Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

There's no connection between a Barnevelder and Partridge Plymouth Rock. Other than at the VERY beginning...maybe...
Barnevelder history:

In the 1850s Asian chickens began to arrive in Europe, where they were at first known as "Shanghai" chickens. These were initially cross-bred among themselves, and only later developed into breeds such as the Brahma, the Cochin and the Croad Langshan.[1] From about 1865, some of these Shanghai chickens were cross-bred with local farmyard chickens in the area of Barneveld. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there may also have been some breeding with a type called Amerikaanse Nuthoenders ("American utility birds"), which showed some similarity to the American Wyandotte;[5] it is not known what these birds were, or if they were really American.[1] In about 1906 there may also have been some cross-breeding with British Buff Orpington stock.[6]: 99  According to Hans Schippers, the greatest influence on the characteristics of the Barnevelder was from the Langshan, which contributed hardiness, brown eggs, and good winter production.[5]

The name Barnevelder was first used for birds shown at the Landbouwtentoonstelling or agricultural exhibition held in The Hague in 1911.[7]: 164  From about this time attempts were made to breed for consistent type and colour.[6]: 100  However, when the Dutch Poultry Club discussed whether to accept the Barnevelder as a new breed in 1919, it was found to be too variable.[8]: 105  In 1921 a breeders' association was formed, and the first standard was drawn up. The breed was recognised in 1923.[1]

From about 1921 the Barnevelder was exported to the United Kingdom, where brown eggs were in demand. The birds were at first very variable, with single-laced, double-laced or – mostly – partridge plumage. Partridge and double-laced varieties were included in the British Poultry Standard; the double-laced became the principal variety.[9]: 62  There may have been some cross-breeding with Indian Game stock.[10] The partridge variety was added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1991.[2]
Characteristics
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Four colour varieties are recognised by the Barnevelderclub of the Netherlands in both large fowl and bantams: double-laced, double-laced blue, black and white. The silver double-laced variety was recognised – in the bantam only – in 2009,[11][12] and the silver-black double-laced was recognised in 2014;[13] other varieties are in development.[14] The Entente Européenne recognises two further colours in large fowl – blue and partridge; for bantams it recognises crele and partridge in addition to those recognised in Holland, and lists the blue.[3] In the United Kingdom the four varieties recognised are the double-laced blue, double-laced brown, double-laced silver and black.[15]: 74 
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The Rocks:
The Plymouth Rock was first shown in Boston in 1849, but was then not seen for another twenty years.[2] In 1869, in Worcester, Massachusetts, one D.A. Upham cross-bred some Black Java hens with a cock with barred plumage and a single comb; he selectively bred for barred plumage and clean (featherless) legs.[6]: 68  His birds were shown in Worcester in 1869; the modern Plymouth Rock is thought to derive from them.[2] Other people have been associated with the development of the Plymouth Rock, as have other chicken breeds including the Brahma, the Cochin (both white and buff), the Dominique and the White-faced Black Spanish.[2] According to the Livestock Conservancy, it may have originated from cross-breeding of Java birds with single-combed Dominiques;[7] or, based on genomic analysis, principally from the Dominique, with substantial contribution from the Java and Cochin and some input from other breeds.[8][9]

The Plymouth Rock was included in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection of the new American Poultry Association in 1874.[2] The barred plumage pattern was the original one; other colors were later added.[2]

It became the most widespread chicken breed in the United States and remained so until about the time of World War II.[2] With the advent of industrial chicken farming, it was much used in the development of broiler hybrids but began to fall in popularity as a domestic fowl.[6]: 68 

In 2023 the Plymouth Rock was listed by the Livestock Conservancy as 'recovering', meaning that there were at least 2500 new registrations per year.[10] Worldwide, numbers for the Plymouth Rock are reported at almost 33000;[11] about 24000 are reported for the Barred Plymouth Rock[12] and over 970000 for the White variety.[13]

Characteristics
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The Plymouth Rock is easy to manage, is early-feathering, has good resistance to cold and is a good sitter.[2] It has a single comb with five points; the comb, wattles and ear-lobes are bright red. The legs are yellow and unfeathered. The beak is yellow or horn-colored.[6]: 69  The back is long and broad, and the breast fairly deep.[14]

In the United States, seven color varieties of the Plymouth Rock are recognized: barred, blue, buff, Columbian, partridge, silver-penciled and white.[3] Ten plumage varieties are listed by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture, of which five – the barred, black, buff, Columbian and white – are recognized by the Poultry Club of Great Britain.[4] In Australia, the barred variant is split into two separate colors, dark barred and light barred.[15]

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My conclusions:
Similar base breeding stock used in totally different ways resulting in completely different and equally beautiful birds. Neither used in the development of the other as they were developed parallel to each other on different continents.

What's missing from this mixing of created breeds is that the Pilgrim chicken (original Dominiques c.1600's) was where the Barred Rock history started & even farther back in Europe. The hardy Pilgrim chickens were a staple barnyard chicken being bred as both straight comb & rose-combs alike until show people broke off the straight-combs to register as barred rocks leaving the rose-comb Doms in their original size/shape. The barred rock group crossed other breeds into the barred rocks to make them meatier, layers less broody, while Dom breeders strove to keep the Doms mid-size, self-sustaining broodies w/moderate laying & no cross-breeding. (The American Dominique, Mark Fields)

Because of all the sketchy breed origination histories of "could have" or "maybe's" or "possibly" in researching breeds ~ it all comes down to they're all mixes ~ teehee!

