Genetic Hackle Eggs

[Bross63]

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

While Lisa’s tiger longtails are pretty barred birds, they are absolutely not genetic hackle birds or even remotely close to them. Genetic hackle birds are highly bred with far more specific feather traits (that typically only hackle breeders truly understand) than just being barred.
This is in no way meant to disrespect Lisa or her birds. This is simply clarification and an attempt to keep someone from buying something this is not what they are seeking.

 

[Tuckerjamez]

If your looking to tie flies your better off buying capes and saddles off the shelf. None of the birds you will find will have the needed consistency for actual tying.
The amount of money you will spend raising the birds on a small scale isn’t worth it compared to just buying carded feathers. If your just looking for pretty birds to screw around with that’s a different story.

I'm more so looking to raise birds with a unique purpose, and to try some selective breeding. I do plan on starting this very small scale. I already have standard egg laying chickens, and a farm, and a few other animals. Except for the initial cost of obtaining the eggs what makes these birds so expensive to raise? As far as fly fishing goes, there is a river where I live which has Pike in it. I enjoy fly fishing for pike and my goal was to raise a bird with long feathers for these oversized pike flies to mimic baitfish.

 

[Bross63]

Caveat emptor....
There are eggs for sale on eBay that are being called genetic hackle and then “flytie”. These are also not true genetic hackle birds.
Be wary of ads posted that use the term “flytie” and also anyone who can’t tell you the exact lineage of their line. Just because a bird is barred and even if it has long saddles doesn’t mean it’s genetic hackle. True genetic hackle feathers possess qualities that people selling longtail knockoffs don’t even know about, much less have those qualities in their birds. Phoenix and ohiki crosses are not genetic hackle.

 

[roosterhavoc]

It seems that it's almost impossible to find genuine genetic hackle eggs.

The few people that “truly” have genetic birds for fly tying keep them under lock and key. They make extremely good money from them. You can’t expect these few to just sell you eggs. That’s never going to happen. They raise and harvest thousands of birds a year for this purpose. There is far more to just pretty feathers to it. Barb density, whether the feather will wrap around the hook shank without twisting. (Big issue with most) etc...
I’ve yet to see anyone except a few of the big names with the quality needed for tying consistent flies. The big name guys paid big money for the birds they have. Why would you expect anyone to just hand you many years of work for practically nothing. You don’t need genetic birds to tie pike flies anyway.

 

[Johnny Kool]

I have been tying flies the past few years, all my knowledge is from youtube though, and a few books. I'd consider myself a beginner. I have bought all the supplies I've used so far, except for some pheasant feathers and alpaca fiber. I have been starring at my Rhode Island Red rooster the past few weeks imagining he might not make a bad pike fly haha, he knows something up.
There was one forum post from a few years ago I saw on backyard chickens. A guy who had spent 5-7 years selectively breeding his farm chickens for longer feathers, as well as size, for meat, and it looked like he had made some great progress. I'm sure they may not have possessed many of the desired qualities, but what he had done was impressive and I wanted to try something similar and really just lean along the way.

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.

 

[Johnny Kool]

Thank you, I see that Dheltzel has posted in here. Beautiful birds. I also live in the Northeast.

I live in the northeast as well

 

[dheltzel]

@dheltzel Are you getting eggs from these yet? I would love to have a boy maybe when I visit for other poultry in the spring....

First genetic hackle eggs of the season are going into lockdown tonight! The roo I'm using is gorgeous - looks just like his father, but without the "bad attitude".

I've been warning the old one that if any of his sons behave themselves, he's likely to lose his post as flock master. It doesn't seem to make much difference how often I give him a good talking to. His is the only pen on the farm with a "mean rooster" warning sign. I might have a cape for sale later this year if he pisses me off one too many times . . .

 

[el aguila]

I’m obviously not a fly tying expert, but if you do an Internet search on Tom’s Blue Whitings, the main thing that comes up is that they were developed for fly tying.

Just so that I don’t repeat error again, can someone briefly explain to me why they won’t work for fly tying?

 

[dheltzel]

This is a name association mixup. Tom Whiting is well known for developing Genetic Hackle birds, because more has been written about him than anyone. That does not imply that the only chickens he ever bred were the Genetic Hackles. They are generally poor layers and you can't blame him for wanting some hens that were good layers. Since blue eggs are unusual, but otherwise don't affect the production capability of the birds, he set out to create a strain of egg layers that laid lots of blue eggs. The University of Arkansas did a similar thing, as well documented in other threads on this site.

So, the "Whiting True Blue" strain has no association with Genetic Hackle birds, other that that they were developed by the same breeder. I have never read anything about the True Blues being any better for fly tying than your garden variety barred rock. Someone may have started some rumors, we know the internet is great for that.

 

[dheltzel]

I stand corrected -- some strains are poor layers, including mine. Their eggs are smaller than my silkie bantams, but not as many, I would estimate 20 - 50 per hen per year.

Do your birds come from Whiting ?