Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[fowlman01]

No worries! Sorry if I sounded snippy! Just wanted to make it a bit easier/more personal. As much as you can make a post sound personal.

I like that sign! Reminds me of a sign I have at my house! "The rooster may crow, but the hen delivers." If you don't mind me asking, what was your position in the university? Were you a professor? What was your area of teaching?

I only taught one class in the whole time I was there..one semester. It was a business course. I was an administrator, they hired me from private industry to make them money. What a culture shock! Busniesses would never operate like a university, cuz they would go out of business. It is unreal. I am a mediocre businessman and they thought I was a genius.....ahahahaha.......it was pretty crazy. Good thing I'm old because no one would hire me after all the bad habits I picked up there. I can't even begin to describe it.

Walt

Walt

 

[Shyla-C]

Where can I order a box like that and those old chicken shoes.

I thought about what has been said in the last 24 hours on this thread and the beginner. Some of you say you have this breed or that breed and got them from a hatchery which is fine. But do you know the responsibility and skill that is needed for these birds to breed them not for type but color. You almost need a ten year certificate saying you have raised something less complicated than to take on such hard hard hard color patterns.

I dont know what it is but beginners think they can take on these rare color patterns and drive me nuts wanting to know why they can not get eggs or chicks for these super hard color patterns or breeds. Heck if I got five old judges that where between 65 and 80 years old and asked them to score these old rare breeds they would average about 91 to maybe 92 points. Yet you make your decisions on the pictures you see in the catalogs or on the Internet or in the standard of perfection.

They are just not out there. Well I got off my soap box. I would take on a breed such as rocks and breed the white ones for five years then after I got through with them I would go after the hard colors and give it five more years. At least you learned how to hatch, brood and breed them for type as any nut job like me can breed a white chicken its not that hard.

Take on Reds, Silver Pencil led, Partridge, even Buff that takes unbelievable skill.

Just a thought from a guy who hopes to own a soap box like that some day.

Think first about learning to raise, condition and then breed these fowl. If you just want to say you have such and such breed thats fine but we want to keep these old breeds from going down the toilet. It wont be long in five to ten years the top producer of average large fowl will not be selling you eggs or chicks. They are all ready up in years.

Well I am going to tye some flys with my fishing club. You have a nice day.

That is why I am reading this thread and others on this site and the web, because I don't know what it takes, but I want to learn.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Where can I order a box like that and those old chicken shoes.

I thought about what has been said in the last 24 hours on this thread and the beginner. Some of you say you have this breed or that breed and got them from a hatchery which is fine. But do you know the responsibility and skill that is needed for these birds to breed them not for type but color. You almost need a ten year certificate saying you have raised something less complicated than to take on such hard hard hard color patterns.

I dont know what it is but beginners think they can take on these rare color patterns and drive me nuts wanting to know why they can not get eggs or chicks for these super hard color patterns or breeds. Heck if I got five old judges that where between 65 and 80 years old and asked them to score these old rare breeds they would average about 91 to maybe 92 points. Yet you make your decisions on the pictures you see in the catalogs or on the Internet or in the standard of perfection.

They are just not out there. Well I got off my soap box. I would take on a breed such as rocks and breed the white ones for five years then after I got through with them I would go after the hard colors and give it five more years. At least you learned how to hatch, brood and breed them for type as any nut job like me can breed a white chicken its not that hard.

Take on Reds, Silver Pencil led, Partridge, even Buff that takes unbelievable skill.

Just a thought from a guy who hopes to own a soap box like that some day.

Think first about learning to raise, condition and then breed these fowl. If you just want to say you have such and such breed thats fine but we want to keep these old breeds from going down the toilet. It wont be long in five to ten years the top producer of average large fowl will not be selling you eggs or chicks. They are all ready up in years.

Well I am going to tye some flys with my fishing club. You have a nice day.

I'm not into breeding something for 5 years or so and then changing up to breed something else. I got Andalusians because I like them. I like their graceful lines. I like their personalities, though on occasion they can get aggravating. Overall, I like them every day... and also every day I like to look at them and plan their future. Who needs work where? What can I do or who can I cross this one with to downplay that quality or to make this part better? Or... I've been successful in this part of my project, how do I ensure that I don't lose it? I like my hard hard hard color pattern. I also like to see really nice birds in the American class. But not enough to change over to breeding that bird. I like my Andalusians a LOT and I don't have a 10 year certificate to breed them. I don't need one either. I will learn as I go. I'm willing to make mistakes and see what does or doesn't work. And I haven't asked for referrals as to who I can get eggs or chicks from for this hard to breed color. I've done my own homework and searched out information on my own. I've only been in it for 8 years now and I'm not stopping any time soon so I'm not a washout either.

I wasn't going to reply to this post but you really got under my skin.

I'm sure you started somewhere. I started with a hard bird... its my problem. But I really like my hard bird and I wouldn't go back and change breeds if anyone was to GIVE me a perfect breeding trio that didn't need my ineptitude to make it better. The Andalusian needs help to keep from going down the toilet too.

Ok, I'm done now. I have a headache now and I'll not look a this thread until tomorrow at least. By the way, I come here to LEARN, not be slammed because I don't raise an American breed.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I'm sorry Lacy Blues, I think I missed the slamming or I've just learned to look past harsh words.

Blue is a darned hard color. I don't care who says it isn't. A good Andalusian is something to behold. Perhaps not a Langshan, but still gorgeous. Everyone has to start somewhere. Some would prefer to start at a hatchery, others want to begin where someone else left off. You have your own breeding design and shouldn't feel as though you are being attacked for your own breeding practices. It may have been easier (and cheaper) to begin with a program that was already established, but when you reach or are close to reaching your goal, you will feel as though you have beaten the world.

