Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[al6517]

How have you been ??, How are your projects coming along ??, I thought I would see you at the Nationals in Shawnee.

AL

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Keep in mind that a lot of what you see in shows is regional unless you travel to shows. What you hear at shows is very much like what you hear here on BYC.....take it with a grain of salt unless you know the source. Anyone who breeds a utility/dual purpose fowl to just look good will soon be out of business. With the "heritage" poultry movement and all the newbies associated with it, you will see and hear all kinds of things that are not necessarily correct.

When I judge a chicken, it better have more than just feathers. It needs to have well spaced legs, large capacity for the organs, good fleshing etc.....everything a farmer would want in his flock. I have no way to know how many eggs it lays, but I can tell if a bird is not thrifty. There are Australorps around that have been crossed with Orps and they look it. They are short and fluffy and don't even look like the breed. The Orp in my avatar and all the females Orps I had laid every bit as well as my Plymouth Rocks.....they all laid well for a dual purpose fowl. There are different strains of each breed and each strain will perform differently. Environment and management also plays are big part in production, so it is difficult to know how other birds of a breed perform unless you go out of your area or actually raise the breed yourself.

Alan Feagly here in CA has LF Brahma's that mature in a year and they are huge! I will take some pics of some young birds in two weeks when he shows them at Stockton.

Bottom line is: Don't always believe what you hear, especially if it is regional.

The breeding projects you find on this site are not indicative of what serious breeders are interested in and don't even get me started on Lavender. I am becoming one of the most hated men in poultry because of lavender.........

Walt

Very well said Walt and I for one wholeheartedly agree, there is a definitive line drawn here, and true breeders are not ....... and I hate this term FANCIERS.

AL

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Keep in mind that a lot of what you see in shows is regional unless you travel to shows. What you hear at shows is very much like what you hear here on BYC.....take it with a grain of salt unless you know the source. Anyone who breeds a utility/dual purpose fowl to just look good will soon be out of business. With the "heritage" poultry movement and all the newbies associated with it, you will see and hear all kinds of things that are not necessarily correct.

When I judge a chicken, it better have more than just feathers. It needs to have well spaced legs, large capacity for the organs, good fleshing etc.....everything a farmer would want in his flock. I have no way to know how many eggs it lays, but I can tell if a bird is not thrifty. There are Australorps around that have been crossed with Orps and they look it. They are short and fluffy and don't even look like the breed. The Orp in my avatar and all the females Orps I had laid every bit as well as my Plymouth Rocks.....they all laid well for a dual purpose fowl. There are different strains of each breed and each strain will perform differently. Environment and management also plays are big part in production, so it is difficult to know how other birds of a breed perform unless you go out of your area or actually raise the breed yourself.

Alan Feagly here in CA has LF Brahma's that mature in a year and they are huge! I will take some pics of some young birds in two weeks when he shows them at Stockton.

Bottom line is: Don't always believe what you hear, especially if it is regional.

The breeding projects you find on this site are not indicative of what serious breeders are interested in and don't even get me started on Lavender. I am becoming one of the most hated men in poultry because of lavender.........

Walt

Any recommendations on how to relate production characteristics of an individual so that they can also be used for evaluation at show? For fun this summer, each of my birds will be weighed periodically to see what growth curves look like. I want harvestable size at 16 weeks. Hope is to use that to help select brood stock as much as general appearance that is to be considered latter.

 

[cherylcohen]

I know you guys are probably getting tired of seeing my Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock trio, but I just adore them!!

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:

bantam and LF!

 

[cherylcohen]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63711_080.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63711_002.jpg
bantam and LF!

VERY nice, are the ones pictured bantams?

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63711_080.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63711_002.jpg
bantam and LF!

VERY nice, are the ones pictured bantams?

Yep thats all the sppr i have

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Cheryl,

If that is a solid black feather in the wing of that female in the foreground.....you need to make it go away before the Stockton show.

Walt

 

[cherylcohen]

I don't think it is, maybe a shadow, I'll go check

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Keep in mind that a lot of what you see in shows is regional unless you travel to shows. What you hear at shows is very much like what you hear here on BYC.....take it with a grain of salt unless you know the source. Anyone who breeds a utility/dual purpose fowl to just look good will soon be out of business. With the "heritage" poultry movement and all the newbies associated with it, you will see and hear all kinds of things that are not necessarily correct.

When I judge a chicken, it better have more than just feathers. It needs to have well spaced legs, large capacity for the organs, good fleshing etc.....everything a farmer would want in his flock. I have no way to know how many eggs it lays, but I can tell if a bird is not thrifty. There are Australorps around that have been crossed with Orps and they look it. They are short and fluffy and don't even look like the breed. The Orp in my avatar and all the females Orps I had laid every bit as well as my Plymouth Rocks.....they all laid well for a dual purpose fowl. There are different strains of each breed and each strain will perform differently. Environment and management also plays are big part in production, so it is difficult to know how other birds of a breed perform unless you go out of your area or actually raise the breed yourself.

Alan Feagly here in CA has LF Brahma's that mature in a year and they are huge! I will take some pics of some young birds in two weeks when he shows them at Stockton.

Bottom line is: Don't always believe what you hear, especially if it is regional.

The breeding projects you find on this site are not indicative of what serious breeders are interested in and don't even get me started on Lavender. I am becoming one of the most hated men in poultry because of lavender.........

Walt

Any recommendations on how to relate production characteristics of an individual so that they can also be used for evaluation at show? For fun this summer, each of my birds will be weighed periodically to see what growth curves look like. I want harvestable size at 16 weeks. Hope is to use that to help select brood stock as much as general appearance that is to be considered latter.

I'm not sure what you are asking, but if it is what I think you are asking, I made that part bold in my post. See page 21 and 22 of the APA SOP for info on determining good production characteristics. It is very important to read pages 1-40 of the SOP. That is where all the general references to body form are found. It also shows that the APA is interested in more than a pretty bird. Watch a judge when they are judging. If they are good, you will see them feel every part of the bird.

Walt

Walt