Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Yellow House Farm]

I agree with your statements for the most part. Space for each flock to spread out without running over another flock's toes is essential to freeranging several flocks together.
We have 248 acres and the chickens range by choice on about an acre around the house, barn, garden and the flock pens. I have over 100 birds in the combined flocks. Maintaining peace means knowing which roosters can be gentlemen outside their pens. The hens usually get along nicely. I enjoy spending time out with the birds and they follow me in the garden waiting for me uncover grubs etc.
This photo has the layer flock with some of the breeders out and about between the barn and garden.

Yes the two older hens in the lower right are a little feather bare in the picture...they have since grown those fethers back in.

If that's working for you, that's awesome.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Thank you.
I've been planting trees trying to get more shade during the day time hours in the pens and barn area for both the chickens and the cattle. We have a few trees around the house and fruit trees in the garden, but had to stretch shade cloths over the pens last year in the drought.

We, too, have been tree planting, but that can take a while. In the interim, we've found that stands of giant sunflowers are great, beautiful, and the birds love them. Besides, the heads can then be harvested for treats and reseed.

Oh BOTH! my place runs about 45 degrees, full of rocks and not a blade of grass in sight

Well, on the bright side, that kind of property is great for disease control.

 

[gjensen]

From what I could see in the pics you posted, your Catalana's looked good. It's always good to get as many young as you can in the beginning, unless that is not an option. I am guessing that the black from the tail may want to wonder into other parts of the bird, especially the males, but I have never had any, so I don't know.

Walt

Walt, I hope to and probably will set near 100 eggs. This gene pool is so small that I wonder what kind of variability is there for improvement. Overall, I think they have potential. I really like them. Size is a concern of mine. I also feel like I am in a corner.

I may have one last lead concerning someone else with these birds that could be a resource. Otherwise, I have found one person actually working with this breed. He is in California, and started with Ideal stock. Some time back Ideal got their start with this strain (from the same man), but they are not the same anymore. The breeder in California has been working with them for 5 years, so I am interested to see what progress has been made.

I say this in public, because I am still hoping to find that someone else. Lacy Blues gave me a lead that was not a dead end for once.

I was also hoping to find a couple people that would take some eggs, chicks, etc early on. In case something happens to mine. I have one person that I think something of. I am hoping to find at least one more. Someone that will actually put some effort into them. Someone that in a few years, I can get some eggs or chicks from. I would hate to think that I had the last 11 birds, of 11 eggs from Peru in the 80s. There are some people that will take some, but I want more than that.

I think that you are right concerning the black. It is that way with the NHs anyways. The color/pattern basics seam to be similar to the NHs. The Colombian is restricted, but it is there. The pullet in the picture is the least of them concerning color. It is told to me that I want that for good colored males, but that does not fit with my experience or understanding of this color pattern. I want to understand what that might mean. It runs contrary to my understanding of buff, or what I have seen with the NHs. Every time I think I am starting to know something, I learn something else.

Another question is how the color would be perceived by a judge. The Standard pictures are pretty light for a Catalana from Spain. They are not that light colored. I get the impression reading the written section that their tendencies was understood, but that an ideal was being established. I actually think the paintings are not that bad, but if I have to get all of the way there before they are perceived as pretty good . . . . Well, I would have a long ways to go.

I also want to contact Dale McNeill, the sponsor of these paintings. I would like to learn something about the man that the paintings are in memory of.

I apologize for the ramble.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

From what I could see in the pics you posted, your Catalana's looked good. It's always good to get as many young as you can in the beginning, unless that is not an option. I am guessing that the black from the tail may want to wonder into other parts of the bird, especially the males, but I have never had any, so I don't know.

Walt

I agree that way you can choose from the best you have and work with those correct? Especially with a breed with such limited numbers.
I am running into the same issue with my Crele penedesenca ( finally starting to lay) I have 5 hens and a roo.
I had a trio of white Empordanesa but my rooster was killed by a hawk. Took the better part of a year to get the trio and now I am trying to get a new boy. I am hoping some of my eggs cooking will hatch I got in. Or I will need to bring in a new rooster. These guys need serious help.

 

[Brandi Leigh]

Beautiful birds everyone!

 

[fowlman01]

Looks like a old Ford 100 Ranger Style Side.
It would make for a nice "toy".

Chris

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Walt, I hope to and probably will set near 100 eggs. This gene pool is so small that I wonder what kind of variability is there for improvement. Overall, I think they have potential. I really like them. Size is a concern of mine. I also feel like I am in a corner.

I may have one last lead concerning someone else with these birds that could be a resource. Otherwise, I have found one person actually working with this breed. He is in California, and started with Ideal stock. Some time back Ideal got their start with this strain (from the same man), but they are not the same anymore. The breeder in California has been working with them for 5 years, so I am interested to see what progress has been made.

