Breed Stewards Thread

[Judy]

Folks, we do discourage religious topics (see the rules here.)

Let's keep the thread on topic.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Quote:
Sorry. You're right, we were breaking the rules and getting off topic, for the last 3 pages or so. If you want to, delete the posts, (we can't).

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Beyond the Comb
A look at what helps a bird survive in the mountains...

I'm going to use the local Landrace the Bow Lake for this example. They originated up here without much human interference, so naturally are the best breed in the world people nearby can pick for hardiness.

Foraging
- Bow Lake fowl have medium-length legs, which helps them travel a pretty good distance when in search of food. Not so much that the land is unpalatable, but, after a spring-full of foraging in the nearby area, they have to travel the rest of the year because they've stretched the resourses of the land close-by.

Broodiness
- Bow Lake hens (not just mine, but all the others that I've seen) are stocky (they look a little odd, because most breeds of their type have squatty little legs), and seem to be built quite compact in the rear regions, while tapered in the crop region (their a short pear-shape). I think the stockiness may have something to do with extra broodiness, but I know it doesn't effect fundamental broodiness (even Anconas have gone broody. No seriously!

).

Hardiness
- Their hardiness seems to be miraculous, as they are small, single combed, and brush-legged, but I attribute it's amazing hardiness to heritage (that hasn't yet been lost by careless breeding), and stockiness (Mammoths take longer to freeze than Mice do).

 

[Maggiesdad]

Grand total of 90 days worth of chicken raising experience here... but I like the topic and tone of this thread, so I'll be lurking for the long haul.

Checking in from the toes of the Virginia Piedmont.

 

[Maggiesdad]

Well fiddlesticks... I hope I haven't killed this thread.

Love your other threads - I will avoid posting in them for I find them quite entertaining. Rock on!

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Well, Thank you. Er, for the complement, I mean.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

An old trick for getting the best meat birds:
This is interesting, as well as simpler than it sounds:
- Breed together the 'best feeling' birds, and MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO THEIR OFFSPRING ARE.
- Then eat the parents. If they are the best, continue the process with their offspring.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
And like I said be for, if raised extensively, chickens always look beautiful.

There used to be lots of year-long laying competitions, but those have long since dissappeared in favour of a less practical - but much shorter - contest. That's the other thing: Everyone seems to treat the SOP like the Poultrimen's Bible, when in reality it is just a game! Showing is just a big, detrimental game that has only led to the preservation of careless breeding and futile efforts in hopes that one is maintaining 'High-Quality Poultry'. There are some you will meet or correspond with or just read of who will get quite snoody when it is implied that anything less than a perfect SOP type specimen can be considered of 'good quality', or even "Please remember that it is NOT a breed until it is recognised by the APA. All others are mongrels"... what about Dorkings or Krombelkeends? Were they mutts for 2500 yrs and suddenly appeared out of nowhere when the APA decided to recognise them?

And what about breeds that are recognized in Europe, but not in the USA?

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Quote:
And like I said be for, if raised extensively, chickens always look beautiful.

There used to be lots of year-long laying competitions, but those have long since dissappeared in favour of a less practical - but much shorter - contest. That's the other thing: Everyone seems to treat the SOP like the Poultrimen's Bible, when in reality it is just a game! Showing is just a big, detrimental game that has only led to the preservation of careless breeding and futile efforts in hopes that one is maintaining 'High-Quality Poultry'. There are some you will meet or correspond with or just read of who will get quite snoody when it is implied that anything less than a perfect SOP type specimen can be considered of 'good quality', or even "Please remember that it is NOT a breed until it is recognised by the APA. All others are mongrels"... what about Dorkings or Krombelkeends? Were they mutts for 2500 yrs and suddenly appeared out of nowhere when the APA decided to recognise them?

And what about breeds that are recognized in Europe, but not in the USA?

I don't know much about the British and european poultry authorities, but I understand that it's just as bad there as it is in the US. I hear tell that showing's much more strict there. That can lead to distractions from utility and hardiness. I'm not sure how they go about recognising breeds over there, but I do know that there are hundreds (well, maybe not hundreds. I don't know exactly) that aren't recognised.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
And what about breeds that are recognized in Europe, but not in the USA?

I don't know much about the British and european poultry authorities, but I understand that it's just as bad there as it is in the US. I hear tell that showing's much more strict there. That can lead to distractions from utility and hardiness. I'm not sure how they go about recognising breeds over there, but I do know that there are hundreds (well, maybe not hundreds. I don't know exactly) that aren't recognised.

The problem with showing is that they can only judge what they can see in front of them at that moment. They have no way to judge hardiness, disease resistance, or productivity.