Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[3riverschick]

Why do you say, "My experience has been that most people keep too many birds." ??? Too many for what?

I read it that she meant folk keep more birds than necessary for a trim breeding plan. To extrapolate this thought, I could add this would be because those folk had not developed the ability to cull judiciosly.
Best,
Karen

 

[thedragonlady]

Why do you say, "My experience has been that most people keep too many birds." ??? Too many for what?

Many people keep too many birds of different breeds to have the time, money, or facilities to do them justice.After the initial euphoria of having lots of birds in so many different breeds, and colors, wears off, and "Chicken Math" kicks in, they are very soon over run with inferior birds due to lack of time to really study the breeds, much less care for them properly. It boggles my mind to see some yards that have tiny pens of 10 or more breeds and varieties, none of which are even close to the standard. These people call themselves breeders. They are not breeders. They are propagators.Many have never read a standard.

This is a far cry from what you are doing Kathy, in bringing back some wonderful old breeds. You have a plan, and obviously the time, money, and knowledge to execute it. By placing some of your birds with other people who have the same interest in perpetuating these breeds, you are insuring their survival. Go girl!

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:

Yeah, what Vicki said!

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:

Yeah, what Vicki said!
X 2 Thank you for your dedication to a beautiful breed! Loved the old style Delawares.

 

[normanack]

X 2 Thank you for your dedication to a beautiful breed! Loved the old style Delawares.

You know, this thread has ruined all the fun of looking through hatchery catalogs. I look at the Rhode Island Red picture and think, that's the wrong color. It's a production red. And (for instance) the Delawares: I look at them and think, this is almost certainly not a real Delaware. Ditto for many of the rarer breeds. Then I drool over the picture of a perfectly laced bird, and remember that my hatchery Silver Laced Wyandotte is kind of, sort of laced.

Sigh. ;-)

 

[Fred's Hens]

You know, this thread has ruined all the fun of looking through hatchery catalogs. I look at the Rhode Island Red picture and think, that's the wrong color. It's a production red. And (for instance) the Delawares: I look at them and think, this is almost certainly not a real Delaware. Ditto for many of the rarer breeds. Then I drool over the picture of a perfectly laced bird, and remember that my hatchery Silver Laced Wyandotte is kind of, sort of laced.

Sigh. ;-)

Frankly, I suspect that was Bob's intention all along.

 

[Chris09]

You know, this thread has ruined all the fun of looking through hatchery catalogs. I look at the Rhode Island Red picture and think, that's the wrong color. It's a production red. And (for instance) the Delawares: I look at them and think, this is almost certainly not a real Delaware. Ditto for many of the rarer breeds. Then I drool over the picture of a perfectly laced bird, and remember that my hatchery Silver Laced Wyandotte is kind of, sort of laced.

Sigh. ;-)

I will let you in on a little secret about Hatcheries, about 90% of hatcheries that sell sexed chicks are selling cross bred fowl.
If you want to tell if there crossed look at there wing feathers the day you get them. The pullets will have longer wing feathers than the cockerels.
Picture below is from http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/sld006.htm

Chris

 

[3riverschick]

okay. I'm confused. I thought that the ability to feather-sexi chicks happened when stability had been bred into a strain.
I don't see how this could happen with cross-breds, so how could they be feather-sexed? I must be missing something???
Anyone clear this up for me

,
Thanks
Karen

 

[catdaddyfro]

okay. I'm confused. I thought that the ability to feather-sexi chicks happened when stability had been bred into a strain.
I don't see how this could happen with cross-breds, so how could they be feather-sexed? I must be missing something???
Anyone clear this up for me

,
Thanks
Karen

Sex linkage

A fast feathering male mated to a slow /normal feathering female = fast feathering trait passed to the female offspring from the sire. same as silver and gold just different LOL

Jeff

 

[Chris09]

okay. I'm confused. I thought that the ability to feather-sexi chicks happened when stability had been bred into a strain.
I don't see how this could happen with cross-breds, so how could they be feather-sexed? I must be missing something???
Anyone clear this up for me

,
Thanks
Karen

There are a hand full of fast feathering breed most if not all are Mediterranean and Continental Breeds, the rest of the breeds are what is called slow or normal feathering.
If you cross a fast feathering male over a slow feathering female there offspring a sexed by feather growth at hatch, males sort wing feathers females long wing feathers.

A good easy example of this would be if you would cross lets say a Dark Brown Leghorn male over a Rhode Island Red female, there offspring would be able to be feather sexed (males sort wing feathers females long wing feathers) .


Chris