Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[OSUman]

My theory is that the fact that they were created so near to the advent of the current commercial meat birds, that they didn't gain enough popularity before they were replaced by commercial chickens. Also since they were developed brown eggs have become the egg that demands a premium rather then the white eggs like when they were developed, and there are plenty of dual purpose brown egg layers.

I always hear people lamenting the fact that Lamonas fell by the wayside [although the originator did leave the recipe] but I've always wondered why thet became unpopular if they were, in fact, so desireable?

 

[mschlumb]

My theory is that the fact that they were created so near to the advent of the current commercial meat birds, that they didn't gain enough popularity before they were replaced by commercial chickens.  Also since they were developed brown eggs have become the egg that demands a premium rather then the white eggs like when they were developed, and there are plenty of dual purpose brown egg layers.

I agree. I wonder how often this is the case for many of our standard breeds. Even before the commercial industry really began to develop.

Like rhode island whites for example. Were they ever really that popular? Or did the the breeds like Plymouth rocks, Rhode Island reds, and wyandottes dominate the then commercial industry so much and no one really paid much attention to the minor breeds, like Rhode Island whites, Javas, and Dorkings?

Same can be said of the egg industry with leghorns dominating that from a relatively early time period, were breeds like Campines, Anconas, and Andalusians more or less ignored?

To sum up, Have some "heritage" breeds been struggling for survival for longer than we might have thought? Or maybe I'm just off topic?

I don't intend to be gloomy here, but it's sometimes nice to have the perspective of what we are dealing with. And guess that's really why we're all here!

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

i think and have read that allot of the breeds where very regional... one breed would be adapted to conditions in an area and be fairly common but nation wide yes i think some where rare even years ago...

I agree. I wonder how often this is the case for many of our standard breeds. Even before the commercial industry really began to develop.
Like rhode island whites for example. Were they ever really that popular? Or did the the breeds like Plymouth rocks, Rhode Island reds, and wyandottes dominate the then commercial industry so much and no one really paid much attention to the minor breeds, like Rhode Island whites, Javas, and Dorkings?
Same can be said of the egg industry with leghorns dominating that from a relatively early time period, were breeds like Campines, Anconas, and Andalusians more or less ignored?
To sum up, Have some "heritage" breeds been struggling for survival for longer than we might have thought? Or maybe I'm just off topic?
I don't intend to be gloomy here, but it's sometimes nice to have the perspective of what we are dealing with. And guess that's really why we're all here!

 

[kathyinmo]

I agree. I wonder how often this is the case for many of our standard breeds. Even before the commercial industry really began to develop.

Like rhode island whites for example. Were they ever really that popular? Or did the the breeds like Plymouth rocks, Rhode Island reds, and wyandottes dominate the then commercial industry so much and no one really paid much attention to the minor breeds, like Rhode Island whites, Javas, and Dorkings?

Same can be said of the egg industry with leghorns dominating that from a relatively early time period, were breeds like Campines, Anconas, and Andalusians more or less ignored?

To sum up, Have some "heritage" breeds been struggling for survival for longer than we might have thought? Or maybe I'm just off topic?

I don't intend to be gloomy here, but it's sometimes nice to have the perspective of what we are dealing with. And guess that's really why we're all here!

My understanding, about the Delaware breed (which is a later creation than most of the old breeds), is that they were founded for the meat industry and was the choice of broiler birds. They were just coming into popularity when Colonel Sanders appeared with his KFC. The farmers then realized they needed something to grow much quicker, and the Cornish Rock crosses took over. So, the Delaware breed did not have a chance to become as popular as other well known dual purpose breeds.

After that, the decline in interest and the lack of quality breeding led to their near demise.

 

[ronniewayne]

wow i have just caught up on this thread. i found it over 2 months ago and have now read every post. great information thanks to all the contributors . i am working hard to become a breeder of rir and i got some rocks but my focus will be on the reds..have a great day everyone and keep posting the simple stuff..i can do without the off topic stuff ..some very interesting just needs to be on a thread of that topic.

 

[CharlieVoda]

I believe a lot of birds have been struggling longer than we might think. The list would be long. I think there are several contributing factors.

Many breed varieties have always been preferred in one color or another. Generally the easier colors to breed have excelled more rapidly than the party colored birds. This is why we encourage a lot of beginners to start out with solid colored birds like black or white. You basically have to worry about type.

