Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Yellow House Farm]

As most of you know, I am trying to break into breeding. I am also trying to educate myself on evaluating breeder fowl. Here is a pic of one of my cocks. Please critique him so I can see if my own thoughts/observations are on track or if I am missing some things (I'm sure I am!) This is just an exercise in type as I know his color needs work. BTW That is just a stain on the back of his neck.

How old is he, and how much does he weigh? You refer to him as a "cock", but is he a cock or a cockerel?

First, before I say anything, know that I am a breeder of rare fowl such as this; so I hold no illusions, but neither do I pretend anything. I just call it as I see it. I see too much white in the breast, and maybe not enough evenness in the barring. The tail does not exhibit barring all the way to the end. There is some barring his hackle.

Now, I know I started with "negatives", but what I'm seeing, I believe, is a good little bird. His legs seem to be the right color. He's not standing well so it's hard to judge his type be, but he seems to have nice feather quality. there's good definition between hackle and barring. He definitely looks healthy and vigorous. Is that positive white in his tail?

So, again, rare breed breeding is slightly different. There are faults--you just can't get around it, but that's not the point. If you're going to pursue these, you're probably going to have to hatch in high number at first and then cull hard. However, he looks clean and zippy, and, for a rare breed, a good beginning. We'll talk RC Anconas one day...oiweh!


Fill us in on age and weight. Very cool.

 

[Robert Blosl]

I saw this guy and he is trying real hard to be a Capine. Got to remember his color is not in the same class as Arts Goldens are ,but I bet if you talk to Art he started at this level with his guldens and bred them up and it takes time and many generations of young but that's how breeding is done. Slowly.

In regards to washing fowl for shows. Matt wrote a great article for the Rock Club about fie years ago and when he made his change from Computers to Proctor and Gamble he found some neat stuff. This is a good product.

I agree about the medieval tubs and rinses the last guy gets the nasty water. This is what I am going to do this year. A guy has a car wash and 17 and 30 gallon soap drums for sale for 10 bucks each. I bought two of them and painted them black. Put them on top of my pump house with the big open end up and have a spicket faucet connect to a hose on the bottom hole. You can then use gravity to was off the bird getting the soap off or use it to refill the last two tubs. I think this will work good as you are heating the water with solar sun with the black drum. To go father I have a clean plastic top on it built in a frame of wood all sprayed flat black it s a old mother earth news solar heater for heating water which I used in Louisiana at my fish camp 30 years ago. Water get nice and warm just right for washing chickens.

Has anyone ever used Downey Fabric Finisher in a final rinse to replace the oils or something to the feathers? A lady did this in Maine about 20 years ago with my white rock large fowl and they where white as snow at the shows. Great comments keep kicking the can down the road.

 

[thedragonlady]

I saw this guy and he is trying real hard to be a Capine. Got to remember his color is not in the same class as Arts Goldens are ,but I bet if you talk to Art he started at this level with his guldens and bred them up and it takes time and many generations of young but that's how breeding is done. Slowly.

In regards to washing fowl for shows. Matt wrote a great article for the Rock Club about fie years ago and when he made his change from Computers to Proctor and Gamble he found some neat stuff. This is a good product.

I agree about the medieval tubs and rinses the last guy gets the nasty water. This is what I am going to do this year. A guy has a car wash and 17 and 30 gallon soap drums for sale for 10 bucks each. I bought two of them and painted them black. Put them on top of my pump house with the big open end up and have a spicket faucet connect to a hose on the bottom hole. You can then use gravity to was off the bird getting the soap off or use it to refill the last two tubs. I think this will work good as you are heating the water with solar sun with the black drum. To go father I have a clean plastic top on it built in a frame of wood all sprayed flat black it s a old mother earth news solar heater for heating water which I used in Louisiana at my fish camp 30 years ago. Water get nice and warm just right for washing chickens.

Has anyone ever used Downey Fabric Finisher in a final rinse to replace the oils or something to the feathers? A lady did this in Maine about 20 years ago with my white rock large fowl and they where white as snow at the shows. Great comments keep kicking the can down the road.

I've always used Downey in the second to last rinse. It does bring feathers back to life after you have stripped the oils from them. I wash my Oriental carpets and use it too. Works great. Everything, including chickens, smells nice too.

 

[gjensen]

I would think some of those tall kitchen garbage cans, set in a frame to keep them stable, would work well and not require too much solution to get enough depth. Just a thought......

Like this 10 gallon commercial waste basket that Walmart.com sells (six for $30.) I would build a 2x3 frame to keep them from tipping over.






As most of you know, I am trying to break into breeding. I am also trying to educate myself on evaluating breeder fowl. Here is a pic of one of my cocks. Please critique him so I can see if my own thoughts/observations are on track or if I am missing some things (I'm sure I am!) This is just an exercise in type as I know his color needs work. BTW That is just a stain on the back of his neck.

Thank you for sharing the picture of this bird. I like this breed. For a rare breed like this, I would be pleased with that start. He looks to be right at a year old.

How much does he weigh? He does not look like he is quite there.

If he was stood upright, I would guess type would not be out of the park. Just fine tuning, but you were asking about type.

What kind of hen do you have to go with him?

Again, Thank you for sharing the picture of this bird. Usually we see pictures of pretty good birds where someone else did all of the work.

 

[Wisher1000]

Mr. Blosl,

I'm begging your pardon for interrupting your inquiry for your article. It was rude of me and I'm sorry. My only excuse is exuberance.

