Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[HallFamilyFarm]

Was blessed enough to visit with "Doc" about 2 minutes at Crossroads. He was a busy man!

As was many of us!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Hope our thread can get back on track again. It seems every now and then it gets derailed. Was on the Old and Rare tread a few minutes ago. Saladin started it off. Is that what you get Walt when you rub the Genes bottle he pops out? This fellow should know a lot of folks who have rare breeds from the old days. I got a call today from a friend who is trying to get some chicks from a old old strain of New Hampshire's not the German kind but from a line of about 40 years old. One thing for sure if he get them we will know in a year what shape they are in.

It seems the Rhode Island Red large fowl are doing well for this year. Should have some good stock for next year to help others with. The Plymouth Rocks are still doing well. Dont know how all the other rare stuff is doing this year.

I got the old White Rock large fowl that Oliver Bow an use to have in hands of five people this year. I dont think I will keep these birds next year my space is limited and do not have time to fool with them. If any one wants the two males ans six females this fall let me know. We can get them to you some how. This line is 50 years old. Could be the oldest pure line of White Plymouth Rocks alive today. I say this as even the Halbach have crossed their line in the last 20 year with other strains. This line is the old Harold Halbach line of 50 years ago. Big bones and big keel bones to have gravy bowl breasts. This is a lost trait as most I see are shallow or flat chested what a shame.

Hope to here more from you and how your eggs or chicks are doing that you got from others. bob

 

[fowlman01]

Hope our thread can get back on track again. It seems every now and then it gets derailed. Was on the Old and Rare tread a few minutes ago. Saladin started it off. Is that what you get Walt when you rub the Genes bottle he pops out? This fellow should know a lot of folks who have rare breeds from the old days. I got a call today from a friend who is trying to get some chicks from a old old strain of New Hampshire's not the German kind but from a line of about 40 years old. One thing for sure if he get them we will know in a year what shape they are in.

It seems the Rhode Island Red large fowl are doing well for this year. Should have some good stock for next year to help others with. The Plymouth Rocks are still doing well. Dont know how all the other rare stuff is doing this year.

I got the old White Rock large fowl that Oliver Bow an use to have in hands of five people this year. I dont think I will keep these birds next year my space is limited and do not have time to fool with them. If any one wants the two males ans six females this fall let me know. We can get them to you some how. This line is 50 years old. Could be the oldest pure line of White Plymouth Rocks alive today. I say this as even the Halbach have crossed their line in the last 20 year with other strains. This line is the old Harold Halbach line of 50 years ago. Big bones and big keel bones to have gravy bowl breasts. This is a lost trait as most I see are shallow or flat chested what a shame.

Hope to here more from you and how your eggs or chicks are doing that you got from others. bob

Welcome back Bob! I could have used you a couple pages back.....hahaha. Oliver put some Shelby Harrington and some more Halbach into his Rocks around the early 80's I think. all the good stuff can be traced back to the old Halbach line...IMO.

Walt

 

[Robert Blosl]

Got a call from a friend who is interested in getting this old line from me Wants to drive down and pick them up. Olive said most of them goes back to the Halbach line funny think happen last year a fellow lost my male and had to cross a Jeff Halbach line male and lord and behold he hatched his chicks and the males lost their front lines. Even when you breed them back to Their old line the gene pool can deviate from what you use to see over time. Hopefully, he can get a male from some of the folks in Indiana and Minnesota that got
chicks from me. Walt I have been fishing a lot chickens and News Letters and Breed Clubs are not in my interest right now. Four years as a National Sectary can ware on you. Well got to clean fish. bob

here is a great web site and people who help rare and old breeds.

http://www.sppa.webs.com/

 

[kathyinmo]

I am offering free hatching eggs, for pick up only. Barred Rocks and New Hampshires are penned for pure stock. I also have a few other breeds.

 

[thedragonlady]

I am offering free hatching eggs, for pick up only. Barred Rocks and New Hampshires are penned for pure stock. I also have a few other breeds.

Judging from your photos, you had better head for the tallest tree to escape the stampede. What a great way for people to get started with "the good stuff".

 

[fowlman01]

Judging from your photos, you had better head for the tallest tree to escape the stampede. What a great way for people to get started with "the good stuff".

I'm going to her place at the end of June.I want to see these birds in person.

Walt

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have received a few emails asking me for Heritage White Rocks and Rhode Island Reds in eggs or started chicks. Folks breeding season is over for most of us who breed Heritage Large Fowl by the Standard of Perfection. We do not have a pen of ten hens and two roosters in a pen sitting around the year around to supply eggs or chicks like some folks might. So the next option is telling me where you live I might have someone who is a good breeder who will have grown young birds that you could buy and pick up at their home or at a Poultry Show this fall or winter. So when you write me tell me what State you live in. I know all the good breeders in the USA or if I don’t know can locate some of them and they may have supplied some new folks with their birds. Don’t do this get a White Rock from Mr. Jones and another White Rock from Mr. Smith and then think you will have something worth while like each of these strains have produced over say ten years. When you cross strains you loose all the good things each breeder has worked so hard to improve such as egg production or body type.

It sounds good in theory but I can tell you are better off sticking with one good line of birds than get a bunch of left overs unless you are a chicken collector and don’t care. Let’s say you and I buy a 100 acre dairy farm in South West Washington and we need to get us some black and white Holstein cows to start our heard. We just don’t go out and buy cows from Tom Dick and Harry. Then a bull from Mr. Jones. Yes we will breed this $10,000 bull to our cows but odds are our average milk production will go down the toilet compared if we stayed with the top milking strain of cows from one good breeder. We could buy say 20 cows from a guy who has the same strain as the one we want so when we cross our cows the gene pool will not go down hill. In dairy farming the name of the game is to get the most MILK out of your cows per day, per year per acre of land to make a profit. If you don’t use your head you will loose money and may have to go see a Bankruptcy Lawyer and loose everything you made in our investment.

The same goes with Standard Breed Heritage Large Fowl. If you don’t make the correct decisions you will not go broke but odds are you will give up the strain or breed from something else. I have been at this for now 25 years. The old timers called these folks Here Today Gone Tomorrow Breeders. Out of 100 who took up large fowl Reds only one ONE stuck with them over ten years. Out of about 300 people one will be called a Master BREEDER in twenty years.

There are secrets to this and most of them are on my web site but you must be careful even if you are just a back yarder or Hobby Farmer type fancier. So that is my lesson of the day you all want to have these pretty rare chickens, but for once in your life get a good start and take your time to learn how to just raise chickens and then breed them intelligently. Kathy I know you have a plan and it will work. So many others who I have contacted do also.

For me I am going to get in my Kayak this afternoon and go fishing. The water is dripping into the water containers for my young birds . The feeders are full of Game Bird Pellets with Marigold Extract and they are going to take care of them selves. The strong will survive and the weak will die. Have a great weekend. Bob

 

[dinahmoe]

wait,i like fishing.

thanks for all your help this breeding season Bob.
now the fun part,watching them grow.

 

[FOGELLY]

Bob,
Hello from central Arkansas! Fishing has been good here too. Took my seven year old couple weekends ago and filled the ice chest.

I hatched around 100 LF Reds from January thru April. Kept 50 here and sent the rest out to three different friends.
I plan on keeping around 10 total from this year. So I will have some young birds to share this fall.
Anyone interested let me know.

Ron