Chantecler Thread!

[RhodeRunner]

I have six Partridge Chanteclers, three roos and three hens,. They were fillers for a box of giants I had shipped from a breeder but I am so glad to have them, but I am going to have to make a choice of the roos plus I would like to show a pair in October. Does anyone here show their chanty's? Out of my hens, the necks feathers range from orangey to a rust, which one is more preferred at judging? As for the roos, do I take the biggest or the smallest? Any advice about showing these beauties would be great. I have never shown a chicken before but getting these birds from a breeder makes me feel like I need to get out there and show them! Thanks for the advice.

Do you have any photos of your birds? When it comes to advising what birds you should take, photos would probably help us the most. It is rare to get a good bird (let alone showable) out of a batch of six, but it would be nice to see more Chanteclers at shows.

 

[ChickenMack]

So posting photos is not easy so I gave up after waiting forever for one to upload only 10% . So, I have decided to take two, a cockerel and a pullet, to the show. I will take my larger cockerel and the pullet whose coloring falls in the middle of the three. I don't expect to have award winning birds but I want to show the best that I have in order to learn so I know what to look for when they start breeding and hatching. Since I got the birds from someone who shows his stock, I figured I would be pretty close to the standard. Wish us luck! I will post how the judges judged the birds and maybe by then, I can upload a photo.

 

[GalaBoys]

I can't speak for every breeder, but I don't usually sell my best stock - those, I reserve for myself. About 95% of what any breeder produces is not show stock - only the elite few are kept for that purpose.

Chickens are a game of numbers when it comes to producing high quality stock. Ideally, for every 100 chicks you hatch, you should just keep the top 3% for breeding. I consider myself lucky this year, because I was able to keep a whopping 15% for further consideration for my breeding pens. I may make more cuts before spring, but those are the ones I considered worthwhile for keeping over the winter.

 

[CanuckBock]

I have six Partridge Chanteclers, three roos and three hens,. They were fillers for a box of giants I had shipped from a breeder but I am so glad to have them, but I am going to have to make a choice of the roos plus I would like to show a pair in October. Does anyone here show their chanty's? Out of my hens, the necks feathers range from orangey to a rust, which one is more preferred at judging? As for the roos, do I take the biggest or the smallest? Any advice about showing these beauties would be great. I have never shown a chicken before but getting these birds from a breeder makes me feel like I need to get out there and show them! Thanks for the advice.

Purchase a copy of the Standard of Perfection for your country. In your case, I will rightly or wrongly presume these are standard sized Chanteclers...so you will need to get a copy of the American Poultry Association's SOP so you may learn what are the requirements for large fowl. The latest edition is 2010. The book contains word by word what you are trying to achieve with your entries. If your birds are bantams, I prefer using the American Bantam Association's SOP for them.

APA SOP, page 39 contains the "general scale of points" that the judge is suppose to use to judge your entry by. Word for word and using their own personal interpretation of those "words."

The description for the Partridge variety states the colour of the neck feathers on the females shall be; "Hackle -- black, slightly penciled with deep reddish bay and laced with reddish bay." So a darker centered diamond edged in black (beetle green black) and laced with a lighter coloured reddish bay. This area, the neck hackle, is the only area on the female where you should find "reddish bay" and all the rest of the female is a combination of black and DEEP reddish bay. I personally suspect some of the feather texture (the edge of the hackle feather as in structure) accounts for the change in colour expression from deep reddish bay to just reddish bay.

An artist's rendition of Partridge Chanteclers -- go by the WORDS as these are the only LAW to be used!!!
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APA SOP page 1:

The valued placed upon the "entire" neck colour wise is stated as being worth 5 points out of 100 in birds other than whites. I am not sure how your description of "orangey to a rust" fits in with "reddish bay" but that is for you to decide and hope the judge is of the same opinion for these five points.

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There is a huge variance in colour expression in real live birds in every day barn fresh conditions...even the light expression (time of day, lighting available...), the age of the feather (conditions...sunbleached because the birds lead REAL LIVEs), the food/water given, stressors, how well the bird was prepared by the person exhibiting the bird...too many factors but what is and shall be is that at that moment in time...the judge will judge what they are presented with...no excuses, no whining as they are what they are at that moment...the expression is what it is at that time!

