Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[gjensen]

I agree that they'd need to come from a breeder. I would not have the time to put into breeding them right now, just want a couple for white eggs to make the wife happy.

@Regin What would you like to hear? I would like to stay within the scope of this thread.

@gjensen thanks for the info. Do you recall the names of any of the American White Egg breeds? The Domineckers were popular around our area before grandma was born. Some of the country boys around here still refer to barred chickens as Domineckers.

The American breeds that laid white eggs was the Holland (Barred and White), and Lamona. As far as I know, only the Barred Hollands are still available. Then they are in poor shape, like many rare breeds.

 

[ronott1]

The American breeds that laid white eggs was the Holland (Barred and White), and Lamona. As far as I know, only the Barred Hollands are still available. Then they are in poor shape, like many rare breeds.

There may be some Lamona chickens in Illinois:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/518722/lamona-chicken-fanciers-thread/190#post_14784157

 

[gjensen]

There may be some Lamona chickens in Illinois:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/518722/lamona-chicken-fanciers-thread/190#post_14784157

I heard of these, but I wondered if they were available.

 

[fowlman01]

You know, I never asked how they got their chicks.  Not sure how I forgot that, But I will ask her.  I gotta go over every day to take care of the farm work.

White Rocks seem to be great.  I was interested in them, but we decided that all white or al black birds were not for us.  Though, she did reference all white Plymouth Rocks in one of her stories. there didn't seem to be any differentiation between the whites or barred. They were all Plymouth Rocks it seemed, and color was not referred to. Same with the Leghorns.  They had leghorns, both white and brown.  Us making a difference between the two was funny to her.

I lived on my uncles poultry farm in the forties. They got let horn chicks from a hatchery in large boxes of chicks. He raised broilers with the males and layers with the females. Leghorns back then looked like the good large Leghorns you see in shows today. They are not little skinny crow headed birds. He culled birds like that. I don't believe Leghorns are used for eating these days so, yes. ...most of today's Leghorns are different than those of the old days.

Walt

 

[Ifish]

So I was doing some searching and reading on the farming history of Pennsylvania this morning. I ran across this picture, Courtesy of Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center, Pennsburg, Pa. It is dated at 1890. I cannot tell all the different breeds, but I think I can make out a Leghorn and a Rock, and one bird (bottom right) looks molted.

A small part of the reading...
Quote:
I'm not sure if the "Pure-bred Birds" is a mistake or not. I thought by 1940 that hybrids had taken over.

 

[Ifish]

I lived on my uncles poultry farm in the forties. They got let horn chicks from a hatchery in large boxes of chicks. He raised broilers with the males and layers with the females. Leghorns back then looked like the good large Leghorns you see in shows today. They are not little skinny crow headed birds. He culled birds like that. I don't believe Leghorns are used for eating these days so, yes. ...most of today's Leghorns are different than those of the old days.

Walt

I was talking with grandma the other day. She said one of her cousins hatched chicks on his farm and provided the rest of the family with chicks. He would get milk and beef in return for the chicks. This was during the depression era. Later in life her husband got the chickens for their farm. She doesn't know where he got them. After he passed, her son took over getting the chickens for the farm and was getting them from some Amish over in Lancaster.

She was looking for old photos that had any of their chickens in them, but she has not found any yet.

 

[Ifish]

Another one courtesy of The Library Company of Philadelphia. I cannot make out what kind of chickens, maybe RIR's.

 

[gjensen]

So I was doing some searching and reading on the farming history of Pennsylvania this morning. I ran across this picture, Courtesy of Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center, Pennsburg, Pa. It is dated at 1890. I cannot tell all the different breeds, but I think I can make out a Leghorn and a Rock, and one bird (bottom right) looks molted.

A small part of the reading...

I'm not sure if the "Pure-bred Birds" is a mistake or not. I thought by 1940 that hybrids had taken over.

The pure breeds still ruled in the 40s, but there were traditional simple crosses. This was a transition period of sorts. The NHs you became interested in were admitted in 1935, and was a commercial breed, bred for very commercial reasons. Into the 50s broilers became crosses etc. Reds (not as we know them, or Standard bred) persisted, as did Leghorns. These two changed over time, and especially as feed efficiency became more important. They were intentionally bred to be smaller.

The transition was not immediate, and there was no clear defining moment.

It was a period of controversy. Contrary to popular opinion, the pure breed adherents were very concerned with production. It was that they were also concerned with breed identity. What was winning laying trials were much different than what was commonly recognized as good examples of the breed. They were very commercial birds, bred for very commercial reasons, and there was absolutely no loyalty to the breeds themselves. It was all about numbers, not all that different than today. We just became better at it over time.

Not unlike the Leghorns Walt remembers. Leghorns still rule, but they do not represent the breed well. Leghorns ruled the laying houses then and now, and for good reason. So we still use "pure breeds" commercially, even if they are crossed strains. Just as much vigor can be realized between strains, as breeds. It is that they are no longer respectable Leghorns. Leghorns, well bred, then and now, are beautiful and productive.

Standard bred Leghorn hen weights are 4.5lbs. The commercial Leghorns end up about 3.5lbs. Barely large enough to lay large eggs. Just 18oz larger than some bantam hens.

 

[Ifish]

The pure breeds still ruled in the 40s, but there were traditional simple crosses. This was a transition period of sorts. The NHs you became interested in were admitted in 1935, and was a commercial breed, bred for very commercial reasons. Into the 50s broilers became crosses etc. Reds (not as we know them, or Standard bred) persisted, as did Leghorns. These two changed over time, and especially as feed efficiency became more important. They were intentionally bred to be smaller.

The transition was not immediate, and there was no clear defining moment.

It was a period of controversy. Contrary to popular opinion, the pure breed adherents were very concerned with production. It was that they were also concerned with breed identity. What was winning laying trials were much different than what was commonly recognized as good examples of the breed. They were very commercial birds, bred for very commercial reasons, and there was absolutely no loyalty to the breeds themselves. It was all about numbers, not all that different than today. We just became better at it over time.

Not unlike the Leghorns Walt remembers. Leghorns still rule, but they do not represent the breed well. Leghorns ruled the laying houses then and now, and for good reason. So we still use "pure breeds" commercially, even if they are crossed strains. Just as much vigor can be realized between strains, as breeds. It is that they are no longer respectable Leghorns. Leghorns, well bred, then and now, are beautiful and productive.

Standard bred Leghorn hen weights are 4.5lbs. The commercial Leghorns end up about 3.5lbs. Barely large enough to lay large eggs. Just 18oz larger than some bantam hens.

Thank you for the clarification. This has given me a better understanding of what I have been reading.

 

[TeaChick]

I've been fortunate to have several hens who just want to be great mothers. They willingly adopt chick I give them or steal chicks from other hens when they tire of their responsibility.

Mandy chose to adopt chicks I gave her from the incubator when her clutch hatched and then stole chicks from a hen whose clutch hatched about the same time. She took them everywhere teaching them to forage...at one point she had 35 chicks including a few bantam chicks...

Just out of curiosity, what breed(s) is Mandy?