Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Cydney83]

Hi everyone..I can remember reading someone in the Ohio state had Buckeyes...I think that was it...or if someone knows of some near NY....Thanks

 

[WallTenters]

If I wasn't so worried about loosing my you-know-what over buying lots of hatching eggs, I'd love to buy eggs from folks all over of some of these heritage breeds, hatch them out, take them to the shows in a sales pen, and let people buy those and have some nice quality birds of the various heritage breeds (esp the Americans class - I'm in love)...

Would just like to see the huge rocks and the clearly laced wyandottes and the regal Dominique in every county fair and coop tour in the US - and I mean the real deal of these breeds, not hatchery barred rocks and rhode island reds.

Hmmm... I may just figure something out this summer for ordering a bunch of eggs from a few sources to brood then take to the fall shows... Just have to convince DH to front me the money and I'll pay him back I swear...

 

[redman34]

Not too many years ago the PNW had some very good American breeders especially in LF RI Red poultry. Times have changed though unfortunately.

 

[WallTenters]

It is just sad. I'm hoping to go to the Canadian Nationals this year, let's see how the weather and timing is, and it will break my heart if there is as poor a turnout in my favorite class as I saw this weekend. I appreciate those folks working on these breeds and the huge investment of time and money they put into them.

Hrmmm. I do want to start hatching out eggs (even if they're just extras!) from the real flocks and making those chicks available to folks up here. Everyone is so nervous about shipping eggs, it's hard because here in the PNW we're away from the midwest and the south, the epicenters of poultry breeding. So by the time eggs make it, we know it's going to be very low hatching rates, and even the chicks have a hard time. But I have the incubator space and even if the hatch rates are low, those healthy chicks that do hatch will carry genetics from some of the great flocks and I think the best breeds available in the US...

Here are the two pullets I took. Neither of them showed well. The older pullet was a last minute replacement for a pullet that looked wonderful, but was not laying, so she is dinner. I took some of their photos at the show and then others when they were wandering around my living room afterwards.

#78, Reserve

#76, Best of Breed... this is a pullet we hatched. She is molting and was shaking and itching a lot so bad pictures

She was also very submissive at the show, and kept her tail down the whole time. She was a little better at my house but still not as nice as she is in person when she's proud looking and her breast and tail are nice and up.

Then here are a few photos of the other birds in the American class... I have photos of some of the other breeds as well, but won't post them here as I could go on all day. Sorry for all the bad photos, I'm not a photographer

, obviously!

BV Partridge Chantecler

BB Buff Chantecler

Partridge Chantecler pullet or hen?

Another Partridge Chantecler, cock

Buckeye cockerel or cock

Mottled Java pullet or hen

Bad picture of a Jersey Giant cock

White Rock cock

White Rock hen - took Champion American...

White rock hen

Some of the wyandottes...

Here is the wyandotte hen that won Reserve American...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Yeah I thought there were much better quality birds at Monroe this year....but thankfully, not as many sick ones at Stevenson. That's part of why I didn't bring any to show this time around....I am just now putting my birds from Monroe back into their coops.

I will have LF RIR RC's next year that I plan on showing.

I did see a quad in the sale area (marked as NFS) but they didn't look to be very good quality.

 

[Robert Blosl]

You have a very good and old strain of Barred Rocks. This male I saw at the Pensacola Fair about a year or two ago. The are a strain from Arizona brought to Pensacola by the judge Mr. Gene Hilton who I have known for 20 years. He picked this male and two female up from Marvin Ztuckler who has been breeding these birds for 30 years. They came from a old time breeder Glen Holgeson of Arizona. They could have come from Ralph Surgeon from Ohio many years ago but we do not know. None the less if you have the females mate the male to the females and then mate the best daughters back to him next year and the best male back to the females. Don't cross this line with hatchery stock. This is one of two old strains in the country. Glad you got them. Bob Blosl Sec Rock Club

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Keep in mind that this is about the worst time of the year to show chickens. That would explain some of the lack of birds. I was there and didn't show anything because out of 400 birds I didn't have anything in condition.....at least the condition I want when I show.

Walt

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Good morning!

I am brand-new to BYC, but not all that new to chickens. I was reared on a farm, and my parents and grandparents always had miscellaneous chickens foraging, laying eggs and providing the occasional chicken dinners. As a child and teenager, our entire family received hours of entertainment poring over the McMurray catalog to choose our special breeds of chickens, then identifying the different breeds of chicks in our orders.