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It is too bad we do not have colour swatches in the Standards to know for certain what deep reddish bay and reddish bay is. One can only imagine the cost associated and the implications of keeping each batch of colours the exact same colour shade for each printing of the SOP's. Ever buy tiles or coloured metal...you best get all you need for the one project at once as the variances between lots can be staggering! LOL

APA SOP, page 6:
So yeh, uh...what IS a light golden-brown ??? Are we talking toast or waffles...with maple syrup or just buttered...must be time to eat, eh?

You may enter a bird that is 20 percent heavier or lighter than the required listed weight for the breed, gender, and age before it is disqualified. Allowances for decreases in weights for adult birds in moult in late summer and fall are a given expectation.

Birds are not to be small for the breed...an overly fat SMALL bird that weighs the ideal weight is not the objective here.

APA SOP page 28:
A "big" bird can be considered coarse and incorrect...know the SHAPE of your BREED...burn the image of your ideal birds into your internal visual memory. I hang photocopies of Schillings 1923 pair of Chanteclers in my coops...l00k at photocopy, l00k at birds and repeat! The image of my avatar of a Partridge Chant hen is pretty close to my ideal female Chantecler in shape.


Other than age of pullet/cockerel and hen/cock...the judge will not know the EXACT age of your bird to judge if it is of adequate size for its age. Some prefer to show a large bird in the standard size and will hatch birds on January 1st onwards in an attempt to have young but "big birds" to show at the fall shows. Personally...I would far sooner show a matured landfowl over a year of age and never mind showing pullets or cockerels since the very feather pattern in the Partridge variety is often more beautiful on older specimens--many times quality takes time to be expressed in the feathers. A big, young bird often is portrayed as "gangly" as it tries to grow into its big feet/legs and besides...heritage breeds are suppose to be slow growers (not stunted though...there is no room here for runts in a general purpose fowl like the Chantecler) and nothing screams longevity and disease resistance like a sensibly grown out bird that will be productive for 5 and 6 years. Male culls are good that they grow up to a decent size in a reasonable amount of time to be processed for consumption but we must have balanced growth rates...so solid well made skeleton frames are formed that can support decently large birds with well made up organs that function as they should so they are easy keepers and productive additions to our lives. Factory farm mush meats and swill eggers might be speedy about going into production but they do not produce a premium product; quality takes time!

One should never get overly concerned by one trait if your objective is to have birds that do well at shows. The birds that routinely do well at the shows are the all rounder birds that are mediocre (moderate) in all aspects but devoid of any disqualifications to knock them out of the runnings for top spots at the shows. Nothing much over the top spectacular about them at all...they just happen to condition and train up for show very well. More often than not you will find that the moderate bird is the one that does well from show to show by judge to judge. The top winning birds at the shows are usually the self whites or self blacks...far less colour faults to take hits over. The real true super stars do exist but those ones are as rare as chicken teeth...yes, these ones do exist but we are darn lucky to have the blessings of having such a super star in our lives and with those...one would be better off saving their virtues for the breeding pens than wasting their virtues by showing them excessively!

In my opinion, the most difficult varieties in the Chanteclers are Partridge and Self Buffs. Two difficult colour patterns to excel with.

You will need to study who is the judge for the show you plan to enter. Know what kind of birds they raise (a Plymouth Barred Rock breeder will be more attune to colour pattern variety expression than say an Old English Game breeder that will be more focussed upon shape since within their breed, they can almost have any colour variety acceptable under the sun!). You will want to know what traits they seem to prefer...what birds they placed in top spot over the years. Then one can offer up specimens suited for the style and preferences of THAT particular judge. Judges are humans and we humans are not clones of each other. There is an ongoing movement over in Europe to teach a very clinical style of judging meant to have ALL judges judge exactly the same way at all shows. I prefer a more personal style of judging and accept that each judge will be opinionated in a very individualistic style. Some exhibitors will enter birds targeted to please the judge but will also enter birds they feel are the best for representing the breed and variety too (their personal favs). One is often pleasantly surprised that judges will soundly judge classes and know their breeds/varieties very well despite their own personal preferences on what a chicken should be. One judge I showed Call Ducks under confided that they had placed a grey hen over a white drake of equal points because they knew the difficulty it takes to produce a marked bird over a white bird even though they had never bred a duck themselves.


