Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[BRITROCK]

Hi A few large white Plymouth Rock pictures from today's show.
A big boy here not a youngster but looked the part.
Put a few pictures on the Plymouth Rock thread

Britrock.

 

[Chloe77]

Hi A few large white Plymouth Rock pictures from today's show.
A big boy here not a youngster but looked the part.
Put a few pictures on the Plymouth Rock thread

Britrock.

Nice, but aren't his legs a bit short?

 

[BRITROCK]

Hi Chloe77

He couldn't fully fit in the pen, his legs being longer would have been a bonus looked good though.
We don't have many LF whites mainly bantams which are often longer in the leg.
Look on the Plymouth Rock thread a few more pictures there.

Britrock

 

[imtrying]

They should do well in the heat as they have been in Alabama for many many years breed by him. This fellow has had them for about four years. He thinks they are inbreed and need new blood or crossed on Blacks. I dont like to cross strains or color to make a chicken unless its the end of the road for the breed like Kathy had to do.

Maybe just a change of climate, conditions good game bird feed will help me get ten chicks. Then from there I can reproduce more. Maybe I can find a couple of birds that came from his line some where else away from me and I can cross onto these birds. Will just to have to play it by ear on this project. All I am trying to do is save the strain. To many years went into this line by him to let it go down the toilet. That is what I think a Preservationist in Poultry is. Saving and Preserving some one Else's work that they did for say 30 to 50 years. Not crossing all kind of strains up and trying to reinvent the wheel.

Example: I got a message from a person who crossed some Rhode Island Reds from Mr. X and some from Mr. W. He also crossed some from a Mr W. and a Mr. X after two years he is aborting his total program. He said he is getting some birds that have been in the hands of some guy for 25 years he tells me. He thinks he will do well with this strain. We will see. I dont know anyone who has had Reds that long that has birds that would want me to have them. Like these Javas they are not at the level that Dr. McGraw had them. His son has flock mated them and they have gone backwards. However if you go gene hunting in five to ten years you can reproduce this flock to its original state of a good Standard Quality Bird.

Now to get back to my friend with his Reds. He would have been better off getting a strain form either Mr. X or Mr. W and hammer away with these birds as these fellows have been closed line breeding their Reds for over 20 years. Very much like Walt's White Leghorn strain he has breed all the kinks and bad traits out. Why not take advantage of their hard work. I told this to one frined and he said bot of Mr. X and Mr. W Rhode Island Reds are to small. I did not say anything but COMPAIRED to WHAT? Mr. R strain that are four pounds overweight? People are so funny. They say they are breeders and they follow a Standard of Perfection but if a Rhode Island Red Ckl weights 8 1/2 pounds at ten months why is he considered small HECK if he weights 7 1/2 pounds which the standard calls for hes dead on for the weight but they say THEY ARE TO SMALL. What are you going to do. However, its what I call here today gone tomorrow chicken breeders. Not many stick with them.

I use to think this was the way to go by a male from Mr. W and and two females from Mr. M and hammer away but you stirr up a hornets nest in defects even if they are the top two strains in the USA. I dont know of one breeder who has successfully crossed different strains in every five or eight years for new blood and is considered one of the top five breeders of their breed in the USA.

Well If you find some McGraw Mottled Javas please tell me. If you want some of these birds for breeders a year from now and want to preserve this old line let me know. I am not making any money on this venture just trying to carry on a tradition of Preservation of Standard Breed Fowl. Notice I did not use HERITAGE.. I really dont like that word but I have had to use it to get my points across sometimes. Shame on me. Steve Mr. Silkie wonders if you are still alive in Georgia?

not directly answering the question i posed, but indirectly it's an answer. thank you, sir.

 

[Chloe77]

Hi Chloe77

He couldn't fully fit in the pen, his legs being longer would have been a bonus looked good though.
We don't have many LF whites mainly bantams which are often longer in the leg.
Look on the Plymouth Rock thread a few more pictures there.

Britrock

Ok thanks. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I hope you aren't offended... But you see, my Rock Rooster has short legs, and I've heard it's a bad thing, so I was sensitive to it. But you're right, it was because he was cramped in the cage.

 

[NYREDS]

Let me redirect a few stones away from you by saying if you are serious about meat then ducks and rabbits, not chickens, are the way to go, and heritage rabbits and ducks eat less and grow fast; as well they are hardy.

Mr Walt, are there any kinds of shows for chickens or fowl that are not about judging to a standard? I am thinking of that weird 'ugliest dog' contest or agility and obedience contests that any person's dog may enter. I wonder if that isn't part of the reason people take their sweet Henny Penny to the shows and then get personally offended, as if you were insulting their daughters or son. Maybe if there were some other show for them to take snookums to they would be less inclined to violence. For your sake, I hope so.

Fairs sometimes have production classes for the egg laying or meat producing Hybrids. I've even judged some that did costume classes & have heard of "people's choice" awards where visitors vote on the bird that appeals to them the most regardless of breed standard.
Open, sanctioned shows really aren't for those purposes, they're for the contionuation of breed standard exhibition. I doubt you'll see the APA or ABA adding Henny Penny classes to their show rules. At least I hope they don't.

 

[Robert Blosl]

interesting word choice: preserve. i haven't finished the updates for the day, but i'm curious robert - - - how do you feel about using "outcrosses"? is that preserving as defined by you? or is it the antithesis?

If you are a back yarder and do not plan to show your birds or do not wish to breed them to the standard of perfection to try to improve your breed nothing wrong with that.

In my goals it works the opposite so I dont do it.

Now I have to take that back a little bit. I got a Rhode Island Red ckl from new york reds last year and his son which is not three fourth my strain is really looking great today. I hoped up the 4x4 foot conditioning coop and said Holly Crap where did you come from. Just like out of no wear he has a finish on him like his sire and he is brick shaped like he should be and his tail green and fully furnished like a little red is suppose to look.

Going to take some pictures of him to send Bill. So yes I have crossed to my old line of 30 years but it was half mine when I got the male.

Normally you are just asking for genetic nightmares in color. Sometimes split tails no tail or the type will be out of wack.

Hope that answers your question. For most people on this web site not a big deal so do it if you want to.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Those Java's are beautiful. Wow.

 

[BRITROCK]

Hi Chloe77

Non taken, I prefer longer legs, it's a trait I am putting into my strain. I have a plan to breed to the SOP in my fourth year now I think another four years I might be half way there!

Reading Roberts last post I am thinking the same, leave the Heritage breeding to the guys who want to preserve there purity. I have been contacted by a BYC member regarding sending eggs over to the USA if this was possible I suggested they out-crossed a line then bred back to the strain and not concerning themselves with worrying about purity for purity sake. If you just want good looking bird's breed good looking birds and forget the rest. I would love to get one of your Barred cockerels and start again with a new strain but it would only be vanity project as our SOP's are poles apart.

 

[weavers rocks]

What line is your white rocks Britrock