 

[rural mouse]

Yes there's golden laced cochins, I just saw some on ebay.



At one of the farm swaps, a lady had a cream legbar silkie cross and he had the same poof as Morinth. Might explain the single comb too?

One parent: golden cochin x silkie. Other cream legbar x silkie....the volume of silkie traits makes incredibly high odds against not having silkie on both sides, but the mint green says could be pure legbar on the one side....or silkie x legbar on one side and pure golden cochin on the other (feather pattern says is possible). Whatever the combo was, she was pure beauty.

 

[rural mouse]

What's missing from this mixing of created breeds is that the Pilgrim chicken (original Dominiques c.1600's) was where the Barred Rock history started & even farther back in Europe. The hardy Pilgrim chickens were a staple barnyard chicken being bred as both straight comb & rose-combs alike until show people broke off the straight-combs to register as barred rocks leaving the rose-comb Doms in their original size/shape. The barred rock group crossed other breeds into the barred rocks to make them meatier, layers less broody, while Dom breeders strove to keep the Doms mid-size, self-sustaining broodies w/moderate laying & no cross-breeding. (The American Dominique, Mark Fields)

Because of all the sketchy breed origination histories of "could have" or "maybe's" or "possibly" in researching breeds ~ it all comes down to they're all mixes ~ teehee!

Doms are mentioned, but because this wasn't a history of the Doms, it doesn't go into them as they were an already established breed.

 

[Sylvester017]

I’m thinking that everyone on this thread should own a manure rake and knee high boots!

I had a pair of rubber knee-high's but had so little need of them that spiders made their home inside them ~ shows how unnecessary they are in Southern Calif!

 

[Sylvester017]

Merry Christmas everyone from everyone here at FBA

View attachment 4014463

Santa is handing out chickens as presents ~ YAY!!!

 

[Ponypoor]

A nice compact Christmas scene says it all meaningfully ~ all it needs is a nativity barn to house the animals for next year

Cute !!

But pardon me ~ skeletons are in fashion year-round teehee! My DD/SIL have acquired a new silverware set subtley embossed w/ skulls down the handles. At 1st it just looks like swirly designs down the length of the handle but upon closer examination its a pattern row of embossed little skulls. It tickled DD that I picked up on the design.
View attachment 4014613

Yes those are very fancy!

 

[Ponypoor]

We

I have a thing about skeletons and Halloween. Last year i browsed through some clearance decor at the store while grocery shopping and they had these funny pirate skeletons marked down to a dollar or two do i bought one. This year they had the same little skeletons, but they were brides so i had to have one

They’re awesome

 

[Ponypoor]

George's hormones have finally hit and he has discovered the ladies. George is also young, dumb, and the girls are all on a break so they want no attention from ANY rooster. Let alone a young little menace. It does not stop him from trying to impress them however. He is dancing his heart out to several of the girls, they chase him down and peck him. He tried to pull a sneak attack on Raven, oh you idiot. She chased him down yanking on his tail feathers.View attachment 4014615

If I didn’t know, I would have said that was Mr P!

He will settle down in a few months - hopefully!

 

[Ponypoor]

Seven years ago I spent this day trying to coax a pretty chicken out of the bushes, the busy street and out from under our cars in front of our house. Finally it got dark and she climbed into a juniper/blackberry bush mess. I waited a bit and when I knew she was asleep plucked her out and tucked her in a box. She spent that night in her box on the back deck. The next morning out she came and happily followed us around the yard thereafter. And that's how Rosie came into our lives and we came to have chickens.
View attachment 4014618View attachment 4014619View attachment 4014620View attachment 4014621View attachment 4014622

Awwwww! What a lovely story! She sure looks like a Buff Orp doesn’t she?

I am so glad she chose you as her Hoomans

 

[Ponypoor]

What's missing from this mixing of created breeds is that the Pilgrim chicken (original Dominiques c.1600's) was where the Barred Rock history started & even farther back in Europe. The hardy Pilgrim chickens were a staple barnyard chicken being bred as both straight comb & rose-combs alike until show people broke off the straight-combs to register as barred rocks leaving the rose-comb Doms in their original size/shape. The barred rock group crossed other breeds into the barred rocks to make them meatier, layers less broody, while Dom breeders strove to keep the Doms mid-size, self-sustaining broodies w/moderate laying & no cross-breeding. (The American Dominique, Mark Fields)

Because of all the sketchy breed origination histories of "could have" or "maybe's" or "possibly" in researching breeds ~ it all comes down to they're all mixes ~ teehee!

Yep

Same with horses, and I know Arabian horse breeders will pitch a fit here, but even the most pure blooded horse in the world is a mix of breeds.

What fascinates me with the chickens is the variety of colours and patterns! And throw in those silkie and frizzle feathers and gosh they are just fabulous!