This is a nice start for a silver campine. If you go to the CSU thread, where we study examples of birds being bred to the standard, we are getting ready to start on the Campine very soon. Your timing is fantastic. You'll get a great conversation going over there... only wait until they are called for before posting.

Here's a link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-university-large-fowl-sop/1670#post_11732286

Thank you for the link! Someone else, Matt, I think, mentioned this to me but I didn't know what CSU was and it didn't come up on a search. I will check that out.

How old is he, and how much does he weigh? You refer to him as a "cock", but is he a cock or a cockerel?

First, before I say anything, know that I am a breeder of rare fowl such as this; so I hold no illusions, but neither do I pretend anything. I just call it as I see it. I see too much white in the breast, and maybe not enough evenness in the barring. The tail does not exhibit barring all the way to the end. There is some barring his hackle.

Now, I know I started with "negatives", but what I'm seeing, I believe, is a good little bird. His legs seem to be the right color. He's not standing well so it's hard to judge his type be, but he seems to have nice feather quality. there's good definition between hackle and barring. He definitely looks healthy and vigorous. Is that positive white in his tail?

So, again, rare breed breeding is slightly different. There are faults--you just can't get around it, but that's not the point. If you're going to pursue these, you're probably going to have to hatch in high number at first and then cull hard. However, he looks clean and zippy, and, for a rare breed, a good beginning. We'll talk RC Anconas one day...oiweh!


Fill us in on age and weight. Very cool.

I bought this one as half of a pair. The breeder said they were just over a year old. That was last April, so I would estimate the age to be approaching a year and a half. I don't have a weight on him, but he is smaller than I would like. I wouldn't even venture a guess, as I have no experience with that. I will try to get a weight for him soon.

As for your negatives, I am actually very excited that I saw the same faults that you pointed out. I know the barring needs work all over and that will be a chore I tackle in earnest once I get a decent type, consistently. Could you talk a bit about "feather quality?" What determines this? I'm not familiar with the term "positive white" (please explain) but if it means completely white feathers, no. There are some all black feathers, and some that are white on one side of the shaft and black/white on the other. I know that is all wrong, but am willing to work hard on it.

How is rare breed breeding different? Hanging on every word here.........

Thank you for your critique, don't worry about being brutally honest, it is the fastest way for me to learn. I may be a bit more sensitive after I have been working hard on them for a few years, but right now, all input, good and bad, is welcomed. I am as excited to find that you are pointing out the same things that I have noted, as I am about any points on the bird! It tells me I am learning.

Thank you for sharing the picture of this bird. I like this breed. For a rare breed like this, I would be pleased with that start. He looks to be right at a year old.

How much does he weigh? He does not look like he is quite there.

He is the smaller of the two that I have, but BGMatt looked at pics and feels his type is better than the larger one. I see the issues with the other bird, but really like the size on him. These are the things that I am going to have to learn. Which good qualities outweigh some less desirable traits and warrant using a particular bird, in spite of flaws. I have so much to learn.

If he was stood upright, I would guess type would not be out of the park. Just fine tuning, but you were asking about type.

Should I have tried to catch him standing taller? I was trying to catch him with his back parallel to the table. Is that not right? If I "pose" him, what do I want, other than his feet aligned?

I was thinking that he needs more fullness in his breast, but I think this pic makes it look more ample than it really is.

What kind of hen do you have to go with him?

I was less pleased with the hen, but she was taken by a hawk last week. Now that she's gone, I think she was great.

Again, Thank you for sharing the picture of this bird. Usually we see pictures of pretty good birds where someone else did all of the work.

I hope to show you pictures of progressively better birds through the following years!

I will share more pics of this cock and of the other one in the CSU thread. Thank you all for your time and trained eye.

 

[3riverschick]

Here's that discussion, with pics, of the White Magic shampoo used for washing poultry.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400344/heritage-large-fowl-thread/6560#post_9762563
posts post #6567 thru #6570 of 13895
HLF thread , page 657

 

[cbnovick]

How do you gauge how much bluing is enough bluing versus how much is too much...before you turn them blue, I mean.

An alternative to using bluing is Shimmer Lights shampoo. It has a bluing type agent in it...made for humans with blonde or white/gray hair to remove yellowish or brassiness. Works great. I have used it on grey and palomino horses with white manes and tails too. It is better to wet the bird down first, after the feet and vents have been washed of course. Here's a link to the product. It has a little light conditioning agent in it too.

http://www.sallybeauty.com/blonde-shampoo/CLAIRL3,default,pd.html

 

[Pathfinders]

And there's no fear of burning the bird?

Not in our experience. My daughters used it for their 4-H broiler projects for several years in a row, had no trouble at all.

 

[Pathfinders]

And Robert, after your prompting about getting some of the rarer birds from Urch before he retires, I emailed and have reserved a trio of Lakenvelders to pick up at the OH National this fall. They should be fun to work with, given my Dutch ancestry (my maiden name was Wamelink, and I was luck to escape without being given a family name like Wilhelmina or Geertjen! My brothers are Garrit and Berend, I got lucky, my parents named me after my grandfather's aunt, and Gene Tierney from the movie Laura.)

 

[aveca]

Here's that discussion, with pics, of the White Magic shampoo used for washing poultry.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400344/heritage-large-fowl-thread/6560#post_9762563
posts post #6567 thru #6570 of 13895
HLF thread , page 657

Thanks for finding that 3rivers chick! Really want to try the tide with bleach alternative also....

Im moving the pics here so we can see the results..just another option thanks to rodrigus poultry..when you have white horses you find all sorts of things to enhance color....white magic the rose collection..maybe finish it off with a Vickie downey rinse..