There is a HUGE difference between the birds you would find at an exhibitor's or at a breeder's establishment. If the breeder of your birds is an EXHIBITOR too (many are) then you might be more inclined to presume birds from them might be showable (or not...these were CULLS from the breeder that were added to your order--not your initial ORDER--these were likely meant to be fillers).

Only the top three percent of each season's production are kept here to replicate more from. Out of 100 birds, at best one is lucky to keep back a trio (three birds) for future breeding prospects. And even then...you may change your mind when 14 hours of daylight present the opportunity to begin setting eggs for hatching next year. We humans get all jiggy over looks...breed shape and variety colour pattern when in reality...our breeding selections should be based on TWO YEAR OLD birds that display wanted qualities such as vigour & disease resistance, fertility & production, temperament and longevity. Then, only then one may pay attention to the finer points like shape and colour pattern (breed and variety).


Thinking of showing...here are ten good pointers...

Ten Commandments for Good Exhibiting by Loyl Stromberg:


There is a HUGE difference between a breeder's art and an exhibitor's art...fitting birds for show, conditioning and training is a WHOLE art form unto itself. I suggest you purchase the excellent old stand by book Exhibiting Poultry for Pleasure and Profit by Loyl Stromberg (Published by Strombergs Chicks & Pets (1978), ISBN 10: 0915780046 ⁄ISBN 13: 9780915780044) and begin learning when or when NOT to wash a bird and how and such....some birds like the Self-Buffs may be ruined if washed for show...makes an otherwise even coloured buff bird patching and terrible. I never look at a badly present bird at a show and think bad of the bird...I think bad of the person who has the job of presenting the bird in the best possible condition and circumstances...otherwise, one should not show the bird unless it is in prime condition.

Often you will be pressured to show a long string of birds, no matter their condition...to me this does nothing more than discredit the breed/variety in any animal! A bird show is a place to show off the best of the best...not a place for moulting and less than good specimens. I do GET that people need to learn but maybe enter a "novice" class or if you are young, "Junior" shows or Showmanship contests are exquisite ways to learn the hobby where you are invited to bring birds to learn through entry in these classes. I know that not everyone will agree that "high ethics" of poultry showing should be upheld.



I will type out three paragraphs from the APA SOP from the Interpretation of Standard for Judges -- Breeders -- Exhibitors (noting...breeders are a separate entity from exhibitors...always, always be mindful that some exhibitors BUY their show birds...yes, they either do not want to have to produce so many birds themselves for selection down to just showable specimens and/or they are unable themselves to replicate the very birds that they show!).

APA SOP, page 28:
This is how the very first introduction for the Standard of Perfection on the JUDGING OF SHOW BIRDS IS BEGUN to be discussed...note key words of healthy / good productive qualities / full propagation and popular acceptance for the breed!


Ideals for shape, size and colour / colour and form...you have asked about size and colour but you must also focus on SHAPE and FORM to do the breed any justice when shown!

Standard bred poultry is to be practical and useful but also beautiful!

You ask about size...note symmetrical and attractive would be wholly subjective to each person! You should be able to take a photo of the bird and with no way to judge the actual size of that bird...you should be able to blow it up or shrink it down and not alter the shape or attractiveness of the said bird...so long as you are within the weight parameters for the gender/age/breed.

Propagation of more...it is expected that the birds shown will make more of themselves...breeds are like peas in a pod and accepted in a certain shape....to be making more of the same...consistent predictable, recognizable forms. One should merely have to glance at the shape of the bird and KNOW what breed it is. Any breed may be any variety but the shape, mannerisms, and characteristics of the bird are what define it as the breed you are entering them to represent at the show.