I say this in public, because I am still hoping to find that someone else. Lacy Blues gave me a lead that was not a dead end for once.

I was also hoping to find a couple people that would take some eggs, chicks, etc early on. In case something happens to mine. I have one person that I think something of. I am hoping to find at least one more. Someone that will actually put some effort into them. Someone that in a few years, I can get some eggs or chicks from. I would hate to think that I had the last 11 birds, of 11 eggs from Peru in the 80s. There are some people that will take some, but I want more than that.

I think that you are right concerning the black. It is that way with the NHs anyways. The color/pattern basics seam to be similar to the NHs. The Colombian is restricted, but it is there. The pullet in the picture is the least of them concerning color. It is told to me that I want that for good colored males, but that does not fit with my experience or understanding of this color pattern. I want to understand what that might mean. It runs contrary to my understanding of buff, or what I have seen with the NHs. Every time I think I am starting to know something, I learn something else.

Another question is how the color would be perceived by a judge. The Standard pictures are pretty light for a Catalana from Spain. They are not that light colored. I get the impression reading the written section that their tendencies was understood, but that an ideal was being established. I actually think the paintings are not that bad, but if I have to get all of the way there before they are perceived as pretty good . . . . Well, I would have a long ways to go.

I also want to contact Dale McNeill, the sponsor of these paintings. I would like to learn something about the man that the paintings are in memory of.

I apologize for the ramble.

Not a ramble at all. Judges should know that the color in the SOP varies because of the printing process. The drawings were scanned as a group using a midrange for color correction, so it is not as precise as it could have been. To do it right would have doubled the price of the Standard....maybe more.

The color pattern kind of reminds me of Nankins. They are not the same, but similar. Some people think the Nankins are the base for most buff colored bantams. From what you are saying the Nankins would be lighter in color. I have some experience with Nankins and have noticed that the black wants to migrate to other areas. Keep us up on what you are doing with them.

Walt

 

[Robert Blosl]

In some breeds that are very rare when it comes to color I think of Mike Michael's who is a retired Colombian Plymouth Rock breeder retired because he grew into at latter life a allergy to chicken feathers. Non the less he said in a article he wrote for one of my early Plymouth Rock Club Quarterly a article on how he breeds this pattern. He said you pick the male with the best color he has to have ok or good type but his color has to be as close to standard as you have. The female or two mated to him has to have the best type available plus her color has to be ok or good. He feelings after 18 years of breeding was the male had more influence on color and the female more on type. When I read this I remember my interview with E W Reese after I spent three hours at his farm pumping his brains out on how to breed R I Reds. After sitting in his office in his barn I looked up to the left and the right and saw year books for the Jersey Cow club and then it hit me a last yet the most power full question I ever asked a master breeder. Mr. Reese in your 50 years as a breeder of Registered Jersey Cattle and a Jersey Cow Judge and a breeder of Rhode Island Reds what one thing have you learned from breeding these to spices of livestock. He leaned back in his chair and said that's easy. THE SECRET IS IN THE DAM.

Wow I thought to myself. I have heard this again from others who are hard core breeders of other types of livestock.

So you who have a very very very rare and unpopulated breed of H chickens remember this as you work hard over the next five years to breed them up.

Also, if you have a person such in Calif who has the same strain of your birds remember the distance of 2,000 miles and the five years of separation from who he got them from. That is a big shot in the arm for vigor. So when you cross his birds onto yours you will see a good shot of fresh vigor, hatch-ability, fertility ect. You may see faults pop up that you don't really like but you can work them out over time. Have a family line breeding system and keep correct records and in a few years you will see improvement. This has been done by many breeders over the last 20 years.

In regards to the H word what does H mean. Look at the first post that I made and the title of this thread. The word starts with a H. This word drives some people out of control and they loose the main focus of what this thread is about. We want to take over a rare breed and try to rescue it and breed it up. We want to find Buddy's or new partners to help us. Then in five years there will be maybe five or so who have this rare breed and then this breed of old Standard Breed Large fowl will no longer be near extinction.

This is going to be a exciting year with new people getting away from FEED STORE chickens and become foster parents of these old and rare breeds that need help. All ready we have at least five new breeds to help out. Also, as a little bonus or Lagniappe we are getting tips of hatching rearing and other stuff that will help you be a better person in the art of Poultry Husbandry.

Happy New Year. Save these old breeds for the sake of the next generation of Hobiest who are coming along.

 

[Chris09]

Walt

Walt that's a sleeper if I ever saw one. Love it.

ETA,
I don't know if you have seen it or not but here's the guy (and his dog) that owns/races that truck in the second half of this video,

Chris

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
That's actually ridiculously entertaining!! I LOVE it.