you know about 10 pages or more back I was asking for advise on EXACTLY this. And I got nothing but flack, except from a VERY few. It actually took 2 pages to get my simple question answered, and here we are. You do what I have been working on in my birds. Thank you for doing what you do, and I'm glad to see I have been doing much of what you do before I even found this thread. I'm really looking forward to your book. As great as this thread is it is difficult to re reference material. A book I can hold in my hand would be much nicer.I'm wondering if the fellas who are developing these heritage breed flocks are incorporating that concept into their flock's genetics and husbandry methods? Heritage..meaning those first chickens brought over on the boat and then developed into specific breed lines/types. I can guarantee that there was no formulated feed recipe fed to those flocks back then. They foraged, primarily.
In my flock I have a mix of breeds that are considered heritage breeds, though they be from hatchery stock. Then I cull from those birds to get the most hardy, best producing birds from THAT breed in my flock. I'm actually just turning that so-called inferior hatchery stock around to produce birds that have the necessary instincts and genetics to forage for their foods and thrive on natural husbandry...which are the true characteristics of heritage breeds.
The SOP describes a certain physical standard but that's as far as it goes. Where did that physical standard originate? From birds that had a deep chest for a reason or hens that had wide bottoms for a reason...not just because it looks good or proper in our eyes. All those physical standards developed from the need to survive and thrive and produce. It almost follows that 99% of the birds judged on that original SOP were because these birds~firstly~were the big producers and hardy flock members and then someone noticed that all those type birds had this or that physical characteristic. You can count on most hens with wide pelvises to be good egg producers just because they are structurally built for it...not all big bottom gals are good producers but most good producers are big bottom gals. Like me!![]()
It seems a shame to produce birds that are SOP proper without going a bit further and using those standards to let them live the way for which those standards were developed. I'm sure that most of it is that not many of us live in ideal foraging situations and must do the best we can...but what if we MADE ideal foraging conditions by developing woodlots and pasture to promote optimal insect and herbal life? Is it worth it to work that hard? Heck, if you're retired and you have time on your hands for a hobby like breeding birds, why not spend the extra time to develop them even further? It would be cool to try!