Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[ashandvine]

What breeds would you like to have for your climate?

If there is any breed of interest tell us and we have contacts in this region and also, New York Reds is a judge who travels this region and knows most of the good breeders that would have stock that you would like to own.

Keep posting you come from a great chicken state and they still have fairs and poultry shows in your region. bob

Sir, thank you for the clarification and leeway. I have used terms and phrases I was raised with a lot of times and only a few people know what I am saying. My gram used to say we were spleeny or whiny calves and a lot of people just screw up their faces and laugh. I still say, 'its like pulling chicken's teeth,' to which people think I made up a joke. The Windsor Poultry Show just passed this weekend. Sorry to say I missed it on account of familial issues. I'll admit I have 45 birds here to deal with before I can move forward. I bought a lot of birds from a woman forced by her town to downsize. I have at least one of a lot of 'rare' breeds. A few are going to have to be pets for my kids. Half or more are fuzzies. I think they'll have to be sold or eaten. Houdans and Cream Legbars mostly. I bought some Ameraucanas from big name breeders she had because I remember the one chicken that made me love chickens and she was an Am. I'll keep the 'weirdos' for egg interest and hope that someone might see them and ask about them. I chose the ducks I did to meet a few personal standards, which I share now thinking that if you know them you can make recommendations to me: I want a rare bird that has historical roots which is considered dual purpose and is friendly. I initially chose Brahmas and have three commercial Lights almost feathered out. The ducks are on the ALBC list, dual purpose, stand up to the cold weather, tolerate caging but are aggressive free rangers, prolific and lay lots of eggs. In the end, no matter how high my ideals are I have to live with the animals, them with us, here in Maine, and we don't have bags of money to spend keeping them. They have to earn their keep a bit. All this might mean I don't make the cut as a heritage breeder, and, if so, I'll cheer you all on from the side. If I can't go to the ALBC to learn which breeds are rare and heritage then where do I look?
Other breeds I have here are:
Lakenvelder
Orloff
Breda
Polish
Houdans
Welsummers
Brahmas
Mille fleur D'Anvers-- just the one hen for my daughter. She came as part of a group.
And my broody is setting Marans.

 

[Chris09]

ashandvine

Use the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities.

Chris

 

[Robert Blosl]

I dont know really what to tell you as I dont use lists to make up my mind what breed I want. I want a breed that will be useful as in a dual purpose kind of bird. I think you have many good chickens and you need to be patient and do your home work be for you go out get a breed. One problem I see many people get they get a breed but the strain the purchase is not worth a hoot.How is a beginner to know this in the first place. For me I was found of Rhod e Island Reds and today if I liked in the north I would be getting some of Charlie Vodas Rose Comb Red Large fowl. They lay good, the have good flesh on their bones and they love cold weather and will lay during cold weather. There should be a few good strains of large fowl in Maine and the surrounding states to choose from and look at. Once you make up your mind you will be set. Some folks like chickens because of the shell color of the egg. To me I want a all American type bird like a Red, Rock , Brahma or Wyadottt. Some times you got to try different breeds be for you find what works best on your farm. If you do not want to breed them to a standard or show them it wont make much difference which breed you get. Look forward to your plans . bob

 

[kathyinmo]

Bill (NYREDS) sent me an old Ken Bowles booklet.
Thank you sooooo much, Bill ! It's a treasure!
I scanned it and you can see all 12 pages HERE.

 

[ashandvine]

I dont know really what to tell you as I dont use lists to make up my mind what breed I want. I want a breed that will be useful as in a dual purpose kind of bird. I think you have many good chickens and you need to be patient and do your home work be for you go out get a breed. One problem I see many people get they get a breed but the strain the purchase is not worth a hoot.How is a beginner to know this in the first place. For me I was found of Rhod e Island Reds and today if I liked in the north I would be getting some of Charlie Vodas Rose Comb Red Large fowl. They lay good, the have good flesh on their bones and they love cold weather and will lay during cold weather. There should be a few good strains of large fowl in Maine and the surrounding states to choose from and look at. Once you make up your mind you will be set. Some folks like chickens because of the shell color of the egg. To me I want a all American type bird like a Red, Rock , Brahma or Wyadottt. Some times you got to try different breeds be for you find what works best on your farm. If you do not want to breed them to a standard or show them it wont make much difference which breed you get. Look forward to your plans . bob

This is a relief to hear in a lot of ways. Thank you for being so lenient and encouraging.I felt that I should experiment a bit this first year, although, I was then able to get some name-brand birds which is nice. I haven't dared admit to wanting to experiment till now because so many people in here are so serious about their birds-- which is good, but it feels a bit intimidating. I really thought I wanted to have Brahmas here. I might still after I read through the SPPA site recommended above. I would be willing to have one breed for breeding to standard and a mix for eggs/pets so I don't have to get rid of all the unique ones I have now. My Ameraucanas are all from Ramey, Cree, Smith or Shaffer. I think I got lucky with that. The rest are the fun birds, and interesting to experiment with, as you say. The kids and my community are already starting to ask me about the different birds I keep. I have three Brahmas in the basement I am going to grow out. They are commercial but it was a cheap way to try them. I have a lead on some Silver Laced Brahmas if I want them come July. I know. They aren't one of the heritage colors.... I need a little more time I guess.

