Dong tao chicks

[Chickeria]

Yes that's true, but Dong Tao are not as easy to breed. No single breeder can reach a ton of sales with them (at least in Europe where I am) because they don't get a ton of chicks.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes that's true, but Dong Tao are not as easy to breed. No single breeder can reach a ton of sales with them (at least in Europe where I am) because they don't get a ton of chicks.

Oh, okay. Didn't know that. Are they periodic layers then?

 

[Chickeria]

From what I know there are several causes. In general (so adults as well) they need more warmth and consistent temperatures (little bit like Ko Shamo who would need heat source where I am right now - we are having 0° C today, both breed's origin is Asia where it is more hot and humid, no cold winters, no freezing temperatures; they don't have much fluffy feathers to keep them warm and parts of the body aren't featherd. What I have heard there have been some losses because of bad/unsuitable weather). From my observation it seems more difficult to get hens - as I understand there are more males hatching. So if someone has a breeding pair and lost the hen, it is very difficult to find a new single hen. To find a male seems to be a lot easier. Sometimes the eggs are cracked by the hen/broody because of the strong legs.
- I'm no expert, those are just the results of my investigations over several month.

 

[Chickeria]

...Could also be possible there are not more males hatching but that it is more common to sell pairs so a breeder doesn't end up with a lot of males without enough females

 

[MROO]

That's true, but I also know some people once they have that breed everyone is looking fir, will sell rather cheap so they can make a ton of sales super fast. Totally undercuts everything, but they're taking in profits for a little bit at least. It's what happened with the Cemanis

According to reviews, dong tao are difficult to breed and hard to hatch ... neither of which adds up to fast and easy profits. I wish! We could ALL be rich!

 

[MROO]

Just because it's listed as rare doesn't mean that everyone's going to want to raise them unfortunately. I've looked at that list and frankly hardly any of them are interesting to me and the ones I like are impossible to get unless I personally drive across the country and pay a small fortune for a single nonstandard male

Plus almost half of that list are avaliable as hatchery stock. I have one of those breeds already and more on the way.

Actually, having them show up on a hatchery's stock list is a good thing It means that people have taken notice and there's hope for the breed! Nankins are available at a hatchery, too, but the birds look like an outcross. It takes several generations to get them close to SOP ... still, it's a start!
Australorps, Brahmas, Cochins, Heritage Leghorns (not the commercial cross) Plymouth Rock and Sussex al started out higher on the CP list, but have moved past "Watch" to "Recovering" status. Pretty much everyone with a mixed laying flock has an Australorp and or a Cochin - and Speckled Sussex are getting much more common, now. I guess that means we're doing something right! If I had more space, there are quite a few rare breeds I'd like to keep ... like the Cubalaya and Sultans and maybe some more Jersey Giants and New Hampshire Reds to match up with my two Kindergarten Rescues (two of the sweetest hens I've got!)
Chicken Math is real ... and I'm convinced that it's NOT a hobby ... it's a DISEASE!

EDIT to correct wording error!

 

[MROO]

Oh, okay. Didn't know that. Are they periodic layers then?

Apparently, a lot of the problems are a result of their body conformation ... It's physically difficult to "do the deed!"

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Actually, having them show up on a hatchery's stock list is a good thing It means that people have taken notice and there's hope for the breed! Nankins are available at a hatchery, too, but the birds look like an outcross. It takes several generations to get them close to SOP ... still, it's a start!
Australorps, Brahmas, Cochins, Heritage Leghorns (not the commercial cross) Plymouth Rock and Sussex al started out higher on the CP list, but have moved past "Recovering" to "Watch" status. Pretty much everyone with a mixed laying flock has an Australorp and or a Cochin - and Speckled Sussex are getting much more common, now. I guess that means we're doing something right! If I had more space, there are quite a few rare breeds I'd like to keep ... like the Cubalaya and Sultans and maybe some more Jersey Giants and New Hampshire Reds to match up with my two Kindergarten Rescues (two of the sweetest hens I've got!)
Chicken Math is real ... and I'm convinced that it's NOT a hobby ... it's a DISEASE!

Im not saying it's a bad thing they're in a hatchery, I'm just saying I wouldn't call them rare at that point or honestly even threatened

 

[MROO]

Im not saying it's a bad thing they're in a hatchery, I'm just saying I wouldn't call them rare at that point or honestly even threatened

Ahhh, but they ARE! The Livestock Conservancy does a series of in-depth Censuses. I use them in a classroom presentation on Breed Conservation. My main focus is chickens, but only because they're easily portable My other demonstration option is a Guernsey dairy cow, but they don't travel well in a minivan, don't always fit through a classroom door and they definitely do NOT like elevators!
Here's the link to the most Poultry Census - 2016. While the text and numbers are interesting, the charts are kinda scary.

https://livestockconservancy.org/im...sus_write_up_-_with_charts_-_Final_lowres.pdf

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ahhh, but they ARE! The Livestock Conservancy does a series of in-depth Censuses. I use them in a classroom presentation on Breed Conservation. My main focus is chickens, but only because they're easily portable My other demonstration option is a Guernsey dairy cow, but they don't travel well in a minivan, don't always fit through a classroom door and they definitely do NOT like elevators!
Here's the link to the most Poultry Census - 2016. While the text and numbers are interesting, the charts are kinda scary.

https://livestockconservancy.org/im...sus_write_up_-_with_charts_-_Final_lowres.pdf

I've never heard of a census for anything but people, horses, and dogs

Seems like they would be more avaliable if they wanted to have a accurate number of what is actually around