Popular acceptance for the breed - you gotta study what is expected to be considered acceptable for the breed by attending shows in your area...that takes time and effort on your part to get a handle on. Popularity...a beauty show but also defined by being healthy and productive; meat & eggs in the Chantecler--more so than most breeds it is done in true reverence for the definition of the breed being "a fowl of vigorous and rustic temperament that could resist the climatic conditions of Canada, a "general purpose fowl," a good winter layer, and especially with comb and wattles reduced to minimum, qualities intended to give the new breed its typical character"...perhaps simply that the breed is expected by the majority to be seen in this certain expression...truly a heritage breed of chicken these sing brightly bockers!

Poultry is to be productive and vigorous...at the highest level...we are talking meat and eggs here in bountiful amounts from thriving birds. Poultry is to be consistent with true to breed type. Study your breed till it runs out your ears you are so full of exactly what the breed is suppose to be!


For me as a breeder, there are very distinct birds that are useful in what they have to offer...for example, there are breeder birds and there are show birds (many, many qualities in poultry like pets, entertainment, competitive entries, food, etc....). They are very often not the same birds.

A barren (sterile and past her breeding age prime!) pencilled hen is often an exquisite bird to show in the Partridge variety. She is old so her metabolism is slower and therefore she produces very precise feather patterns (crisp, clear distinct markings because feather growth is slow enough to lay down good pigments), she is not bothered by egg laying (not too droopy or distended in the body shape from egg laying, she does not have bleached pigments...if healthy, she should then have brilliant red facial gear, plus her shanks are brilliant yellow because she does not give that pigment away to her eggs any more!), she often moults quickly and keeps herself in grand feather condition because unlike the young stuff, she is not ripping around getting into mischief harvesting her viddles...she is more likely to be top hen so has the best spot to roost at night (beside the top male natch!), spends a considerable amount of her leisure time in grooming, and will have the prime choice tidbits to consume at her disposal. She is sensible and calm and well use to the routine at shows and in the coops.

You will need to train your birds to show; handled often and thoroughly desensitized to all the stressors at shows...the birds should all breeze through the exam in hand no problemo! An older bird should have been trained to approach the judge cage side and knows exactly what is expected of them. Loud noises (play a talk radio in the coops and barns!) with bright lights, and strange locations, calm not wild behaviours and demeanour, use to lots of passersby, confinement in a wire cage, unknown neighbours in close proximity to them...sharp wood chips for bedding, strange food and water, strange dispensers...etc....

I have photographed some show champions and always smirk when I find the ones that are nicely well trained...instantly you get the right shot because the bird has been trained and knows exactly how to pose--a great delight over the skiddish youthful entries from a novice that were obviously grabbed off the roost that morning, stuffed in a box and brought to the show...they simply have no idea what has just transpired and are certainly none too pleased about the day's undertakings! LOL

What does well at a show can be a bird that one would never EVER breed from. Especially if you are missing one important item from your flock that one bird has that you need to breed into your strain. A bird with a quality you are missing may be the ultimate star in your breeding pen the one year and not something you would even dream about showing. A breeder bird can be a bird that harbours no hidden noxious recessives but just such a bird with hidden faults in its future breeding life can make the best one to show because it simply does not matter breeding wise if you lose that bird because you showed it. Your most valued birds (for me) are the ones that I would never EVER risk showing because their value lies in making more of themselves...many, many more lil' images of the parents and in those ones (the kids), one might contemplate showing a son or daughter because safely at home...you can always continue to make more of the same!

On that theme...a serious and stern warning is in order. Showing a bird is never a trivial contemplation one takes up lightly without deep consideration of the consequences of YOUR actions and the risks you are running...

I never EVER show landfowl because all you need is one bird in the entire auditorium or show room to have Chronic Respiratory Disease and for that carrier bird to breath and infect the entire entry within that building. CRD is cruelly chronic and causes major issues for the poultry fancier; often the only solution is to cull as in kill your landfowl once they have been exposed to this disease; clean house and begin a new if you even have the heart to begin again after that severe lesson. Even if you are good about quarantining your birds for eight weeks after the show, it does not guarantee your birds have not become infected and will then infect your flock at home. Your decision, your risk, your choice. Some people keep birds only to show and are quite content to run this risk as it is part and parcel for the sport. For myself, breeding & maintaining healthy stocks are far more important than any prize from a show. My personal opinion and why I do not show landfowl...I don't show poultry or livestock period any more. I feel we have far too much to lose in my value system. We are a Conservation Farm and it is our duty to care for what relies on us to keep them safe.