 

[fowlman01]

This is a relief to hear in a lot of ways. Thank you for being so lenient and encouraging.I felt that I should experiment a bit this first year, although, I was then able to get some name-brand birds which is nice. I haven't dared admit to wanting to experiment till now because so many people in here are so serious about their birds-- which is good, but it feels a bit intimidating. I really thought I wanted to have Brahmas here. I might still after I read through the SPPA site recommended above. I would be willing to have one breed for breeding to standard and a mix for eggs/pets so I don't have to get rid of all the unique ones I have now. My Ameraucanas are all from Ramey, Cree, Smith or Shaffer. I think I got lucky with that. The rest are the fun birds, and interesting to experiment with, as you say. The kids and my community are already starting to ask me about the different birds I keep. I have three Brahmas in the basement I am going to grow out. They are commercial but it was a cheap way to try them. I have a lead on some Silver Laced Brahmas if I want them come July. I know. They aren't one of the heritage colors.... I need a little more time I guess.

When I first got into purebred poultry I had 48 breeds/varieties.....now that is pretty crazy, but just telling you how easy it is to get into these chickens. Do some research and see what you might like. maybe even ask questions about them here. Non Standard/hatchery breeds do not have the same traits as Standard bred birds. ......how they act, rate of growth etc, etc. Also keep in mind that some of the new colors for the different breeds don't always breed true.

You can believe a lot of what you read here, but that may not be so on some of the other threads here.....even if they sound like they know what they are talking about.....just a heads up. This is a good thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-and-lay-some-wisdom-on-us/3180#post_9071294

Walt

 

[Fred's Hens]

Sometimes, as I will confess, the breed comes to you, rather than you to the breed. In my case, my grandmother taught me about chickens as she had learned from her grandmother in the 1850's. My grandmother kept a continuous flock from the late 1890's until her death in 1963. I was fortunate enough to have many years, as a young man, learning from her. She kept Rocks, both Barred and White.

When my mom and dad put a flock into my charge in 1959 or 60, they were 200 Leghorns (my mom loved to make "fryers" out of them at 16-18 weeks) and 100 White Rock, which would become her "broiler" and a dozen of the best pullets were held over for winter eggs. The cycle repeated every spring. Wind the clock forward some 50+ years.

I've kept quite a few of the more popular breeds over the years, but I always gravitate back to Rocks. I really like commercial red sex links for the business side of things, but for traditional birds? Rocks. That's not too hard to understand why I would be biased toward them. Just too much family connection. Those can be powerful things inside of each of us.

 

[flowerchild59]

Sometimes, as I will confess, the breed comes to you, rather than you to the breed. In my case, my grandmother taught me about chickens as she had learned from her grandmother in the 1850's. My grandmother kept a continuous flock from the late 1890's until her death in 1963. I was fortunate enough to have many years, as a young man, learning from her. She kept Rocks, both Barred and White.

When my mom and dad put a flock into my charge in 1959 or 60, they were 200 Leghorns (my mom loved to make "fryers" out of them at 16-18 weeks) and 100 White Rock, which would become her "broiler" and a dozen of the best pullets were held over for winter eggs. The cycle repeated every spring. Wind the clock forward some 50+ years.

I've kept quite a few of the more popular breeds over the years, but I always gravitate back to Rocks. I really like commercial red sex links for the business side of things, but for traditional birds? Rocks. That's not too hard to understand why I would be biased toward them. Just too much family connection. Those can be powerful things inside of each of us.



Very well said Fred.

 

[NotAFarm]

Bill (NYREDS) sent me an old Ken Bowles booklet.
Thank you sooooo much, Bill ! It's a treasure!
I scanned it and you can see all 12 pages HERE.

On the fourth page scanned, in the next to last paragraph, near the end, it says, "The "mushroom" feathering and the quick, sturdy flesh they make in the first ten week period is a fact well established."
Can someone here tell me what the ' "mushroom" feathering' term means?

 

[Chris09]

Walt,

Are those Malay in the breeding pens?

Chris