CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

I'm impressed with your Barnies!

I sure do like the one with the cage background. I know her topline was a bit like a U but still beautiful lacing.

Do they carry triple lacing? I've heard of double lacings on Barnvelders but not triple lacings.

Does anyone know about the origin of the imported USA Barnies? Are they mostly from one source (one breeder)? Was it British, German or Dutch?

I am sure someone can distinguish the differences in the Barnvelders (like they did for the Welsummers).


Such interesting breed! NO! I am not interested in getting some but I sure love to read up on them!

Back around 1985 I imported a trio of Barnevelders from Horst Greczmiehl in British Columbia, and I lost all the offspring (about 50 all told) to Marek's. Hans Schippers gave me some 1930s literature from the Netherlands, which referred to their high susceptibility to Marek's, so I vaccinated the next spring and was able to raise a few. They were rather small in size, but a build that might suggest India Game blood, and the single comb was too small and "thick" to my taste. I lost the foundation cock during a dog raid, and Hans Schippers critiqued the few hens I had left when he visited with me that year. He subsequently sent me some hatching eggs from top breeders in the Netherlands, and I had a pretty nice flock for a few years, but their eggs were rather pale compared to the original imports from Canada. Also, I still had to keep vaccinating. Because of such a narrow gene pool I think they became less robust with each new hatch, and I eventually sold the few I had left. I preferred the type that came out of the Dutch eggs (longer, more slender neck, higher tail set, and a nicer comb) to the others I saw. Several breeders (I think all of them immigrants from Germany) in British Columbia kept showing them, but they all appeared similar to the ones I originally had. Other breeders here in the US (Erhard Weizs, among others, I think) also acquired the breed, but I don't know from where. By the way, all the males had black breasts as far as I can remember, so I don't really know why the standard came out the way it did. This is what little I know about the breed.

 

[Bama1]

Splash

 

[championsumatra]

Wow lovely splash!

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Andy i like #8 could you tell me his age mine are only 3 months old!! Something to look forward to
Annette

I would only be guessing since I can't remember how old when the pic was taken. He was mature. Maybe 7 mos

 

[Happy Chooks]

Great pictures Andy, thanks for sharing!

WOW on #5, holy heck, he knows he's a handsome fella! My question is the SOP reads that they should have slight red on the neck and saddle area, so would this boy have too much red then? But geez, he's stunning. Is he bantam or LF?

Mine are more mahogany colored, like #3.

I like the rounded breast on #6. #8 is a really nice looking boy as well - but would he also be a bit to red?

Also on tails, which is preferred? The SOP says full with a graceful, uniform sweep and carried high, up to 50 degrees. In my mind, I'm thinking this tail is preferable to:

this tail:

Am I correct in my assumption? I know you show your birds - so I'd love to hear your experience on them. I'm noticing that some of my 4 month old cockerels have shorter tails and some longer tails. I'm wondering how this will express itself as they become adults.

They are all beautiful, but have subtle differences, which makes it difficult to see what we should be aiming for in the SOP.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Splash

Nice looking boy. Are his wings normally that low?

 

[Bama1]

Nice looking boy.  Are his wings normally that low?

Thanks, I like all the colors and the "lacing" on his chest. I didnt notice until you said something about it, his wing looks funny its almost straight down in the pic! I had to go look. Its not pointed down like that. When I took that photo he was hiding his hens behind him and strutting and clucking at me.

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Great pictures Andy, thanks for sharing!

WOW on #5, holy heck, he knows he's a handsome fella! My question is the SOP reads that they should have slight red on the neck and saddle area, so would this boy have too much red then? But geez, he's stunning. Is he bantam or LF?

Mine are more mahogany colored, like #3.

I like the rounded breast on #6. #8 is a really nice looking boy as well - but would he also be a bit to red?

Also on tails, which is preferred? The SOP says full with a graceful, uniform sweep and carried high, up to 50 degrees. In my mind, I'm thinking this tail is preferable to:

this tail:

Am I correct in my assumption? I know you show your birds - so I'd love to hear your experience on them. I'm noticing that some of my 4 month old cockerels have shorter tails and some longer tails. I'm wondering how this will express itself as they become adults.

They are all beautiful, but have subtle differences, which makes it difficult to see what we should be aiming for in the SOP.

Thanks, I think they are all pretty too, but each has strengths and weaknesses in regards to standard. I would rather let others comment before I reveal too much about these 8 boys. I will say that one bird is pictured twice (so really there are 7 roosters) and the angle of the shot really makes a difference in the impression. I will say these are all large fowl, I do not own any bantam Barnies. The standard is qualitative and sometimes qualities like graceful are hard to measure. In my opinion a graceful uniform sweep is achieved more by the bottom rooster in these two pictures. The top rooster in my opinion has a more angled tail where it leaves his back. This top looks more like the German style roosters I have seen in pictures. The bottom rooster has a top line I consider characteristically U-shaped of the Barnevelder cock. However, that being said, I would pick the top bird for my breeding pens because he is overall a better bird, his red balance is better, his tail is fuller, he has a broad chest, nicer comb etc. That handsome guy in the lower photo throws pullets that are too dark, too wide lacing to look very dark. My breeding pullets and hens are much more cookie cutter (uniform) than the roosters are.

This spring I used two roosters in my Barnevelder pens, one of them is the top rooster and the other was very similar except it had a better U-shaped back. Nice if you don't have to choose and get to see who begets whom.

So any comments will be well received, and I am not sensitive as long as you keep your comments to the birds and not the guy who hauls them feed and water.

Andy

 

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

Great pictures Andy, thanks for sharing!

WOW on #5, holy heck, he knows he's a handsome fella! My question is the SOP reads that they should have slight red on the neck and saddle area, so would this boy have too much red then? But geez, he's stunning. Is he bantam or LF?

Mine are more mahogany colored, like #3.

I like the rounded breast on #6. #8 is a really nice looking boy as well - but would he also be a bit to red?

Also on tails, which is preferred? The SOP says full with a graceful, uniform sweep and carried high, up to 50 degrees. In my mind, I'm thinking this tail is preferable to:

this tail:

Am I correct in my assumption? I know you show your birds - so I'd love to hear your experience on them. I'm noticing that some of my 4 month old cockerels have shorter tails and some longer tails. I'm wondering how this will express itself as they become adults.

They are all beautiful, but have subtle differences, which makes it difficult to see what we should be aiming for in the SOP.

I totally disagree. I think the bird with the higher tail is the better one. 50 degrees should be the ideal, and the one with the higher tail set still does not show more than 40 - 45 degrees.

 

[RachaelS]

Okay so not an expert at all, so all of this is GUT reaction:

Quote: