Campine Chicken thread?

[lawatt]

Laura, how are your weights? I am very anxious to get them up to where they need to be. I have a couple of roosters that are getting close, but the hens are not.

I also have been watching my birds' top and bottom lines pretty closely.

I still have lots of work to do with feather quality (too narrow in the flights and tails) and with the width between the legs (I want to be able to put my fist through there.)

We won't even talk about barring, even though it is an "in your face" kind of fault.

Then there's combs - my girls are really good, but the roosters combs are way too big and coarse. I've heard that it comes with raising them in the hot/humid south, but how can it change any faster than the other points? I have birds from Minnesota and Maine.

I have to brag on the eye color in the birds I have, very dark, and the enamel white in the earlobes looks great in the boys with only a dot of red here and there, and blue-ish in the girls. Is that okay? I haven't noticed it mentioned in the SOP.

I know that this breed is a hot mess, but that is the challenge, right? They are a joy to have in the yard. They are so beautiful! When I see pics of those that are overseas and closer to what they should be (like the pics Drieslag posted) it literally makes me gasp. I want to get there so badly.

Slow and steady, Lisa, slow and steady..........

i have not weighed any of my campines -- they are super-flighty and do not like to be held, and it seems unnecessary to stress them out at this stage, when i'm not even sure i'm going to breed them seriously -- it may be too much of a challenge for me!

i have one rooster and six hens, one hen is the mother of all the others, but i no longer am certain which one she is! none have really excellent barring, and their tails all seem too high to me, but they don't look particularly narrow in either feather or body shape, all have nice dark eyes, white earlobes (some flecked with a bit of red), and slate legs. some of the girls have fairly straight/upright combs, others flop to one side -- either seems to work. they ARE so very beautiful!

i just gave five chicks to a friend, they are only three weeks old, but will ask him to send pictures as they get older! and might hatch some more later in the season. right now trying to build up my isbar numbers, as i only have a trio of birds.

 

[Wisher1000]

i have golden campines,there are two colors on the ear lobs,one is white and the other is green,the legs are lead color on the white lobs and the green logs legs are green,their tails are long and narrow up,and they have a loud crow,the hens are both green and white also

Swamperkk, aren't those golden ones pretty? I love to see a good Golden Campine!

I don't know what your intention is in your stock, but if you are planning to breed them for show, those green ones are not standard. The first Campines I ever owned, the ones that got me hooked, were from a hatchery in Texas and a couple of those had green legs. They were great little yard birds, but would be disqualified in an APA show.

If you are interested in breeding them, invest in an American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection. It will tell you all the little characteristics to look for and the ones to avoid. It has helped me immensely..

 

[swamperkk]

i bought them as chicks,3 roosters and 3 hens,a owl took two hens who had blue legs and sold one rooster,now they still roost in trees,they refuese to be pinned up,but i am hatching the eggs,i still like them even though they have green leggs

 

[Wisher1000]

I was not trying to insult you or your birds. I enjoyed the ones I had, green legs and all! I just wanted you to know that, color-wise, the blue is standard. It's like a purebred dog that has a white paw that it shouldn't have. It's still purebred, still beautiful, and still a wonderful companion dog, just not the one you want to breed for show.

 

[Bluefield]

And another one I just received. Old Belgian style Campines in the 1890's.

Looks like a brakel rooster

 

[Drieslag]

Looks like a brakel rooster

The old Campines had white tops and saddles just as the old and current Braekels.
The new henfeathered Campine was created/selected by the British around 1910.

Old style Campines were very often mistaken for Braekels and vice versa. They're very closely related.

Here are both types of Campines, normal and henfeathered.

 

[Bluefield]

 

[Wisher1000]

Wow! He's pretty, Bluefield, what breed is he?

 

[Drieslag]

Gold Braekel?

 

[Bluefield]

Yes gold brakel