Breeds needing preservation - how rare

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
LOL and I already know the way there <very big grin>

I'm liking Delawares a LOT.

I think a lot of breeds assumed not rare and "safe" actually aren't. Since hatchery birds are often mixed and so far from most natural instincts and their breed Standard, a lot are more rare than it would appear. The largest PR SQ flocks in the US have been liquidated, rolled into other flocks and culled down majorly in the last decade. The ones that ARE out there, aren't sterile but they're not hale either.

Eventually I'll get my group back to a pure true partridge rock line and create a heritage flock I'll show some birds from. But if winning means unproductive or tending toward sterility or can't figure out free ranging then it won't live here. I'm aiming for the unrare, rare. Heritage quality partridge rocks. Heritage quality barreds and heritage quality BBS Rocks and the Delawares.

I blame Cyn for the Delawares. And SBill and Shortcake. All their fault.

I can't blame anyone but me for the Bourbon Red Turkeys or the Calicos.......

 

[NYREDS]

Seems to me this thread sort of turned into an Apples & Beachballs kind of a dispute. [more pointless than even Apples & Oranges]
There are many reasons to keep poultry-none more valid or noble than another.
I'm glad that there are people still interested in showing because that helps support a hobby I enjoy very much.
I'm equally glad there are large commercial poultry farms where production is the goal. They provide reasonably priced protein for large numbers of peple.
What's important to one person doesn't have to be equally important to another. Myself, I think that diapering chickens & keeping them in the house is [insert less offensive alternative to nuts here] but as long as I don't have to do it & noone I visit does it why should I care.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
I agree with most of your points, NY, but we were addressing the original question...why would a chicken be considered rare if hatcheries have so many of them? I was trying to stay close to the subject anyway. Sorry if I wandered.
I have a layer flock and I'm not as concerned about them holding to the standard as I am with my breeding flocks. And, trust me, you will never find a chicken diaper in my house, LOL.

 

[walkswithdog]

Chicken diapers.. LOL.

 

[My Little Sister's Farm]

I just came back from a long beautiful weekend in the garden. Just have to...sorry I asked. Looks like things got a bit heated while I was away from the site. But thanks for all of the convo about the validity of hatcheries having rare breeds. We all have to draw our own conclusions and decide on our own practices with our flocks. Hope you all got outside for some rays this weekend too.

 

[speckledhen]

Nah, this wasn't the least bit heated, just a lively discussion! I'm enjoying the sunshine right now. Hope at least part of your questions were answered!

 

[Krys109uk]

I want to do a heritage duck too, either Wlesh Harlis or Silver Appleyards. Again, having a hard time deciding because what ever I do I want to do it right!

Harlequins or Appleyards are not old breeds, they are neither rare nor endangered. I'm not sure what is called "heritage" in US. An old breed of duck with could probably do with a bit of help would be something like a real Aylesbury, perhaps a Hookbill.

 

[cherig22]

This is a fascinating thread, and it seems like the chicken standards are going the way of dog and cat standards. Case in point, the siamese cat. What used to be the standard now is called a 'classic' and the standard is quite different to the point of ugly.

Now for chickens, I am sure (still new to the field) that the original standards have evolved to the point that some breeds cannot even 'breed' without AI.

So, for the heritage breeds, could I not just use the early standards, say pre-1950? Just an arbitrary date, but I would be using a breeding program to get birds that looked like they did originally, before the standards changed.

Feasible, or not?

Cheri

 

[walkswithdog]

Hi Cheri - lol I'm Cher... chuckle...

I really like the old sets of standards. They're available in used book places and online in different places and in general they're mostly the same with a small drift.

What does change some of the time is judging. That human factor for what is popular or not as well understood. Like the proper differences between Wellies and Partridge Rocks, or BA's and Orps.

In Rocks it has a lot to do with tail set, especially in the males now. There's some argument over size/width/length. So, not so far from the old standard that they can't breed in my breed. But a lot of people holding them have inbred to the point of low lay or low fertility. Sigh.

I have the 1915 standard. I'd like several others, both before and after that, as well as this years.

It's important to know it well enough to know what you have and how it compares.

I'm nudging what I have toward the Standard, I'm not so close that I have to enter the debate and language of exact size and absolutely proper tail set.

Totally feasible but you do have to know past and current to figure out what is proper for the breed so own both.

 

[cybercat]

Heritage breed definition as I remember from the ALBC is : Any breed that was made prior to mid twentith centery or 1950 that is excepted in the APA. It must be a APA breed in order to be concired heritage. Therefor a breed like Maran would not be a heritage breed for they are not excepted by the APA. Now will they after they are excepted I do not know as I do not know if there is a cut off date by the ALBC for the APA breeds. Maybe one of our ALBC members can anser that one.


One thing I would like to say I think the large multi breeds hatcheries are nessasry. Even thought there chickens might not be fully to standard, one can use them to breed up to SOP. Yes, many of these chickens do have faults mostly size and color in some way. Yet one can use them and with selctive breeding get back to SOP in time.