When I showed dogs...I took my dog in to have the Kennel Cough vaccine...and then returned for the booster thinking "There, no worries!" HA! She came down with Kennel Cough from the show...how? Because I did not know that only five or six strains of Kennel Cough were in the vaccine and like the annual flu shot us humans can take...the vet I was using at the time was using a vaccine that did not cover the one that was at that dog show. Sheesh! I was not a happy camper at all...what made me grin in a very sick way was that the vet I used back then...was more than happy to sell me special food (rice based, what I could easily make up myself at home) for $5 a can...AGH! I have changed vets and the vet I have now is more than willing to tell me all the pros and cons of any vaccines I am inclined to THINK are fail safe. Showing is risky...not impossible to show and indeed a whole lot of FUN to show, but know your risks and accept the consequences to your decisions. Nothing worse than hearing that someone showed and never knew there could be bad things along with the goods.

At the very least if you insist on showing poultry ... begin a vaccination program for ILT (Infectious laryngotracheitis - herpes virus that is a highly contagious, respiratory disease of chickens, pheasants, pheasant crosses and peafowl which is spread "either by infected birds or other birds through mechanical means" read more at http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex2216 ).

You will need to do one initial vaccination for ILT and wait six weeks to do the booster and then your birds should be ready to be shown six weeks later...yeh, you need to plan to vac, wait six weeks, vac again and wait another six weeks for full protection (not ever 100% safe even then but better than sorry)...twelve weeks prior to the show. Contact a vet locally and get to know they can assist you with all this. My vet freaks if I mention showing...he says simply to me, "Do you want what everyone else has?" and I sheepishly reply NO and he just nods his head in agreement.

So three months of planning just to have ILT protection in place for these birds you plan to exhibit. Use the US vaccine as the old Canadian one makes the birds vaccinated carriers of ILT and explains how people that did not vaccinate up here kept coming home with birds to infect their flocks here. People made birds carriers and the unsuspecting persons then exposed their own exhibits to others that expressed the disease and there was, oh nine or ten people I know personally over that past 15 years that had the provincial government come in and wipe out as in kill their entire landfowl. Waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) don't get ILT but can carry it home on their very feathers to infect landfowl...so I use to wash all my waterfowl in Stones Surgical Soap (nfi) before quarantining them for eight weeks--even then there were huge risks to have happen.

I am somewhat frank and to the point about the risks of showing...

You may have birds stolen, they may die or be injured...they can come home with diseases or you can carry home diseases on yourself...ILT can be harboured in your own nostrils for 24 hours...so gargle with bleach and zit yourself in the eyes with Lysol...bwah ha ha...<---I am totally joking here!

You are, after all, paying and going to get the opinion of one person (a judge) that may or may not agree with your interpretation of the Standard. I had one sanctioned judge tell me that bantam East Indie Ducks were to have "snake heads" to which I disagree...that is what Mallard ducks are to have "rather long"...Indies are to have heads "small, oval, a moderate crown rising from the skull. Refined, not racy." An Indie is in between a Mallard and a Call (small and round with chub cheekies!) shaped head...obviously I did not hold the judged placement of my Indies in that class in any high esteem. People are people and we are all entitled to our own opinions and politics too...I say what I say and you are free to take the advice as you choose. I have even seen sanctioned judges put up Chanteclers with rose combs...not cushion combs as the breed is suppose to have.

This breed is not as well known as one would hope and sometimes mistakes occur when judges are not familiar with the breed. I have had dog judges from the country of origin tell me Australian Cattle Dogs may have not black noses...it is up to US to know our Standards thru and thru...not necessarily going to happen at even a sanctioned show. Your true guide is the SOP and your interpretation of those words as you perceive them to be. Best advice...invest in the book of rules and get to know the rules for yourself.

