Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[fowlman01]

This is a good time to add that many of the poultry terms used here on BYC are not used by anyone else that raises poultry.

Walt

 

[lildinkem]

This is a good time to add that many of the poultry terms used here on BYC are not used by anyone else that raises poultry.

Walt

Would that include the term "lock down"? lol

 

[bnjrob]

Adding the term Heritage to the name of any breed is starting to annoy me as much as SQ & fuzzy butt. They're Rhode Island Reds, not Heritage Rhode Island Reds. Some are well bred & meet the Standard description & some aren't but they're still Rhode Island Reds. There are some very poor examples of Rhode Island Reds pictured on this site with the term Heritage attached to their name. Used in that context it's a meaningless term.
Heritage, as used by the SPPA & the ALBC is a term meant to identify a class of birds, those belonging to breeds established prior to a point in history & that meet other criteria. It's not a term intended to identify a certain strain or a certain bird. On this site in particular it is so overused & improperly used as to be useless [and IMO it's not a very useful term in any context].

This is a good time to add that many of the poultry terms used here on BYC are not used by anyone else that raises poultry.

Walt

I can understand how y'all must get frustrated - being passionate enough about poultry to become judges and have so many people misuse terms and such. To this day I could still slap the ignorant person that said to me in a very dramatic voice "Wowwwwww. You work in the ICU? You must see a lot of dead people." It's hard to be patient after a while with people being ignorant and sharing misinformation about something that you care about.

All I can say is that I hope y'all remind yourselves that most people on BYC don't know much more about chickens other than they can buy them at the feed store. BYC has some good search engine optimization, so when people type "chickens" into a search engine, BYC usually comes up first - not websites that only have reliable, verifiable information on them.

If it weren't for knowledgeable people like yourselves and others, many of us newer people wouldn't get a chance to learn right from wrong in the poultry world. I researched chickens, heritage chickens in particular, for years before actually getting chickens as an adult - most people won't do that much work. Shoot, I'm still learning every day about chickens. There's a lot to learn, especially if you want to breed standard-bred birds. Most people don't even know there is a difference between the chickens they bought at the feed store and standard-bred chickens, heritage chickens, and all the correct terms used by SOP poultry fanciers.

Recently I had someone contact me wanting to buy heritage chickens. It was obvious that they did not understand the correct usage of the term by what they told me they were looking for in chickens. It was a great opportunity to teach them more, and in the end, they decided they wanted "production" chickens as well as a small flock of true standard-bred heritage chickens. Just have to remember to take a soft approach so as not to alienate people and make them unreceptive to learning the true meanings of these terms.

I think it's hard to get the correct definitions of terms out there to the public, when the terms are used inappropriately as marketing tools to sell something. The term "heritage" is kinda like the term "organic" - everyone uses it to make a buck and most people aren't going to do the research for themselves to understand the actual definition of the term. But that's ok. Not everyone is going to have goals that require proper use of terms or obtaining/breeding standard-bred birds. For most people, the birds and information (or misinformation) they get at the feed store fits just fine into what they want to accomplish with chickens.

I hope y'all can just grit your teeth and let it slide when you get too frustrated to feel like you can educate people that are ignorant of the true meaning of this stuff. Don't get so frustrated that you disappear completely and take your knowledge with you - without people willing to educate, all would be lost.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I can understand how y'all must get frustrated - being passionate enough about poultry to become judges and have so many people misuse terms and such. To this day I could still slap the ignorant person that said to me in a very dramatic voice "Wowwwwww. You work in the ICU? You must see a lot of dead people." It's hard to be patient after a while with people being ignorant and sharing misinformation about something that you care about.

All I can say is that I hope y'all remind yourselves that most people on BYC don't know much more about chickens other than they can buy them at the feed store. BYC has some good search engine optimization, so when people type "chickens" into a search engine, BYC usually comes up first - not websites that only have reliable, verifiable information on them.

If it weren't for knowledgeable people like yourselves and others, many of us newer people wouldn't get a chance to learn right from wrong in the poultry world. I researched chickens, heritage chickens in particular, for years before actually getting chickens as an adult - most people won't do that much work. Shoot, I'm still learning every day about chickens. There's a lot to learn, especially if you want to breed standard-bred birds. Most people don't even know there is a difference between the chickens they bought at the feed store and standard-bred chickens, heritage chickens, and all the correct terms used by SOP poultry fanciers.

