German New Hampshire

[har]

Set my eggs for the first hatch of the coming season. Only had 17 this week, but they are starting to lay a little more. I just didn't want to waste the early layers eggs. Looking forward to hatching some of these guys.

Nice looking eggs!! I am going to wait a couple more weeks. Mine are laying strong and have been all winter. Scott

 

[gjensen]

My Champion American pullet at the Humboldt Poultry Fanciers Winter Show on Feb 8, 2014.

I like this bird. She has a nicely arched neck.

 

[tigercreek]

You are very welcome!! I hope you have a great hatch..... stan

 

[Zanna]

They are in excellent condition. Beautiful birds.

I thought that all of your cockerels had too much color in their tail feathers?

I ended up with 5 that had correctly coloured tails and kept one of the 30+ that had too much colour so I still have the 6 of them. Thanks for the compliment!

 

[Zanna]

Here is a cockeral from last years breedings that I am using over Mom and two Aunts. Just started collecting eggs. I would like to see a more rounded chest on this one but I love his width, open tail and size, he is a big boy for 11 mos. old. He should fill out much more, his Dad took his time.This is one I took to a show months back, his back looked so long then but his tail has come up and I think he has a fairly correct backline now.

Dad/daughter setting/hatchings are finished up for this season. First 15, 6 week old chicks went out to the adult coop last week. 3 more batches in the brooder and 2 more batches in the incubator.

Predator season has started, the peeping of the youngsters in the coop at night always brings them out. Noticed digging around one of the coops yesterday AM and first skunk of the season in the trap this AM. They will tear the youngsters to pieces if they manage to get in to the coop.

Hope everyone is doing well and HAPPY HATCHING

 

[Lofty Dreams]

These birds are from XW’s Poultry Ranch’s, New Hampshire stock. I received them as chicks as a birthday present from my mother. I showed them and took reserve best of breed at the Show in Hutchinson with one of my roosters. They were my breeders for 2015. I no longer have these birds but, have plenty of their offspring, I need to get some pictures of their chicks.

 

[gjensen]

The weather today was cold and rainy so I wasn't able to get pics or put them in cages to compare them. We did however weigh and band the birds. Handled them a good bit to feel the body structure and just get a good look at them. On a nice day this week I'll get them into cages and get some good pics.

Of the 7 cockerels @ 21weeks:

3 weighed 7.4 lbs
2 weighed 7 lbs
1 weighed 6.6 lbs
1 weighed 8.4 lbs

The heaviest bird was kinda shocking. He is a little shorter and wider than the others, and did not expect him to be so heavy. When feeling him, he has the most developed breasts of the bunch, and a very wide back all the way to the tail. His comb and wing carriage is also nice compared to the others. Has the thickest shanks.

The lightest bird is also the most narrow of the bunch. His comb is also flopping over toward the back. I feel he will certainly be a cull.

The rest are pretty close and I will get some good pics, and measurements before making a decision on them. Of those cockerels, I have picked out 2 of them that I think could be culled do to things that stand out to me.


The 9 pullets weigh 4.2-5lbs. Some appear to be getting close to laying.

Pelvic bones are flexible and not pointed. 2 of the pullets could fit two fingers between, 3-1.5 fingers, and 5-1 finger. I forgot to measure from the keel bone to the pelvic bones and will do that this week when I check them again.

A couple of the pullets were noticeably wider down the back and deeper in build. They were the heavier birds and 2 finger pelvic bones.


Under color on all of the birds seems right. Eye, beak, leg color seems fine. Ticking on the pullet neck hackles varies a lot between birds as does the tail black. I think a picture of a tail from a good pullet could help me visualize better what I'm looking for. There may not be anything wrong with mine, I just do not understand what the SOP is calling for.

All in all it was a lot of fun to be out there with my daughter, catching and holding the birds. It's been a while since I've caught any for weighing. It's amazing what you can learn just by weighing and putting your hands on the birds. It was an enjoyable time and there was no aggressiveness shown by the cockerels. Looking forward to it this coming week.

The lightest cockerel with the comb flopping over is certainly a cull. Combs are highly heritable, and it is not difficult to allow combs to become a problem. These, generally, have pretty good combs. No need to lose a strength.

All of the weights are good. The largest birds will be over Standard weight by a good bit. Too much, but that will correct itself if you select properly. The current is pulling the size down. Select for early maturity (@ 12-14wks), and focus on type. The size will moderate. It is more of a concern to lose it. Then you are fighting against the current to regain it. The current is running in two directions at the same time, always drifting towards mediocrity. Bantams trend larger without pressure on our part, and large fowl trend smaller if we allow them.

Handling the birds as you describe is important. Looks can be deceiving. We "prove" them in our hands and on the scales.

It is hard to get a nicely rounded breast consistently. This and length (and depth) of keel is a point that needs improvement. Learn to see it, and emphasize it early, and your birds will be better for it later.

The pullets may lay later on you than the will in the future. The decreasing daylight can delay them. Hopefully they will lay before it gets especially late and cold.
The goal is (for me), usually, is to get them laying and the egg size up before my hens start to molt. By Oct. 1, I want them to have been laying for 4-6wks.

The pullets/hens tend to have too small of a comb to me. I like to see larger thicker combs on the hens. For the combs to lean to one side in the rear. It is related to hormone levels etc. Aesthetically, they appear more maternal. I like medium large combs on the males. Large really, but not excessively large.

A NH female's capacity is in their width and depth. Not as much in their length. Keep that in mind. Once you get a feel for when yours come into lay, establish a time to check for pelvic spread.

It is important that the females have width and depth to. In a pair, they are 50% of the contribution. You only need 4 to start with.