Go have fun at the show! Just don't drag home any misery because you were not forewarned and aware of the dangers...when I showed waterfowl, we did it educated and aware of the risks...and we had lots of FUN doing it!

DO go have some fun at whatever endeavours you choose to pursue!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[ChickenMack]

CanuckBock-Thank you so much for your message. I have thoroughly read the SOP, and as you said, how do they define "reddish bay"? Lol indeed! So after reading your post, I ultimately decided to postpone showing my birds, this is an APA/ABA show in Vancouver, WA. I can take them in April if I feel they are better prepared. I am going to attend though and take notes on the birds I see as well as look into getting NPIP certified. I really do appreciate your taking the time to give me such thorough information, it is priceless.

 

[CanuckBock]

CanuckBock-Thank you so much for your message. I have thoroughly read the SOP, and as you said, how do they define "reddish bay"? Lol indeed! So after reading your post, I ultimately decided to postpone showing my birds, this is an APA/ABA show in Vancouver, WA. I can take them in April if I feel they are better prepared. I am going to attend though and take notes on the birds I see as well as look into getting NPIP certified. I really do appreciate your taking the time to give me such thorough information, it is priceless.

Glad I was able to assist you.

The APA/ABA Youth Program website has lots of good info on show stuff...meant for youth but <<whispering>> good for all ages! I was Canadian Adviser and just adore all the info packed in there!

http://www.apa-abayouthpoultryclub.org/educational_material.htm

Basics for the Showroom is a good place to start...even assists you in filling out the entry form which can be a ginormous undertaking for those not so show room lingo exposed! LOL We spend an entire meeting at our exhibition poultry club on just how to fill out an entry form for showing...so it is daunting at first but never EVER impossible--once you got it...you GET IT!

Some further off the top of my head thoughts...

So of course, I think you attending the show is a fab opportunity to do some first hands-on learning for you.

Find out when the judging takes place...often you may stand back at a respectable distance and observe & listen! See the judge doing their work. It is wonderful to witness and helps you understand what goes on at the show. AFTER all the judging is over...you sometimes find a judge that will be willing to go over the birds they judged. You may ask polite questions and learn huge amounts...but find out from the show organizers or the show clerk for the judge (the person that tallies up all the points and what the judge is doing; basically an assistant to what the judge is doing to compliment their job). Sometimes at the larger shows, there are several judges...find out which judge is judging what you are interested in (Chanteclers are in the American Class with APA and in All Other Combs Clean Legged Bantams (AOCCL) with ABA for bantams). Realize that any conversing with a judge BEFORE judging if you have entered birds would be considered unethical. We never want to seem to have influenced a judge in any way, sort, or fashion.

Keep in mind that before the judging, exhibitors may be busy getting their entries ready...but after the judging (big sigh of relief!), people have more time to chit chat and network. Sometimes offering to buy a round of coffee or some cold pops at the concession is a very welcomed polite way to say, "Hello...I'm new and I'd like to link up with you guys!" Offering to help tear down after the show is welcomed too as some of the people that volunteer at these functions have SO much on the go that a set of extra hands are very happily received. Good way to learn too by seeing some of the more intricate goings on at the shows. Sometimes you can offer to feed and water the birds if the show is over several days. Then you really can interact and SEE the birds and such! If you can spare the time, offer to help set up too BEFORE the show, as this is a grand way to learn. Usually you may ask about this when entering your birds for exhibiting but since you already know about this show, just re-contact whomever you would to enter and they can link you up from there. If you are any distance away and have to travel to the show...people understand you cannot always be there early to help out but tear down is still fun!

Ask if you may take photos of the birds at the show. Usually I asked the owners of the birds AFTER all the judging was completed. By looking at the coop cards AFTER judging, the portion that says who the birds belongs to is revealed (covered over during judging, of course!) and sometimes the Show Clerks know the exhibitors and may introduce you to each other. Photos are great and combined with notes on what placement and where the birds originated from...a good thing to reflect back on. Kinda a neat historical record!

I try to make time if I enter birds to take photos of them. Time flies when you are having fun and photos are a good way to see where you were at...years down the line!

I know these are not Chants...as I have mentioned, never showed landfowl at all...