Party colors will always be harder to breed than solid colors. Thus today we have great white rocks, white and black wyandottes etc. It is the reason penciled, columbian, laced, spangled, and other colors are rare. Their are exceptions

I have half heartily bred silver penciled in wyandottes and dark brahma for years and in the end you figure out that you really have to double mate these colors if you want both great colored hens and cocks in any numbers and consistency. If you don't you end up with a hen or cock line. It is essentially twice as much work, feed, water, space and knowledge of the breed and variety.

I think this is the main reason a lot of breed varieties are rare and never been that popular to begin with.

Then we have feed conversion factors and production factors. This in part is where the modern production birds come into play.

Last but not least humans enter into the picture. Many humans are always on the hunt for something better. This is why we have several hundred breeds and varieties of chickens. This is why we have the fad factor. It is why we need seroma/silkies.

These are my opinions.

The perfect bird is probably one in ten million. Yet we strive for perfection. It is a challenge. KISS

Good luck with the birds
Charlie

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Eggs, eggs, we got eggs

Carefully checked yesterday and no eggs.
Tonight, three lovely pinkish brown, tinted eggs from our 2 pullets ( who were hatched
in March and May, respectively ).

Junior was mounting one of the girls today
and she was crouching for him.
Merry Christmas!
Karen

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have some fluffy fat Orps. Maybe a few could meet the SOP, but most are too fluffy. I am not working on this breed. I just have a few for fun. They are lousy layers, too.

I will try to get pictures of my White Rocks tomorrow.

Thanks Kathy for posting your pictures and contributing on the thread. We need some of your vigor to keep kicking the can down the road.

You saw my web site address. I have been working on it a little. I worked on a side site I had on Plymouth Rocks and converted it over to Bobs Custom Pens of Silver hill worked on it for two hours and then it locked me out. So much to learn trying to make a web site. It wont let me up load my pictures. Then it says this and that. My wife even says its nuts. I spent two hours on a blog I raised on my pens. I took a old blog I start ted about five years ago for the Plymouth Rock Club and converted it to My Pen Hobby Blog. The domain name is still the Plymouth Rocks fanciers club. You would think I could email or contact a human being or a robot at go ogle and have it overdid and changed. Maybe it will happen in a few days.

The new blog is http://plymouthrockfanicersclub.blogspot.com/ I am trying to have it redone to Bobs Custom Pens of Silver hill. I may have to start a whole new blog with this name and cut and past my messages on the new one. Does anyone do this stuff on this thread. I am to old and uneducated to being this but I keep fighting trying to figure out what I am doing.

You have posted some nice pictures today Kathy those Opringtons look like the ones that I have seen in England. Under those Standards those are some hum dingers.

I got a message today on toe punching. Will place a simple chart on that maybe tomorrow. Also, I got a call from a friend today when I was in Wall Mart. He shipped a guy a pair of five month old large fowl not going to say the breed. They came from good parent stock. He sold them to a guy for about $80 a trio. The only issue on these birds was they had some comb faults but good type. The fellow who got them in the mail was unhappy and I got the impression he wanted show birds to show next month and the breeder told them they needed about three more months to grow out. They WHERE BREEDERS not show birds.

He was pretty upset and I told him this is why many good breeders dont want to share their birds with beginners. They will bad mouth them and this upsets allot of these old guys. I think another reason they don't want to share their birds is they don't want people to say after you had them three or four years boy they look like crap. Its your fault for running them down and not the master breeder so he would rather not share them with any buddy. My biggest issue is you can ship out 1,000 chicks in 20 years and maybe only one guy will have any of your birds in that time period. Horrible odds of anyone keeping your birds going.

The Silver Spangled Hamburgs are another breed I may be able to pick up a breeding pair or trio from Paul Hardy. I am going to call him and see he may trust me with them if I plan to share them with others down the road.

Does anyone have Silver Spangled Hamburgs?

Keep kicking the can down the road. Going to work on the old incubator tomorrow and fire her up. Its getting that time of the year.

Steve I found out there ain't no Santa Clause and Tooth Fairy. Now what?

http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/

My web site I have been working on above

 

[Fallchick]

Bob ....after reading all the info that you post on here I have a whole new respect for you. Just saying..........!

Holly

 

[Fallchick]

You make me want to go weigh my birds. (I guess I should be doing that anyway). I am the one that had the light Sussex at the Penscola show. And am very interested in the breed. I wish more peeps had them to show. I would love to have something besides my on flock to compare them to.

This was directed at 3Riverschick. I forgot to put the quoat in there. Been a very long time since I posted on here.