cubalaya, kraienkoppe.

[fowlsessed]

But don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to quite talk about quality and everything else. I need to learn all i can.

 

[Gresh]

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Koppes are mild-mannered around humans and birds from the purest stock will bond with their owners, sometimes following them like puppies. Purebred Koppes should be calm birds, but alert, like Orientals. The problem with a lot of American "Koppes" is that they are too flighty and will occasionally get aggressive. Pure Koppes will not be this way.

Koppes thrive in both heat and cold, are very disease-resistant, tend towards broodiness in some lines, and are excellent free-rangers, able to fly fairly well and also to put up a fight against predators (though, of course, they won't always win). Koppes lay eggs fairly frequently due to crosses involving Leghorns in the early 20th century, which helped develop the modern Kraienkoppe. Strains in Europe are reported to not tend towards broodiness, but I personally favor the broodiness of American strains because it hails the Kraienkoppe's gamefowl ancestry.

True Koppes will look very much like Orientals and should not resemble Leghorns or Old English Games to any significant extend. Though these latter two breeds are included in the Koppe's ancestry, the predominant ancestor used in the Koppe's genesis is the Malay and/or the Pheasant Malay from Southeast Asia. It is the influence of Malay blood that graces the Kraienkoppe with its disease-resistance and relative gentleness around humans.

Pure Koppes, as I've said, are very rare here in the States, and acquiring them is almost impossible. IDEAL Poultry once had fairly nice Kraienkoppes due to the fact that the parent stock originated from true Dutch stock, but recent rumors about IDEAL crossing the Koppe with poor-quality Malays and Old English Games has dissuaded me from considering them. Craig Russell was one of the last remaining sources of good stock here in the States, but the SPCA recently raided his property on false charges of animal cruelty and confiscated roughly 150 birds. Not many people know if Russell still has his Koppes.

Hope that helps.

 

[bigb-71]

As a breed i love them at frist they where flyity but now they are much better they bit at everything they see thats just them they want to try everything they fly very good they are easy keepers lay pretty good to easy to work with and around they seem to like people . i like them alot and i think its worth my time to see if i can help bring the breed back a little to its standard they are a great breed !
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[Gresh]

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Hey, Big B! Did you ever get a cock to go with your pullets? Would love to see him if you did.

 

[wood&feathers]

I don't know much about the 'koppes, but am very much pleased with my cubalayas. It is like having a flock of ballet dancers in my yard. I have also been surprised with their laying abilities, both frequency and egg size. My pullets started out laying PEEWEE eggs, and are now up to a medium+.

I have only three, a trio. The hens are quite different from one another. One is nearly silent and a bit skittish. But she is the one that shadows the dog and challenges intruders. She also clung to the rope at the top of the feed bucket like a parrot, playing with the knot until she untied it and it fell. The other hen is VERY noisy, and when she was POL she would sing the egg song 5x a day. She is the one who will jump in my lap and follow me around. The rooster is respectful of people, but not a lap bird.

Right now they are cleaning up post deer processing. They are hilarious to watch as they feed, then stop and groom, then PLAY. It is like they are caffeinated or something, play fighting, flying 8' straight up, running crazy circles. Then nap, and start eating again. They are simply a pleasure to watch.

 

[wood&feathers]

Oh, forgot to add that I bought the trio from a Virginia gentleman on here, cubalaya .

 

[fowlsessed]

Good info everyone, keep it coming!

 

[All-American-Chick]

we have a silver koppe from ideal.we bought her last year.
she is docile but not a lap chicken.she will follow us around and watch what we are doing.we can hold her but im not sure how much she really like it.
never once attached or flighty.
this is our 3 yrs with her koppe called"mickey Love"
just noticed how sad the baby looks in this picture.

one on the ground

 

[Gresh]

Quote:
Wow, that's a very nice-looking Kraienkoppe hen! I'm not an expert when it comes to Koppes, but she seems to have enough good points to redirect my attention to IDEAL's stock.

 

[wildchkin]

I have had kraienkoppes for a few years now, got them from Ideal. some of them are good quality and look like pictures in german and dutch websites, but do not weigh as much. They lay very well, all winter long but you need a broody cage because they go broody often. the upside is that they will raise the next generation.