Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Fallchick]

Oh!! I forgot. I also raise Grey Indian Runners too. I love my Runners!

They make me laugh!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Great to see many asiatic, AOSB, continental, and Mediterranean breeds being bred by people on here!

And Bob's pens are awesome. I can't imagine the finesse and patience it takes to make one of those. I for one couldn't do it!

Thank you. It takes practice and patience and passion and VISION. Don't know where that comes from anymore but some have it some don't. The skill it takes to make these pens kinds of reminds me of working in Open Heart Surgery as a Nurse assistant to the surgeon. The two of us work like two. It took two year to learn to do this. Then when I was the Urology Coordinator I helped break up kidney stones. I would hold the laser fiber and the surgeon held the camera and the scope. I had to place the probe in front of the kidney stone to break it up he would use his foot to start the laser. This proces was how we broke it in half and then smaller pieces so we could pull them out of the patient. Again its allot like surgery. Its a touch you kind of get the feel of it with practice and if you have the God given talent to do it.

Kind of like raising Old Fashion Poultry. Not all that hard it takes passion, practice and looking into the future HELPS.

When I make my 100th pen I think I will look back and say to myself how much I have learned. I watch about two hours of videos on U tube a day on this subject and have six books coming to learn by reading this art.. Then go out and practice what I saw.

Some times it works some times it don't. But if I watch ten super stars do what they do with the years of experience they have I will take a little secret here and there from each of them.

This is something my grand father taught me. He told me if you want to be good at something study and watch ten of the very best. Then apply what they did to your self and you will one day be like them. This was in 1954 that he told me this and today a young man named Tony Robbins came up with a learning method called Neuro-Linguistics programing. This is not new I learned it 30 years ago and it worked for me in every thing I have tried to do. You can achieve anything you want if you just put your MIND to it. Old timers with eighth grade educations told us this.

So much to learn and so much to teach and share with others. Long live the old breeds of Standard Breed Fowl.

I got my shipment of preemie diapers in today Steve. Not for Mr. Silkie but to pack hatching eggs in along with the little plastic eggs to keep broken eggs from spilling on the other eggs think I got a fool proof method to ship eggs..

 

[saladin]

The most ancient of the Foundation breeds would be:

Games
Asil
Malay
Dorkings

 

[ashandvine]

Of all of this short list above the 'fighting' instinct of these alone may make them difficult to promote. I have cockerels and roosters who will go for you but when it is an across the breed trait that's a bit more than a lot of folks will put up with. There's some who still love the cockfighting but.... I am not saying they don't have their place or value (on the contrary) just that when you mix ugly and mean together, then put beaks and claws on them its real difficult to build a fan base.

 

[Pozees]

The most ancient of the Foundation breeds would be:

Games
Asil
Malay
Dorkings

Would the ancient Dorkings have been white, colored, or both? I know very little about the breed but think they're really neat, and would like to have some one day.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Things are moving fast on ths thread and I am about 6 pages behind and catching up. I did want to share this 1915 article by a breed specialist with you. We talk about the Red Sussex and its relation to the RIR. This is one of the few articles I have found which addresses the subject and the the differences between the 2 breeds.
Merry Christmas,
Karen
=============================
The Poultry Item, Volume 17 , Sellersville, PA , Feb. 1915 , Number 4
http://tinyurl.com/cmfkyp4
THE TYPE AND MARKINGS OF RED AND SPECKLED SUSSEX
By H. H. Coburn, Red Sussex Farms, Marysville, Mich.
It is now an established fact that Sussex as layers and as table fowls are in a class alone. So we will consider their type and markings and that they mean to the fancier who wants beauty, utility and the latest fashions.
We will first consider the Red Sussex by stating that they differ from the S. C. R. I. Reds in type which is quite like Rock type with emphasis on broad shoulders. In weight they are nearer the Rock than the Reds, and the color of the skin and shanks is white or pinkish white. This makes a beautiful contrast with their rich, very dark red plumage. The male has slate undercolor with red at base and the American breeders will eliminate striping in hackle. The wing should
show the same markings as R. I. Reds and the tail is a glossy, green black. He should be well up on shanks and not resemble an Orpington in shape. The Red Sussex, particularly, do not show Orpington type. Some breeders show birds with too short backs and too high tails. The female should be even, dark red surface color not running lighter on breast, a common fault with some exhibition birds. Such birds run too light in wing with little or no black markings which should be the same as the R. I. Reds' wing. The undercolor should be dark slate to the skin, but as they are a white skinned breed, if the undercolor runs lighter near the skin it is not considered a serious fault. You must have the slate undercolor to get the rich dark red, good wings and black tail. The English desire a striped hackle but the Americans will strive for clear red necks.
Speckled Sussex have been bred in America for several years, but because they were not pushed, and the birds shipped were of such inferior quality, they did not make much of an impression. We would state in all modesty that our liberal use of printer's ink and the quality and beautiful markings of our birds in Chicago have placed them in great public favor. As before intimated this variety has a tendency to blocky Orpington type, some judges failing to recognize this as a serious defect, also placing the ribbons on high tailed birds of Orpington type. The male should show a dark red top color in predominance. The hackle should be this rich red and not orange with a delicate black striping near ends and a white tip. The wing bows should be dark red without any white, and the saddle should be red with a white tip and possibly a delicate lacing near the white tip. The American Standard will call for black tails which adds to the richness and is a decided improvement over the English white sickle and tail. The wing should contain both black and reddish brown, clear white flights being a serious defect. The breast and fluff should be dark red with a half moon or black bar near the white tip. The female is dark red free from shafting with a black half-moon or bar near end of feather, joining the v/hite tip. The wings should have plenty of black and brown.
The undercolor is slate in both sexes. The popularity of Red and Speckled Sussex was forcibly shown by the large exhibit in Chicago. The previous year there was but a small class of them. Again we would emphasize that Red and Speckled Sussex have all the requirements — Great Beauty, Great Utility and Great Popularity.
(Karen: there's an article in the 2010 SOP about Speckled Sussex. The veteran breeder states the black stripe on the speckled feather should be 1/4 inch in width.).