These birds tend to have good heads. Hold on to them. A good head is where our eye is drawn. A poor head on an otherwise good bird is deficient. Do not lose what you have while you work on one or two traits is the goal.

Watch for smut in the under color.

Get a picture of the males and female's tails. Also spread wings.

Much of breeding this color is balancing the black. Not too much, enough, and in the right places. Certain points are indicators, and indicators of tendencies. Sometimes a little more is helpful to balance not enough etc.

 

[Zanna]

Willamette Valley Feather Fanciers show today in Corvallis, Oregon

 

[catdaddyfro]

Here some of the guidelines from the standard Mrs. Kathy posted over on the Heritage New Hampshire thread, Chris

Can anyone direct me to where I can find what the Standard is, books, info ect ect for NH's. I have looked around a bit but have not been able to find anything like what is available for RIR's.

Thanks in advance...

Chris

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Quote:
Actually lack of black ticking is a defect and points taken off for it not a DQ so they can still be shown.

The males are off in color as well as the females.

For one thing the hackle is what old timers used to call "yellow neck" and it was not because they were right.

The ground color of the females and the breast of the males is too dark.

Remember this is to be a dual purpose breed and was at one time the premier breed for broilers so they had to dress clean.

I recommend that you go to your library and check out the APA Standard of Perfection in color and look at the pictures.

I had Dianne Jackie redo the pictures because the color was wrong.

After 30 years of breeding the New Hampshire bantams I know a little about New Hampshires.

Thank you for weighing in on that. I thought the same thing, regarding a defect rather than "they can't be shown." But then I though maybe Matt1616 said this because he knew otherwise.

Are you saying the artist's rendition of color in the new SOP is accurate for the New Hampshire? I have the latest edition and it looks totally orange to me, with very little variation..... hardly noticeable at all actually. (Frankly, I think the pictures are awful. But, then again, I don't like any of Jackey's chicken art.) YET, the description uses many colors to describe the beautiful New Hampshire chicken:

MALE
HEAD: Plumage, Brilliant reddish bay.
NECK: Hackle-- lustrous, golden bay.
BACK: Brilliant deep chestnut red.
Saddle -- lustrous, golden bay, slightly darker than hackle.
TAIL: Main Tail -- black
Sickles -- rich, lustrous, greenish black.
Coverts -- lustrous, greenish black, edged with deep chestnut red.
Lesser Coverts -- deep chestnut red.
WINGS: Fronts -- medium chestnut red.
Bows-- brilliant deep chestnut red.
Coverts -- deep chestnut red.
Primaries -- upper web, medium red, lower web, black edged with medium red. Primary coverts, black, edged with medium red.
Secondaries -- upper web, medium chestnut red, having broad black stripe extending along shaft to within one inch of tip; lower web medium chestnut red; shaft, red.
BREAST: Medium chestnut red.
BODY AND FLUFF: Medium chestnut red.
LEGS AND TOES: Lower Thighs-- medium chestnut red.
Shanks and toes-- rich yellow tinged with reddish horn. A line of reddish pigment down sides of shanks extending to tips of toes is desirable.
UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Light salmon.

FEMALE
HEAD: Plumage, medium chestnut color.
NECK: Medium chestnut red. each feather edged with brilliant chestnut red; lower neck feathers distinctly tipped with black.
Front of neck -- medium chestnut red.
BACK: Medium chestnut red.
TAIL: Main Tail -- black, edged with medium chestnut red; shaft medium chestnut red.
WINGS: Fronts, Bows, and Coverts -- medium chestnut red.
Primaries -- upper web, medium red; lower web, medium red with a narrow stripe of black extending along the shaft; shaft, medium red.
Primary Coverts -- black, edged with medium red.
Secondaries -- lower web, medium chestnut red with black marking extending along edge of shaft two-thirds its length.
BREAST: Medium chestnut red.
BODY AND FLUFF: Medium chestnut red.
LEGS AND TOES: Lower Thighs -- medium chestnut red.
Shanks and toes -- rich yellow tinged with reddish horn.
UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Light salmon.

My ADDITION HERE:

Weights: Male 7 1/2 lbs. cockerel 8 1/2 cock, not exactly sure on the female but they normally run 1 lb. lower than the male's posted, pullet and hen weight. somebody with the correct numbers can add them if so desired.
Along with the 45* angle Matt posted too, I agree too with Matt of the angle being fairly high for an American class breed bred to the Standard. But too you see alot of show people breeding beyond the realms of the standard, toward the latest fads one of which now is a White Rock that's as big as Orpintons or Jersey Giants 11-12 lbs cocks the standard calls for 9 1/2 lb cock weight, so go figure there on that one. IDK

I think we are just too used to seeing so many production type birds with such high angle that it might be an ingrained image in our minds of what a chicken is supposed to look like. That's the reason for having and going by the Standard to breed towards. If there wasn't some guide to go by all chickens would look the same, just different color. Look at the ones(production type) produced by hatcheries, most look the same except for color you got reds(multi shades) barreds(cuckoo), whites, red/ whites, black/reds. Do a comparison of them all and you have the same bodied bird that lays numerous amounts of eggs and about the only difference is their egg color; white or brown. Why , because there is NO standard for a production type bird. Now don't get me wrong here, they are great for egg production I have lots for them.

sorry for getting off onto the rabbit trail but I'm back now, LOL



Jeff

 

[gjensen]

That was the only reason for the development of the New Hampshire. I guess that is true for a lot of breeds, but to forget what they are supposed to be is a mistake. There are some good looking well bred birds out there. Good looking well bred birds that are productive and useful are a rarity.
My main focus and concern this year, is functional traits and ability. Of course this will not be my only concern, but it will be my main concern. I want my New Hampshires to perform like New Hampshires, not just look like them. Who wants a Leghorn that does not lay well?