Recently I had someone contact me wanting to buy heritage chickens. It was obvious that they did not understand the correct usage of the term by what they told me they were looking for in chickens. It was a great opportunity to teach them more, and in the end, they decided they wanted "production" chickens as well as a small flock of true standard-bred heritage chickens. Just have to remember to take a soft approach so as not to alienate people and make them unreceptive to learning the true meanings of these terms.

I think it's hard to get the correct definitions of terms out there to the public, when the terms are used inappropriately as marketing tools to sell something. The term "heritage" is kinda like the term "organic" - everyone uses it to make a buck and most people aren't going to do the research for themselves to understand the actual definition of the term. But that's ok. Not everyone is going to have goals that require proper use of terms or obtaining/breeding standard-bred birds. For most people, the birds and information (or misinformation) they get at the feed store fits just fine into what they want to accomplish with chickens.

I hope y'all can just grit your teeth and let it slide when you get too frustrated to feel like you can educate people that are ignorant of the true meaning of this stuff. Don't get so frustrated that you disappear completely and take your knowledge with you - without people willing to educate, all would be lost.

And too the people that will make a difference will find the correct use of terms, they too will study and search out and get all the correct info sooner or later the way I see it. So sometimes it may seem as though ya'll are preaching to the choir, the ones that get it, will get it. The others not so much and it won't matter so much either, 1% of 180,000+ is still a fairly good amount of folks that may possibly get it if the 1% figure is a close enough estimate.

Jeff

lead by example

 

[cbnovick]

must admit that I, when talking about my birds with the average 'joe' visitor that comes to our home, i use the term 'ROOSTER' instead of 'COCK' since when i use that word, there's an instant chuckle that occurs every time.

 

[bnjrob]

And too the people that will make a difference will find the correct use of terms, they too will study and search out and get all the correct info sooner or later the way I see it. So sometimes it may seem as though ya'll are preaching to the choir, the ones that get it, will get it. The others not so much and it won't matter so much either, 1% of 180,000+ is still a fairly good amount of folks that may possibly get it if the 1% figure is a close enough estimate.

Jeff

lead by example

Excellent points!

It really is fun to see people who are receptive to learning this stuff - seeing the light bulb turn on when they find out the difference in feed store chickens and standard-bred chickens and they start learning more so they can upgrade their flock. And I don't even know nearly as much as the experienced people that I've learned from. These people that do know a lot should feel proud when someone takes their experience and information and runs with it.

 

[fowlman01]

If folks don't want to use "cock" they can use male.....only one more letter. For some reason "roo" annoys the heck out of me. lol

Yes, Bill...lockdown is a word I had never heard until I joined BYC. At shows I can tell a BYC person just by the terms they use. It is not a big deal to me and rather than correct folks I just respond using the correct terms. I have a lot more things to get worked up about other than poultry term usage, but I will say that it is irritating when I am being lectured/educated by someone who is using the wrong terms and giving me some some poultry "advice". Most of us are here to learn and I don't know anyone in poultry that is still not learning something. I don't believe anyone knows all there is about poultry. There are just too many variables and the way a chicken looks does not always tell you what is actually in the bird.

Part of the appeal of this hobby is that I will never have it mastered..

Walt

 

[Wynette]

This is a good time to add that many of the poultry terms used here on BYC are not used by anyone else that raises poultry.

Walt

I'm sure the conversation has been made before, but it might be a good repeat to bring up the terms that make you and other judges and longtime breeders cringe. My Jersey Giant mentor did that with me CONSTANTLY. I still find myself writing "rooster," "bator," and "BBS" in other threads, and for me, the words I choose depend on which thread I'm in. But, I know those three were words/terms that my Giant mentor absolutely hated. What are some others?

I can understand how y'all must get frustrated - being passionate enough about poultry to become judges and have so many people misuse terms and such. To this day I could still slap the ignorant person that said to me in a very dramatic voice "Wowwwwww. You work in the ICU? You must see a lot of dead people." It's hard to be patient after a while with people being ignorant and sharing misinformation about something that you care about.

All I can say is that I hope y'all remind yourselves that most people on BYC don't know much more about chickens other than they can buy them at the feed store. BYC has some good search engine optimization, so when people type "chickens" into a search engine, BYC usually comes up first - not websites that only have reliable, verifiable information on them.