When surfing the net to select chickens for my own farm, I came across the pictures of "hatchery" vs. "breeder" quality chickens and became an instant convert.

I don't know which heritage breed I will eventually choose, but as they must free-range, no white, crested or feather-legged chicks need apply. After my single-combed hatchery hens (BR, BO and production Reds,) suffered frostbitten combs this winter,

I am leaning towards pea or rose combs, particularly Wyandottes. This year we are trying hatchery Silver Laced Wyandottes, Easter Eggers, Silver Spangled Hamburgs and Silver Pencilled Wyandottes. When I settle on a single breed/variety, I want to use the method published by ALBC to improve my flock. I have thoroughly enjoyed the education I received reading all the Heritage Large Fowl posts, and will follow this thread avidly. Thank you all for your posts.

 

[adubsroit]

Quote:
Those birds are actually belong to my boyfriend and I. The two boys are still both cockerels, the girl still a pullet, but if I am not mistaken this will change in a month as they'll all be a year old by late May. The Buckeye was not anywhere near the condition I wanted him, he is a master at just messing up his tail. We tried force molts, but nada so we resorted to plucking his tail feathers (the most damaged). Yes, Buffs should not place above the Partridge Chanteclers as they are not recognized, but a non-recognized variety (as I have been told by master breeders and judges alike) is not impossible and has happened in the past. My BF and I were worried the entire time, especially because the guy showing the Partridges is a breeder who's lines we look up to, and he could have contested the placing but the placings stand as is even today. We were told by a judge and over heard some other judges (who weren't judging the show) that the Partridges color, as per standard, were incorrect. I didn't even catch that, seriously, our winning was huge for us and it wasn't the sort you're happy about because you're so scared of pis**ng-off such a reputable breeder. Our Buffs do need work (backs are to short, the males tail carriage is way to high, their general depth/girth/size is lacking and the color need to be more even) but it was exciting none the less.

I am very happy with how the birds came out condition wise. In reference to earlier comments about peoples birds out of condition and Fowlman01's comment about the time of year (which is VERY true), in my case at least, Eastern Oregon's weather has been ROUGH. This was the first time I ever tried to condition my birds (this is the second show we've done) but the weather was not on our side. It's supposed to be spring, but we had snow on the ground, and then the shift from dry and cold to wet and cold just did it for the birds. Our young Beltsville White tom ate half his feed throughout the duration of the show.


Here are some other pics of the Buff:

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Those birds are actually belong to my boyfriend and I. The two boys are still both cockerels, the girl still a pullet, but if I am not mistaken this will change in a month as they'll all be a year old by late May. The Buckeye was not anywhere near the condition I wanted him, he is a master at just messing up his tail. We tried force molts, but nada so we resorted to plucking his tail feathers (the most damaged). Yes, Buffs should not place above the Partridge Chanteclers as they are not recognized, but a non-recognized variety (as I have been told by master breeders and judges alike) is not impossible and has happened in the past. My BF and I were worried the entire time, especially because the guy showing the Partridges is a breeder who's lines we look up to, and he could have contested the placing but the placings stand as is even today. We were told by a judge and over heard some other judges (who weren't judging the show) that the Partridges color, as per standard, were incorrect. I didn't even catch that, seriously, our winning was huge for us and it wasn't the sort you're happy about because you're so scared of pis**ng-off such a reputable breeder. Our Buffs do need work (backs are to short, the males tail carriage is way to high, their general depth/girth/size is lacking and the color need to be more even) but it was exciting none the less.

I am very happy with how the birds came out condition wise. In reference to earlier comments about peoples birds out of condition and Fowlman01's comment about the time of year (which is VERY true), in my case at least, Eastern Oregon's weather has been ROUGH. This was the first time I ever tried to condition my birds (this is the second show we've done) but the weather was not on our side. It's supposed to be spring, but we had snow on the ground, and then the shift from dry and cold to wet and cold just did it for the birds. Our young Beltsville White tom ate half his feed throughout the duration of the show.



Here are some other pics of the Buff:
http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/...07523226451_1191050276_31858469_2716211_n.jpg
http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/...07522626436_1191050276_31858467_1204654_n.jpg

Not saying that the buff is not a nice bird, but the judge was wrong placing it best of breed. It can be best of variety, but has to be a white or partridge (which are recognized) to place as BB. If it has happened in the past, then those were mistakes by judges as well. Again, it has nothing to do with the quality of your bird, it is a mistake by a judge. Judges are not to place unrecognized birds any higher than BV.

Walt