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The Breed Index has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a bird is pet or show quality, or will be purchased from a private breeder or a hatchery. I believe that is correct It is a resource tool for people who are wondering what breed will best suit them and their individual situations. I believe that, also, is quite correct Even if you order birds from a hatchery, you still need to be familiar with what breed you may choose to order. Amen, sister. As far as I know, none of the hatcheries sell "mutts" - they sell purebreds. Not so sure about this. Other byc ers would question this as well. They may not be show quality, but they are purebred nonetheless. Definitely not in all cases, even leaving aside the sexlinked 'intentional hybrids'. As one hi profile female byc er said, regarding EEs, 'hatcheries love to lie............' Another--male--byc er mentions how someone he know provides a certain big hatchery with 'Delawares' (he put Delawares in quotes in the course of deriding the birds/ 'BREEDS'/genetic purity one gets from any hatchery). Another byc er mentions the hybridized B Australorps, hybridized to make great layers out of them. Another male byc er from europe mentions that we don't wanna deal with 'hatchery hybrid' Barred Rocks, but with heritage ones. Sad to say, the anti hatchery bird mentality--as well as common expressed opinion that many of such are in no way pure--is healthy here. tsk tsk, but i have seen many examples with my own bifocaled four eyes!
Then when dear folks who love their beautiful hatchery birds--which are usually not APA/ABA SOP or SQ--put pics of them on one of the BREED threads, there is always the danger that (s)he will be soon informed that that is a hatchery bird, not a 'real' NH, etc. So at least some of the 'little people' are kept out of the aristocratic 'heritage' group. I wish this was pure imagination, but if i pick this up, you can bet other people pick up this attitude, also.
This is nothing against so called heritage birds and breeders--good heavens NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--but it does point up the fact that, in a certain sense, hatchery birds are none too welcome side by side with so called APA/ABA SOP or SQ birds.
BTW, i am not at all angry. I just know for certain that some hatchery bird keepers feel bad about what is said about their birds. And not just me.
I LOVE BYC. IMO, there is no book that could have ever given me what BYC has.
Enormous gratitude goes to Rob (and his supportive wife)
In a sense you are correct. Hatchery birds are not bred to compete against birds bred to the standard and therefore are not good choices for anyone wanting to exhibit birds (thinking 4H kids here). Hatchery birds are often bred for easier production not quality. That sometimes makes them a better choice if production rather than adherence to the Standards is your goal.
Each person should have the birds that are right for their situation. I would love to have Large Fowl But with the zoning regulations on size of outbuildings Bantams are correct for me.
When someone posts a picture I do not comment. If someone posts a picture and asks what we think of their darling fluffy I tell them clearly. While we need to be courteous we also need to be honest. Beware what you ask for.
I would love to encourage more people to show, attend a show, and understand how breeding with a goal in mind works(toward breed standards or your pet project). Even if only to attend a show someday as an observer and find it is or is not for them that person is learning. More chickenstocks perhaps?
I also would like to thank BYC very much. I have met people from all over that love the breed that I raise and love. You provide a valuable service. Sometimes we learn and sometimes we return the favor and help someone else.
