It is my opinion that some of what we have come to believe about New Hampshires are misconceptions.
New Hampshires came along at a critical junction. Before the New Hampshires the APA was the poultry industry, so to speak.
Everyone knows that in the late 1800s, and early 1900s, there was a large move to the cities. Everything was becoming more mechanized, industrialized, and specialized. As the cities grew, more and more people relied on food from outside the city. People in agriculture began to recognize poultry as a specialized niche market that was rooted in the cities.
The breed New Hampshire was a commercial breed, bred with commercial interests. As far as I know, it was the first breed developed solely for commercial reasons.
A lot was changing fast. The egg industry was becoming specialized, and growing poultry as broilers was becoming more common. The New Hampshire became split into a few different groups. There was egg laying strains that performed exceptionally well. These were made famous by the "Newcomer" strain. There are some hatcheries (Cackle Hatchery) that still use this name in their advertisement.
Then some strains were developed as meat strains, made famous by the Christie strain. Where the laying strains were not as heavy, and had darker plumage, the meat strains had lighter plumage and heavier weights. Some hatcheries (Mcmurray) still use this in their advertisement.
Then their was the Standard New Hampshire that was refined and exhibited. These birds became popular in certain circles, but never really got out of the shadow of the Rhode Island Reds.
As a breed known for commercial reasons, when the industry changed the breed's numbers declined.
The war and reconstruction happened at the peak of the New Hampshires popularity. The were productive birds and were sent to Germany and other parts of Europe during the reconstruction. Plymouth Rocks, and Leghorns were to. New Hampshires did become popular in Europe, and in particular Germany. They are still popular in Germany.
I do not think it is true to say that Germany kept them as they were. They were not sent exhibition strain birds originally, but commercial strains. I do not know what might have been exported along the way, but what was imported originally is a much different bird than what they have (we have) now. Their ideal became a little different than our ideal, and the breed changed.
What Ellis would have been working with would be more along the lines of the Christie strain. I would say that we do not have anything like these birds today. What Frank Reese has on his website would have been more along these lines. What he was selling is not what is pictured on the site. If that was what they were, they have done something with them since.
New Hampshires benefited from a huge increase in popularity, but they left the scene almost as fast as they came on. They were absorbed into the developing of better commercial meat birds, they figured out that the lighter birds were more efficient layers, and they were carried forward by a small following of breeders. Over time, this following declined to a point where what we had left here was not much to speak of.
Now we have a newly imported strain of New Hampshires that are different, but has been better than any birds available to new enthusiasts. It is nice to see a new interest in the breed. What we have available are well bred birds, but they are different than what they were. They are not what made the breed popular to begin with.
On a different level, the Delaware suffered a similar fate and for similar reasons. A commercial breed, in a rapidly changing climate.
I would not be surprised to learn that the colored broilers that we have today, do not have some New Hampshire influence.
I believe that both breeds, because of their timing, the development that went into them originally, and their history . . .make them worthy of preservation. They came along at an important junction in the poultry industry's history.
New Hampshires came along at a critical junction. Before the New Hampshires the APA was the poultry industry, so to speak.
Everyone knows that in the late 1800s, and early 1900s, there was a large move to the cities. Everything was becoming more mechanized, industrialized, and specialized. As the cities grew, more and more people relied on food from outside the city. People in agriculture began to recognize poultry as a specialized niche market that was rooted in the cities.
The breed New Hampshire was a commercial breed, bred with commercial interests. As far as I know, it was the first breed developed solely for commercial reasons.
A lot was changing fast. The egg industry was becoming specialized, and growing poultry as broilers was becoming more common. The New Hampshire became split into a few different groups. There was egg laying strains that performed exceptionally well. These were made famous by the "Newcomer" strain. There are some hatcheries (Cackle Hatchery) that still use this name in their advertisement.
Then some strains were developed as meat strains, made famous by the Christie strain. Where the laying strains were not as heavy, and had darker plumage, the meat strains had lighter plumage and heavier weights. Some hatcheries (Mcmurray) still use this in their advertisement.
Then their was the Standard New Hampshire that was refined and exhibited. These birds became popular in certain circles, but never really got out of the shadow of the Rhode Island Reds.
As a breed known for commercial reasons, when the industry changed the breed's numbers declined.
The war and reconstruction happened at the peak of the New Hampshires popularity. The were productive birds and were sent to Germany and other parts of Europe during the reconstruction. Plymouth Rocks, and Leghorns were to. New Hampshires did become popular in Europe, and in particular Germany. They are still popular in Germany.
I do not think it is true to say that Germany kept them as they were. They were not sent exhibition strain birds originally, but commercial strains. I do not know what might have been exported along the way, but what was imported originally is a much different bird than what they have (we have) now. Their ideal became a little different than our ideal, and the breed changed.
What Ellis would have been working with would be more along the lines of the Christie strain. I would say that we do not have anything like these birds today. What Frank Reese has on his website would have been more along these lines. What he was selling is not what is pictured on the site. If that was what they were, they have done something with them since.
New Hampshires benefited from a huge increase in popularity, but they left the scene almost as fast as they came on. They were absorbed into the developing of better commercial meat birds, they figured out that the lighter birds were more efficient layers, and they were carried forward by a small following of breeders. Over time, this following declined to a point where what we had left here was not much to speak of.
Now we have a newly imported strain of New Hampshires that are different, but has been better than any birds available to new enthusiasts. It is nice to see a new interest in the breed. What we have available are well bred birds, but they are different than what they were. They are not what made the breed popular to begin with.
On a different level, the Delaware suffered a similar fate and for similar reasons. A commercial breed, in a rapidly changing climate.
I would not be surprised to learn that the colored broilers that we have today, do not have some New Hampshire influence.
I believe that both breeds, because of their timing, the development that went into them originally, and their history . . .make them worthy of preservation. They came along at an important junction in the poultry industry's history.