If it weren't for knowledgeable people like yourselves and others, many of us newer people wouldn't get a chance to learn right from wrong in the poultry world. I researched chickens, heritage chickens in particular, for years before actually getting chickens as an adult - most people won't do that much work. Shoot, I'm still learning every day about chickens. There's a lot to learn, especially if you want to breed standard-bred birds. Most people don't even know there is a difference between the chickens they bought at the feed store and standard-bred chickens, heritage chickens, and all the correct terms used by SOP poultry fanciers.

Recently I had someone contact me wanting to buy heritage chickens. It was obvious that they did not understand the correct usage of the term by what they told me they were looking for in chickens. It was a great opportunity to teach them more, and in the end, they decided they wanted "production" chickens as well as a small flock of true standard-bred heritage chickens. Just have to remember to take a soft approach so as not to alienate people and make them unreceptive to learning the true meanings of these terms.

I think it's hard to get the correct definitions of terms out there to the public, when the terms are used inappropriately as marketing tools to sell something. The term "heritage" is kinda like the term "organic" - everyone uses it to make a buck and most people aren't going to do the research for themselves to understand the actual definition of the term. But that's ok. Not everyone is going to have goals that require proper use of terms or obtaining/breeding standard-bred birds. For most people, the birds and information (or misinformation) they get at the feed store fits just fine into what they want to accomplish with chickens.

I hope y'all can just grit your teeth and let it slide when you get too frustrated to feel like you can educate people that are ignorant of the true meaning of this stuff. Don't get so frustrated that you disappear completely and take your knowledge with you - without people willing to educate, all would be lost.

I have to disagree with the underlined part above (and here I JUST told Walt this morning that I read but rarely post here...sigh...). I think you get in trouble when you make such generalizations, as there is so very much to know about fowl. For example, one person may not know a Cubalaya from a Rock, but they may know exactly how to treat a bird that's gotten caught up in fencing or what have you. Would that person be "ignorant"? Nah, not really. Aren't we all ignorant to some degree, of SOME sort of knowledge regarding fowl? If we're not, we probably should look for another hobby - the "growing" and "challenging yourself" part is, IMO, what moves us forward. Your last paragraph - I wholeheartedly applaud & agree to!

And too the people that will make a difference will find the correct use of terms, they too will study and search out and get all the correct info sooner or later the way I see it. So sometimes it may seem as though ya'll are preaching to the choir, the ones that get it, will get it. The others not so much and it won't matter so much either, 1% of 180,000+ is still a fairly good amount of folks that may possibly get it if the 1% figure is a close enough estimate.

Jeff

lead by example

AGREE - lead by example! Simply stated, and very well said.

Excellent points!

It really is fun to see people who are receptive to learning this stuff - seeing the light bulb turn on when they find out the difference in feed store chickens and standard-bred chickens and they start learning more so they can upgrade their flock. And I don't even know nearly as much as the experienced people that I've learned from. These people that do know a lot should feel proud when someone takes their experience and information and runs with it.

And THIS - YES! Love it! (okay, back to lurking....)

 

[Wynette]

If folks don't want to use "cock" they can use male.....only one more letter. For some reason "roo" annoys the heck out of me. lol

Yes, Bill...lockdown is a word I had never heard until I joined BYC. At shows I can tell a BYC person just by the terms they use. It is not a big deal to me and rather than correct folks I just respond using the correct terms. I have a lot more things to get worked up about other than poultry term usage, but I will say that it is irritating when I am being lectured/educated by someone who is using the wrong terms and giving me some some poultry "advice". Most of us are here to learn and I don't know anyone in poultry that is still not learning something. I don't believe anyone knows all there is about poultry. There are just too many variables and the way a chicken looks does not always tell you what is actually in the bird.

Part of the appeal of this hobby is that I will never have it mastered..

Walt

Walt, you posted as I was typing...I'm a slow typer. Yup, yup! What is the correct term for "lockdown"?

 

[HEChicken]

If folks don't want to use "cock" they can use male.....only one more letter. For some reason "roo" annoys the heck out of me. lol

Hey Walt, as an Aussie, a "roo" to me is still a Kangaroo

That said, please educate me on the correct terminology. I have always used "hen" and "rooster" to differentiate female from male, with "pullet" and "cockerel" indicating they are young birds of those same genders. I think of "Cock" as the British term for "Rooster", (although it clearly was an American term when the Wright Brothers were having their heydey, since "cockpit" derives from "cock" for "male" because the early pilots were all males...but I digress). I figured it went out of style to use the term "cock" here because the word now has other meanings. Are you saying that "rooster" is NOT the correct terminology for an adult male chicken?