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
Does anyone have access to Reliable Poultry Journal Volume 23 from 1916?
I am seeking issues Jan., June, May, Nov., and Dec. so I can read the following articles:

Agricultural Index, Volume 1 By H.W. Wilson Company
Sussex breed type or the characteristics of typical Sussex. F. L. Platt. il Reliable P J 23:479-80+ Je '16
Valuable suggestions about breeding high class red Sussex. F. L. Platt. il Reliable P J 23:866-7+. 968-9 N-D '16
Valuable suggestions about improving the Light Sussex. F. L. Platt. ii Reliable P J 23: 074 ' 7
What history tells us about the ancient and modern Sussex. F. L. Platt. ii Reliable P J 23:362-3+ My '16

Thanks so much! '
Merry Christmas,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

I just wanted to offer some advice on your imported birds... not that I know everything but...

The soil in the place where they come from will be vastly different from the soil at your house. My suggestion is just this... get some plain, unsweetened yogurt with several types of live cultures in it and start feeding it to them as soon as you get them home... about a tablespoon per bird to start. It will help them with the stress of moving as well as with the new germs they will encounter once they hit the ground in your yard.

Oh, I just reread they were imported in the 80's? Well, same applies. New home, new ground, new germs. Lots of stress!

Hi Lacey Blues!
This is wonderful advice. If for some reason, they won't eat the yogurt, there's a product I have used for years
on both dogs and poultry. Poultry-Nutri-Drench is great stuff. Made specificaly for supplemental nutrition and stress.
Can be added to their water or fed a couple of drops on arrival. Here's their webpage: http://www.bovidr.com/poultry.html
BTW, I asked Bovidr and the tech said that Beef Nutri-Drench can also be used on dogs. It is the only Bovidr formula which can
be used on a species other than the species indicated on the bottle.
Merry Christmas,
Karen

 

[fowlman01]

Of all of this short list above the 'fighting' instinct of these alone may make them difficult to promote. I have cockerels and roosters who will go for you but when it is an across the breed trait that's a bit more than a lot of folks will put up with. There's some who still love the cockfighting but.... I am not saying they don't have their place or value (on the contrary) just that when you mix ugly and mean together, then put beaks and claws on them its real difficult to build a fan base.

Most on the list are not beginner birds. A RIR or PR is more likely to jump on you than one of the breeds listed. It is true that they don't like other chcikens, but as a rule they are very sweet to people. You can't have a mean Shamo around, they are just too big and strong.

Walt

 

[saladin]

It is important to understand what Walt is saying.

Most don't understand the difference between game and manfighting. The two are not related.

Games, in general, are the only breed where selection has occured for 3,000 for human friendliness. Barnyard rooster are the mean ones not Games! Games are often very affectionate toward their handlers, not all but many. It is each other they despise. Yes, cocks must be kept separate from one another, but many do this even with barnyard chickens.

Cockerels or stags as they are called can run together for up to 10 months before the need to separate them. (Depends on the breed/strain and space given). If they can't see hens or pullets you can often keep them together for longer if on free range.

They are great birds and for vigor/vitality they have no equal.