Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[ozexpat]

I am so disappointed to hear that the mille fleur is being discouraged. I prefer them! As I understood it, the land race bit meant they could be any mix of color/pattern. If you breed out the mille fleur or if you breed only one accepted standard then aren't you changing something fundamental about them?? Having a standard isn't all its cracked up to be. I realize this might be a way to popularize them through show but.... seems like a loss to me.

if you want to call it a basque, then it has to look like a basque

 

[ddpbk1]

Maybe I'm wrong but there are several different versions of coloring that are acceptable for this breed of chicken correct and Marraduna is just one of the colors?

 

[1muttsfan]

There are birds that will live up to the Standard, and those that don't. Often people breed birds for reasons other than showing. For there to be acceptance into the APA, there has to be a certain type, and enough of them to be shown at major shows to allow the APA to accept them into the standards. So we need enough breeders breeding true to type to do this.

Then there are people who breed, but not necessarily to strict appearance standards. They may like a certain look, or have birds that excel in egg laying, temperament or foraging ability. Basques are not truly a landrace breed, they were selected and bred for a certain type in their native region from landrace fowl, but have a set standard in Spain.
Good article on Landrace -
http://greenfirefarms.com/2011/08/playing-the-landrace-card/

And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landrace

As far as limiting breeding to only those who are "experts" or are strictly breeding to a certain standard, that will never happen. People are free to breed their birds as they see fit, this is how new colors and even breeds have come about. And consumers are free to get birds from wherever they choose - and will hopefully make that decision based on the qualities that attract them to that breed in the first place.

 

[mzstre]

I am so disappointed to hear that the mille fleur is being discouraged.  I prefer them!  As I understood it, the land race bit meant they could be any mix of color/pattern.  If you breed out the mille fleur or if you breed only one accepted standard then aren't you changing something fundamental about them??  Having a standard isn't all its cracked up to be.  I realize this might be a way to popularize them through show but.... seems like a loss to me.

 

If you truly love the MF pattern, I say work on it as a project color. MF isn't one of the "recognized" colors of Basque, but I think it's beautiful as well. First and foremost though - if you decide to work on the MFs, please be sure the type is there.

For those of you working solely on the Marraduna color- would you use a bird with MF pattern in your breeding program if it has very good type? One of my most beautiful pullets growing out has the MF pattern, but she has better type than any one I've grown out so far. She has a nice head, great size and a nice open tail. I have her in with my laying flock, but I sure would like to see some of her chicks. I just don't know enough about genetics to know how difficult it would be to get chicks with the proper coloring from her.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:

I am so disappointed to hear that the mille fleur is being discouraged. I prefer them! As I understood it, the land race bit meant they could be any mix of color/pattern. If you breed out the mille fleur or if you breed only one accepted standard then aren't you changing something fundamental about them?? Having a standard isn't all its cracked up to be. I realize this might be a way to popularize them through show but.... seems like a loss to me.

The pattern only matters if for showing. It is like white Cream Legbars--they are not in the British Standard and the British cull them. Here they are being sought out.

I like the Mille Fleur pattern too! I have one and she is my favorite of the Basque.

 

[ddpbk1]

I put 19 egss out of 26 shipped eggs into lockdown on the 22nd and 14 are hatching or hatched since yesterday morning. They are Basque hens and doing great. After my last hatch where 7 out the 14 of SFH eggs that went into lockdown and nothing, this has helped the confidence. Not a bad hatch for shipped eggs, the ones from Florida are doing better than the ones from Texas. I thought it would be the other way.
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[ronott1]

I put 19 egss out of 26 shipped eggs into lockdown on the 22nd and 14 are hatching or hatched since yesterday morning. They are Basque hens and doing great. After my last hatch where 7 out the 14 of SFH eggs that went into lockdown and nothing, this has helped the confidence. Not a bad hatch for shipped eggs, the ones from Florida are doing better than the ones from Texas. I thought it would be the other way.
ReplyQuote Multi

The ones from Florida were probably packed better.

Congratulations of the hatch!

 

[1muttsfan]

Mottle and Mille Fleur are based on the mottle gene (Mo/mo), with additional modifiers to enhance or restrict color. Since it is recessive, meaning that birds with mottling are mo/mo, it could easily be removed visually, but not so easily genetically. you could have birds that carried it but did not appear mottled (Mo/mo). It could be removed similar to the way white legs can be bred out quickly by crossing to a yellow-legged bird. So if you had and excellent hen, she could be crossed with a normal-color rooster and would be expected to have chicks that did not show a mottle pattern.

 

[ronott1]

Mottle and Mille Fleur are based on the mottle gene (Mo/mo), with additional modifiers to enhance or restrict color. Since it is recessive, meaning that birds with mottling are mo/mo, it could easily be removed visually, but not so easily genetically. you could have birds that carried it but did not appear mottled (Mo/mo). It could be removed similar to the way white legs can be bred out quickly by crossing to a yellow-legged bird. So if you had and excellent hen, she could be crossed with a normal-color rooster and would be expected to have chicks that did not show a mottle pattern.

Mine has wonderful legs and a great body shape. The comb looks good too. She probably would work well for shaping up the body.

 

[mzstre]

Mottle and Mille Fleur are based on the mottle gene (Mo/mo), with additional modifiers to enhance or restrict color.  Since it is recessive, meaning that birds with mottling are mo/mo, it could easily be removed visually, but not so easily genetically.  you could have birds that carried it but did not appear mottled (Mo/mo).  It could be removed similar to the way white legs can be bred out quickly by crossing to a yellow-legged bird. So if  you had and excellent hen, she could be crossed with a normal-color rooster and would be expected to have chicks that did not show a mottle pattern.

Thank you! I wish there was a class I could take locally for chicken genetics lol.