Best Trio of Grey Calls in Show and Best & Reserve in Variety - 2008
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I so laughed at the two females in my trio...

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They are nagging the male Call in tandem...no wonder they made up a good trio...peas in a pod those bad bad girls!

Reserve in Call Duck Breed unrecognized variety Blue Fawn - 2006
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I have many Rosy babies...I can see her in her offspring...even years later in the great great <oh heavens...> whatever great grandducklings 2014 is from 2006 in generations!

Reserve in East Indie Duck Breed - 2008
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There is just SO much to do & see at the shows but I figure the birds are all purdy so may as well try to capture the moment and take photos.


Wear clothing, jacket/hat, footwear that may be washed and sanitized when you return home. I even go to the length of showering and changing my clothing/footwear BEFORE I go home. I Lysol (nfi) my vehicle tires too some distance after we leave the show grounds. It is what we do and you do NOT have to do this but know others do.

I had a friend in birds that judged a non-sanctioned show...they returned home, in a hurry after a looong day and never bothered to change clothes and bath/shower. They unwittenly carried home ILT on themselves (they never showed a bird or brought any to or from the show) causing their entire flock of landfowl to become infected with ILT and then the birds were all culled by the government. Very hard lesson to learn and I hope never to experience something like this. It is serious but you can still have some FUN...just be sensibly cautious.


I would be most excited to hear back from you on what you think of the Chanteclers at the show you will attend. If you do not mind, would love to see a few pics posted here along with your thoughts and comments. A great way to learn and see with new eyes is to hear from others that attend the shows. Some of the most unbias reports are the most enlightening. I am always amazed at the simple wisdom newcomers have...when someone new to my dog breed called my one dog "TAN" instead of RED...it opened up a window of thought that did prove (DNA colour test!) that HE WAS a "Blue, Black and Tan" dog for that breed...but he could not express black pigments...he was indeed a TAN coloured BLUE dog because of some recessive genetics that lined up to prevent the black. Basically, a dog in his pyjamas was what he was! I had too much dog breed garbage lingo in my way to see reality for what it was for a newcomer.

Have lots and lots of FUN at the show and don't forget about those of us waiting in the WINGS to hear how it went for you!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[chrisofelora]

The partridge chantecler (developed in alberta) is different from the white chantecler (developed in Quebec). Not the same at all. Here's a link to the origins http://www.chanteclerfanciersinternational.org/ which may explain why there are such different opinions on these birds. I have a partidge chantecler hen and she is very calm and gets along well with the rest of the hens. good layer when she's not broody. I live in Canada, so this is a good breed for our cold winters. Gorgeous bird. I'm a fan.

 

[CanuckBock]

The partridge chantecler (developed in alberta) is different from the white chantecler (developed in Quebec). Not the same at all. Here's a link to the origins http://www.chanteclerfanciersinternational.org/ which may explain why there are such different opinions on these birds. I have a partidge chantecler hen and she is very calm and gets along well with the rest of the hens. good layer when she's not broody. I live in Canada, so this is a good breed for our cold winters. Gorgeous bird. I'm a fan.

Nice to see you are a fan of the Chantecler breed.

I think it would be unfair to believe that any individual bird would or even should be fit into one rigid set of criterion on what a breed should be or should not be...pending subjective things like broodiness, temperament, efficiency, vigour, etc. There are just too many variables within ONE bird for a "fits all" template to always work in some of these categories. There are probably as many opinions on a breed of poultry as there are people that own them. A great example is to ask someone to define what a GOOD CHICKEN is...simply put, define the word "good?"

I have Chants that give us Jumbo sized decent quality eggs in February...having produced eggs for us daily starting in the middle of November (hatched in June) and their sibling cockerels give us a 7 pound carcass at five months. I consider this kind of productiveness GOOD...good for my family and I but does the next flock of Chants figure the same...??


According to the Standards of Perfection, a breed may be any variety. Breed is shape, similar weights, and unique characteristics that replicate truly...variety is merely a subdivision of a breed by colour pattern which may or may not include different combs, beards and muffs or not, etc. The exact same words are used to describe the Chantecler, no matter what colour variety that chicken breed is and that is exactly how a sanctioned judge will judge your Chantecler. The worded description is what is used to define the breed and the variety within that breed.