Keep up the faith. 8 years is more than many people stick with it. Time flies faster than you think and soon you'll have been doing it for 20 years, then 40 like the "old-timers."

 

[Ducktang]

Rich,
I am glad to see you are still raising those birds. They are looking good, it does take to about 10 months before they fill out . Here are the ones I used as breeders this year and they are 11 months old here.....






You have to keep the protein to them to get the meet and feather quality.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Rich,
I am glad to see you are still raising those birds. They are looking good, it does take to about 10 months before they fill out . Here are the ones I used as breeders this year and they are 11 months old here.....






You have to keep the protein to them to get the meet and feather quality.

DANG Jamie.....those are looking really good!!!

 

[Ducktang]

The cockerals off of them this year are starting to look good. Too bad feed is going up, or I would keep more of them. I hatched quite a few bantams also this year and I like them since they don't eat so much......

 

[Robert Blosl]

I did not think I slam ed you if I did I am sorry. Its just so many people get the very hard color patterns and dont stay with them. I dont know only one or two people who breed your breed in forty years. If you have the passion you will succeeded. Even the folks I have tried to help with American Class breeds are only maybe one in 200 over ten years. I guess if you got emails and phone calls from beginners over the past five years like I did as a Club Secetary you could see why I feel the way I do. Most of the people who asked for these hard colors are no longer members of our club or have the chickens they asked for and they wanted blue rocks like no buddys business. I dont know one of them who asked who has them today. I guess its just part of the investment we have to make get 200 members in five years and hope one or two sticks with it for ten years.

Now if you dont show your birds and just keep them and dont improve them that's another matter. Many can do that and again I dont know if they will stick with it for ten or twenty years.

If you find the combinations on how to breed these blues please write articles to teach this to the future hobbies down the road. Most of the secrets of breeding hard colors where never written down or lost. Many that where written in old books or magazines in the early days I often wonder if they can help with to days birds. The reason some of those breeds where pretty bad back then and did not improve till the 1940s.

Some one asked about Light Bahamas and Cochins. A great group of birds that need help. I have Buff Brahmas and love them hope to have four good birds to breed from this spring.

Cochin Large Fowl are rare and not to many good ones out there. Seen some really nice Buffs almost super true to breed Tom Roebuck is the fellow to get your start from adult birds only no eggs he does fool with that stuff. There are a few who have Whites and Blacks. The Mottled there is a lady who has some in the mid west but its a hard color pattern to learn from. She only breeds from hens and cock birds to see if they develop the color she wants.

So lets see more pictures and try to promote the old class of birds and try to also want the non American class. I wonder if their is a list of the most needed helped birds alive for folks to try to help.

Rocks and Reds are doing pretty well as well as Orps, Javas making a come back and New Hampshire's.

Will have to see.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I did not think I slam ed you if I did I am sorry. Its just so many people get the very hard color patterns and dont stay with them. I dont know only one or two people who breed your breed in forty years. If you have the passion you will succeeded. Even the folks I have tried to help with American Class breeds are only maybe one in 200 over ten years. I guess if you got emails and phone calls from beginners over the past five years like I did as a Club Secetary you could see why I feel the way I do. Most of the people who asked for these hard colors are no longer members of our club or have the chickens they asked for and they wanted blue rocks like no buddys business. I dont know one of them who asked who has them today. I guess its just part of the investment we have to make get 200 members in five years and hope one or two sticks with it for ten years.

Now if you dont show your birds and just keep them and dont improve them that's another matter. Many can do that and again I dont know if they will stick with it for ten or twenty years.

If you find the combinations on how to breed these blues please write articles to teach this to the future hobbies down the road. Most of the secrets of breeding hard colors where never written down or lost. Many that where written in old books or magazines in the early days I often wonder if they can help with to days birds. The reason some of those breeds where pretty bad back then and did not improve till the 1940s.

Ok, I got back on here because I am somewhat ashamed of myself for flying off the handle like that. I'm sorry Bob.

Sometimes you speak in such generalities it's hard to discern who you're talking to/about.

Blue rocks? I'm sorry but that's almost as bad as a blue leghorn. Yellow legs, beak and skin on a blue bird? Why they were accepted in the first place is beyond me... maybe just covering all the bases? It would have been nice if they had included black and splash andalusians in recognized varieties. I'm of the opinion that many people DON'T raise them because you need these other two varieties to get the right shade of blue but you can't show them. Well, you CAN show them but they'll never get better than best variety. So, why would I stress my bird for that?

I do show my birds when finances allow. I feel like such a fool when I go to a show, cuz I'm smiling like there is no tomorrow and I can't help it. I really like the shows.

Write down the secret? Oh my! I wish I could get John Hayes to write it down. He's had them for like 40 years and getting information from him has been difficult to say the least. I wish I could take a trip to New York and visit with him for about a week, and take a tape recorder. My memory leaves a lot to be desired. I've searched high and low for information on breeding the Andalusian and there isn't much out there. So, I just keep trying... trial and error.

Again, I'm sorry. I know I can get a little snippy at times but everyone, please know this is not my intent.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

We have a dozen White Orpington eggs in the incubator. Hoping for a great hatch. A friend an hour south has his incubator full of Orp eggs: White, Buff and Black. We will work together on the Whites to improve them. We are happy with our Buffs and Blacks. Not sure how we can improve on them.

But the Whites need a lot of help.