Genetic Hackle Eggs

[Tuckerjamez]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking through all the forums on Genetic Hackle birds for Fly Tying. A common theme I see is people wanting to buy eggs to raise their own birds for this purpose. I am one of those people.

There are many posts from several years ago where these eggs were being sold, but I see no recent ones. To help myself and those looking, I wanted to ask all the interested Back Yard Chicken Members if they know where or from whom these eggs could be obtained.

Thanks!

-Tucker

 

[NewBreeder]

I think you're thinking of either Ed Chiasson or me. Eds a nice guy and may sell you some eggs. His birds do have nice capes but im not sure of tying quality. If you just want length and no other qualities get a phoenix from a nice line. If you truly truly want to get into breeding hackle PM me and i will help you out. I dont want to see another person get fooled on hackles but i also dont like when people and serious about the time it takes to breed them. I dont mean that in a bad way just saying it takes patience that most people dont have.

Hi, your right it is me, I breed for wet fly and saltwater. I've been flyfishing and tying for over 50 years now and when I got my first egg layers I did what was natural started selecting for feather traits.

I first started with Barred Rock and Rhode Island Red and Ameraucana for their very soft feathers and ended up with Barred Ameraucana's. One of the traits that showed up is a very large and dense cape kinda of like a Lions Mane. I've keep breeding that trait turns out I think it is unique.

The challenge is the saddles. I've bred phoenix into the line to help break the gene for short saddles that is dominant in your barnyard chickens. I'm just starting to see the results after 5 yrs of sorting out that gene in my line.

What I've also done is bred some meat birds into one of my lines to increase their meat carrying carcass so I can make a multi-purpose bird overall. A tough goal since many of the meat and egg laying traits are dominant for short feathers and thick stems, it is always a balancing act and a long term goal.

This past winter I thought this new year 2018 was gong to be the year I was going to see the fruits of my labor materialize but a bobcat ripped open several of my pens and went on a killing spree and destroyed 1/2 my flock mainly all the new birds. Fortunately I had the previous breeders in pens he did not get into and maybe 2019 might be the year I see major progress in the saddle part of the breeding.

If your looking for birds to raise for Pike, as mentioned here Joel Alsdorf is the person to seek for what your looking for. He breeds a line of birds for Pike called the Predator Line bred just for Pike. Joel is a great guy to contact if you have not already done so. His line would save you some time on your needs.

Just a note for anyone who is interested in raising genetic hackle, this is not a venture for getting cheap hackles, it is about breeding and accomplishing goals that are long term.

I've bred many types of animals and I have a term I use all the time to separate who is serious and not. Are you a breeder or a raiser, most people raise animals, very few are breeders.

Best of luck with your goals.

 

[dheltzel]

I love looking at my Genetic Hackle birds. I don't tie flies, so I can't speak to the quality of their feathers for that purpose, but has anyone ever seen a rooster with prettier hackle and saddle feathers than this guy? I keep them for enjoyment only. For that purpose they are fine regardless of their "quality" for tying flies.

 

[el aguila]

You want Whiting True Blue which were developed just for producing tie flying chickens by a professor at NC State. I’ve got eggs in my incubator right now and will have them in the future.

I got mine from Dragonfly Farm in Hillsborough, NC. She breeds for color in her roosters.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Not sure what area of the country you are in, but @dheltzel is a member in the Northeast who is starting to raise these.

 

[Bross63]

“TomWhiting is well known for developingGenetic Hackle birds”

Actually Tom Whiting purchased the two primary lines of genetic hackle birds - the Hoffman line directly from Henry Hoffman (now sold as Whiting “red label” line), and the Darbee line that was also advanced by Miner and Hebert (labeled as the Hebert/Miner “green label” line). Tom Whiting has done a great deal of further advancement and refinement with both lines, but he started his work with the foundations laid by those original pioneers who actually did the development of the lines.

“They are generally poor layers”

While some breeders may have poorly managed their stock and caused genetic weakness likely due to excessive inbreeding, other breeders have expertly bred their stock and have selected for vigor, prolific reproduction, and even the natural mothering instinct in addition to the essential feather traits. My genetic hackle birds are excellent layers and range from 5/week to daily depending on the individual hen and time of year. They lay early in the year, lay through the summer and only stop when moulting in the fall and during the couple of months of shortest days in winter.

 

[dheltzel]

Sounds cool! Do you keep them heated? I think I remember you mentioning you live in the Northeast.

I live outside Philly, winters are not that bad here (as a rule, we had one week over New Years . . . .)
I use heated water bowls primarily for my own convenience and to give them liquid water all day, but no other heat whatsoever. I lose some late hatching chicks sometimes that might have made it with heat, but it's too much risks/costs for me.
I do best with really hardy, tough old birds. I guess you could say I breed for that quality, inadvertently. The GH birds have been pretty good, certainly no worse than the other breeds. 2017 was a bad year for me raising chicks in general, so the fact that I more than quadrupled my number of GH breeders says they did ok.

 

[dheltzel]

Really? I wasn't sure if Glenn's hackles were really Genetic hackles. That's the good thing about backyard chickens, you make connections in ways that benefi everyone. Thanks for th description of the Alsdorf line. They seem like really great birds. How often do you sell eggs or chicks? I want to try to get some Hackles once I'm out of the house.

I do sell eggs and chicks each year. I have no trouble meeting demand for them. Let me know when you want some. In the mean time, checkout the rest of what I raise on my website, welbars.com

 

[OneMountainAcres]

More from @dheltzel

 

[outback]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking through all the forums on Genetic Hackle birds for Fly Tying. A common theme I see is people wanting to buy eggs to raise their own birds for this purpose. I am one of those people.

There are many posts from several years ago where these eggs were being sold, but I see no recent ones. To help myself and those looking, I wanted to ask all the interested Back Yard Chicken Members if they know where or from whom these eggs could be obtained.

Thanks!

-Tucker

try looking at Pokeys Poultry in SC. She is on face book and occasionally post on ebay