Albertans were produced in Buff, Partridge, Red, Black, White and Columbian...not just the Partridge. As I have mentioned...any breed may be any variety.

Now if you perhaps are interested in the "pedigree" of Partridge or White or Red or Buff or Barred Chanteclers, realize that exhibition SOP compliant poultry are not judged by their possession of a pedigree or even IF they are from pedigreed ancestors. I am quite at liberty, if I so choose to, breed an Old English Game to an Ayam Cemani and enter those progeny as Chanteclers at a sanctioned show and if by some slim chance (to none probably!) they DID resemble the SOP words used to describe what a Chantecler chicken should be...well Bob's yer Uncle...we might actually see that bird place in the class for Chanteclers with those two breeds of chickens as the parents.

There are NO pedigree police past maybe if you wanted to use the ALBC title "heritage" label for your chickens. There is no association in APA or ABA that traces lineage in poultry like one might find say in purebred canines (CKC or AKC) or ovines (CLRC)... There is NO registry or organizational body that DNA validates the "purity" of our birds (and keeps a stud book) but if you truly want to know the history of these two varieties of the Chantecler...by all means you are entitled to an answer to explain why both the Partridge and the White Chanteclers are indeed the same BREED.


The originator of the Albertan breed moved from Alberta to Ontario, taking his birds with him. The good doctor decided to return back to Alberta and left those Partridge Albertans in Ontario. The Albertans almost went extinct and were rescued by Andrè Auclair. Monsieur Auclair instilled Oka White Chanteclers into what was left of the Partridge Albertans (terribly inbred with duck foot and poor shank colouring) getting Black Sports out of the initial cross. He kept the Oka x Albertan "Partridge" line going using them as a home flock for eggs for his own family until he felt they were decent representations of the variety and breed once again. Some of these Partridge Chanteclers were sent to Adrienne Blankenship of the USA (Chantecler Club of North America)...Albertans and Oka Chanteclers are pretty much one and the same BREED because of this GREAT act of kindness to save the Partridge variety.


The article you supplied a link to on the history of the Chantecler needs to be revised as it does not include the information that Brother Wilfrid's published obituary contains about the FULL story on how Oka Chanteclers were made and which breeds were used to make this composite breed. CFI has had this information given to them...why they are not using it is puzzling.

Bro W continued to improve the Chantecler AFTER APA recognition in 1921 and I suppose, we now have SOP Chants (1921), Oka Chants (1930), and still other Chants in varieties like Buff (1980's - Walter Franklin made this variety using a different recipe...but these are not a different BREED because of colour variety either!) and Reds that are not yet recognized...IF I was so inclined to use "pedigrees" in chickens to determine if they were a certain breed/variety, I think I would not be too happy with any of this!

You will find that many of us Chantecler breeders DO keep track of lineage, but we do this because we like to know what strains are working and what lines are not working together. We trace our successes and our failures pretty much but we are not keeping pedigrees to have them officially registered!


AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
May 1963 - Frere Wilfrid (Wilfrid Chatelain):

The Chanteclers that are compliant to the history recorded by the APA SOP are not the same as the Oka Chanteclers that Bro W created; there are breeds missing. Where are the WRI and the White Leghorn?? Because the White Chantecler was accepted by APA in 1921 (Partridge in 1935), this completely explains what happened since Bro W kept adding breeds right on into 1930. In 1925 after adding the one WRI breed in 1923...Wilfrid hatched out over 7,400 Chants. If I wanted to be a real nit picker...I would say we have more than ONE WHITE CHANTECLER chicken on the go...what a pickle of a situation that could be, eh?

For further enlightenment ...

http://breedsavers.blogspot.ca/2011/04/chantecler-canadas-chicken-breed.html

Cameron lists the full obituary and some other quite interesting articles on the Chantecler.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[Shello]

Tara,

Would you be willing to share where you obtained your foundation Partridge Chantecler?

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara,

Would you be willing to share where you obtained your foundation Partridge Chantecler?

Why?