Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Rock N' Faverolles]

I agree with you Dan. Even the people who own the standard ignore a lot of what's in it. They just tend to look at breed descriptions of type and color and forget about the rest. To me some of the most important parts are the 'economic qualities' and in the front of the book before the defects and disqualifications. There you find what type has to do with shape, as well as the importance of size and weight and condition and very important as well, feather quality. True breeders in my opinion focus on all these things, not just shape and color. I say shape because most breeders, when they refer to type are only really talking about the outline of the bird. True type has to do with what is under those feathers.

David

 

[Rock N' Faverolles]

Quote:
By limiting the breeds to dual purpose you also leave out a lot of the Mediterranean breeds such as the Spanish and Andalusian, which I raise. They lay large amounts of eggs and they can be used for meat. At least for my family they are. In the beginning, almost all breeds, (I'm not sure about games) were dual purpose, even the so called 'egg breeds'. The farmers kept their flocks and what didn't produce, they ate or sold at the market. They have been around for a long time. Way before such breeds as the buckeye and delaware were even a twinkle in the rooster's eye.

David

 

[Chickielady]

Waite a minute, elimenate Meditereneans ???
The Leghorns was a founding bird here and is VERY dual purpose !

 

[hcammack]

Look at the last page of the Faverolles thread you can see Peter Merlins birds from this years hatch. Now tell me those don't look like good meat birds if you look at the depth and width on those pullets and cockerel you will know what I am talking about. Now those are some Heritage Faverolles! and some beautiful and well bred birds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5355723#p5355723

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
Already beat you to it! I saw those and hollered for my wife to come look. She loves Faverolles and I told her, "See, that's what your's are SUPPOSED to look like. She looked at the pictures then told me her Faverolles are for sale as of now, and she wants birds like that! Here we go again...

 

[Tbird84]

Oh, I wish they were my birds! I'll get there one day. The few I do have are too young and not were I'd like them to be. They don't have any yet either. Butch Gunderson has some good ones. To my knowledge, he doesn't do hatching eggs. Just chicks. Lund Poultry has them in bantam. They do eggs as well. Both are also good sources.
Quote:

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
Already beat you to it! I saw those and hollered for my wife to come look. She loves Faverolles and I told her, "See, that's what your's are SUPPOSED to look like. She looked at the pictures then told me her Faverolles are for sale as of now, and she wants birds like that! Here we go again...

Dick Boulanger, Ron Patterson, and Cindy Rolfe are the only ones with related birds. They are very good birds but Peter's are the best in the country and as of now his flock is closed. But Dicks, Ron's, and Cindy's will be great too.

Henry

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Peter always does an outstanding job with his birds.

Walt

 

[danhonour]

I know that the Mediterranean breeds are known as the egg layers,but all chickens can be eaten. I have plenty of Leghorn cockerels and many end up on the table or soups.Young birds are tender and can be breasted out and drumsticks removed rather quick instead of picking feathers and dressing them out.You can bet the farm wifes from decades past used every spare bird and knew how to make some of the best chicken dishes.I am always surprized how good a young Minorca cockerel tastes and some of those big long Minorca cock birds are huge and difficult to handle,an active 10 pounds.The huge Minorca white eggs are most impressive.

 

[CharlieVoda]

I agree with Bob's previous post . Heritage is a term being used to excite people to take notice and pay attention to what is important in breeding Standard Bred Poultry. We can easily go back and learn how things were in the past. We have the opportunity right now to maintain the standard breeds of poultry that are still available to us in 2011. In doing this we can pass these on to our children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren.

Walt and Saladin are correct in there opinions on the whole Heritage breed label. This whole heritage thing is about saving standard bred poultry. The breed really doesn't matter. It is how you raise and recreate the birds. The more I read here about Heritage the more inclined I become to thinking that, perhaps all birds should be included in the term Heritage. I think Punky said perhaps Heritage should really be Standard bred poultry. Maybe this is true.

True breeders of standard bred poultry do this out of love for a breed and in most cases are never going to make any real money on their poultry. Today I blew snow for 4 1/2 hours to clear my pens so the birds could get out and free range a bit. We have had 50 + inches of snow so far this winter with average temps in the 20's so it is not melting and going away. Life would be a lot easier for me if I just quite raising my Brahma and Wyandotte large fowl. There is a saying In tropical MinneSnowta " it's colder than a well diggers a__". When it is 0 degrees in my coop and I sit and watch my birds for a half hour with a windchill in the minus forty below range outside and I had to walk 200' with a 5 gal. bucket of water to get there and I am colder than a well digger when I wonder 200' back to the house I know I am a breeder of poultry not a collector. I also know that I have been a true poultry man for the last 16 years. It is comforting to know I love poultry, my children love poultry and my grandchildren love poultry too.

If a hatchery has true standard bred poultry I would not hesitate to buy from them. The problem is most do not. Key word being most. I am interested in standard bred poultry. I do not show but attend a few shows each year and have a good idea what a good bird will look like in a breed I am interested in. I get to talk to other breeders and judges and always learn something.

I also agree with Walt when it come to not trying to raise to many different breeds at one time. Most people do not have the space, time or resources to do this right. I tried this in my early poultry days and it just didn't work. I had lots of birds and very few really great birds. I have 2 varieties of Brahma and one variety of Wyandotte in large fowl and when I get 2 to 3 hundred pullets and cockerels running around it is a lot. I have about 40 birds over winter and that is plenty for me. At the age of 59 maybe this has all come about with age.

There are many true breeders of standard bred poultry today that are nearing legend status or should be. Most of these folks are in their 70's to 90's and their flocks are in danger of being lost or disappearing due to the breeders age. Things become more difficult with age like carrying buckets of water or blowing snow. Bob Coulter is a perfect example he is 74 had the Clevenger line of Buff Orpingtons for 40+ years never added any new blood and sold his birds to 3 different breeders. They will hopefully keep the line going and closed. Another example is Don Roscoe he had some of the best Toulouse Geese in the country and at age 72 has to cut down on the amount of breeds he is raising so he sold his entire line to a great breeder who once again will hopefully keep the line closed and going. Both of these gentleman have been mentors to me. I see this happening all around the country and the list could go on and on. It is like the changing of the guard with fewer guards to take over for those getting off duty.

I believe the Heritage term will evolve in the future to be a very good thing for poultry in general. I think the APA ABA and other organizations will come together and set a great definition as well as better statistics for what breeds are in danger.

Lets keep this thread going and remember that the past, present and future of true standard bred poultry is in our hands.

No matter what breed you raise if you are trying to do it right and breed them closer to the Standard of Perfection then you need to be commended and put into the ranks of a breeder. Be happy and proud of your chosen breed. Heritage is a state of mind meant to preserve the genes.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good luck with the birds.
Charlie