do not understand people wanting to purchase my best pullets when they are not going to be breeding them-- yet, I have folks who only keep hens, won't be breeding and the first thing they'll say, is, "I don't want your culls." Then I say, "you won't be purchasing any pullets from me then." I am not going to sell a good breeder pullet to someone who is not a breeder. The stock is just too rare to waste.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Regarding Heritage/Heirloom breeds. The American Poultry Assn has no position or statement on what the APA considers a Heritage chicken. The ALBC does, but the APA does not. The APA has a committee studying the term Heritage as it applies to poultry, but as of yet has no position regarding it.

Walt

Walt is so correct but if you find a old black and white standard of perfection say 1962 issue those birds in there are somewhat what I fell Heritage. Again when I made this tread I used a catchy praise and it was to get your attention. I could have used the term Heirloom as I did when I wrote a article a few years ago for Back Yard Poultry magazine. It was called Plymouth Rocks the Heirloom breed. It did wonders as we got a lot of people interested in Plymouth Rocks and many people became members of the club which I was Club Sectary.

Heirloom Seeds Heirloom Poultry all catchy terms.

Nothing official what meets that term but there is a bunch of old large fowl breeds in trouble and about to die off if we dont think into the future. Heck large fowl at the Poultry Shows are down every year. It cost to much money to raise them and bantams are so much cheaper to raise these days. So get you some, grow and raise a few and watch your budget as if your not care full you will over do your self and find yourself out side the hobby. I dont want to put negative spin on this subject but thats the number one reason people come and go. You dont have to breed these things to the standard to show them but you want to have some guide so you dont revert backwards to production stock.

Thanks to all of you who have picked or adopted a breed. My new breed will be Dr. Albert McGraws Mot led Javas. I have never seen one in my life but they need a home and I am doing this for his legacy and hope to share them with others. He was a great promoter of poultry 20 years ago and the Heritage Fowl.

 

[CluckyCharms]

Hi CluckyCharms,
Ok, let me see if I got this straight.You don't suffer fools and trolls lightly. Want to breed a heritage breed pure in the strain. Think you can't have a breeding program because you can't have roosters. Can have 10 birds. Think folk won't sell you top quality birds because you're a newbie and don't have a big breeding program planned.

Ok, let's take another look at the situation.
I've never seen a fool or a troll on this list so you can relax and don't need to worry about that here.
This is exactly the list to be on if you want to breed heritage poultry 'pure in the strain'.
You don't need roosters on your place for a breeding program. You can send your females out to a stud rooster on a friend's place and they will lay from his union for at least 2 weeks. You can incubate the chicks at your place. Feather or color sex the chicks. Discard the males (no crowing allowed!) and raise the females up to culling age. Send the ones you don't want to freezer camp. Keep the best 10 in your flock for next year. Cooperative breeding in poultry works just like in dogs. Might even try giving your neighbors some eggs or chicks to start their own flocks. Make a problem into a possibility.
Donate chicks or breeding trios to the local 4-H for good PR in the neighborhood.
Yes, folk on this list do start serious folk out with top quality stock, as per the very first post in this discussion.
This list is about creating Preservationists. If you have that mindset already, then you are 1/2 way there . Pick a breed where you can get stock from a top winning , veteran strain One where you have at least 2 other unrelated sources to go to if you ever need to do a loose line-breeding. Start with a trio or quad. Inbreed them, then line breed them. Do not cross strains to found your flock. Because of their wide genetic base and plethora of sex-linked genes, poultry can stand inbreeding much better than dogs and cats. Never breed your show quality birds with hatchery birds. One can lose decades of perfection in just 1 or 2 generations and have it take years to get it back.
So there are only supposed obstacles to your plans. No real prohibitions, smile. Build a pretty little coop like a kids playhouse. Something that looks like garden art for your neighbors sake. Pick a breed which is docile and friendly like Sussex, true Heritage RIR, Dorkings, Orpingtons. Whether it is true or not, the big soft-feathered birds look more friendly to little children. The idea to contact Urch is a real good one. He has lots of rare heritage breeds. Can find show quality there too.
Looking forward to further reports of your chicken activities. Start with the very best stock you can obtain. Many of the 4-Her's will be looking for show stock and if you have that right off the bat, good PR for you, good for the strain , plus you can show your birds if you want.
Best Success,
Karen in western PA, USA

to 3riverschick (Karen)- That is exactly what I had wanted to do (send females off to a proven heritage male to breed) and get them back, incubate their eggs, and go from there. However, whenever I broach the subject here on the forum I get "nos" because there needs to be a quarantine period both ways, and I would need to quarantine her upon return, and then her chicks would need to be quarantined to verify that no transferrables occurred, etc. It seems like an awful lot of quarantine going on between *healthy* birds. My birds will never have lice, mites or any other parasites because we have so *few* birds and are allowed to have so few that they are going to be very easy to thoroughly check and rule out these things on a weekly basis...even daily if I felt the need to. In regard to illness...isn't there some sort of blood panel test that could be given to these birds so that they can be given a clean bill of health by a livestock veterinarian? I don't see how perfectly healthy birds going to another flock of perfectly healthy birds would need to be quarantined for non-existent illnesses...I think that's the bit that is confusing me (but again, I'm brand new).

We actually took the time to measure, and if we position the coop a certain way, we have 102 feet between one neighbor's structure, 109 between another's, and exactly 100 feet, 3 inches between us and the third. Therefore, we can legally have 10 hens. We already have at least 5 of them picked out and they're already here, and growing up so they're not going anywhere. But, that leaves room for 5, which I think is plenty to have a small breeding program of 1 breed of heritage chickens.

Am I serious about this you ask? Most definitely...but I do not know which breeds are heritage applicable as of yet. I know of a few of them from this thread, and the one I am most specifically interested in is the SGD. That being said, it still doesn't solve the problem of "no roosters allowed".


With regard to the question as to whether or not I would be willing to own a low quality heritage cull female? IF she wasn't sick, deformed, featherless or otherwise dastardly looking or losing out on her quality of life by a deformity then I would absolutely be thoroughly delighted to go that route...but only if I cannot find any way, shape or form to breed quality ones. I wouldn't breed another breeder's cull because to me, that's just stupidity. If a breeder decided against breeding a certain chicken there is almost always a valid reason...why go against it and breed it anyway? That would only show someone to be a poor conductor of good breeding practices, in my opinion. Remember that I am new and a lot here are not, and I will change my opinions on things over time as I learn more.