Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[weavers rocks]

Hi

 

[weavers rocks]

Everyone talkin bout rocks just couldn't resist postin a pic of male fixin to turn eight months .

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I am really enjoying my RIR heritage chickens. To me right now they are the best heritage breed. Not to say I don't have a nice large variety of other chicken breeds in my layer flock, but my large RIR that can be traced way back are my favorites. Once I hatch and grow up a few more, I'll decrease the other breeds hanging around.

Just curious but how many different heritage breeds do most breeders work with at one time?

 

[ronniewayne]

I am really enjoying my RIR heritage chickens. To me right now they are the best heritage breed. Not to say I don't have a nice large variety of other chicken breeds in my layer flock, but my large RIR that can be traced way back are my favorites. Once I hatch and grow up a few more, I'll decrease the other breeds hanging around.

Just curious but how many different heritage breeds do most breeders work with at one time?

I like the question Sally as I am curious also . I am working with the reds like yours but want to obtain some br 's too. I think it will be a challenge to keep 2 breeds going forward for me. I have the facilities to breed and raise them but as Fred was talking about the passion to develop the "eye" for a lot of breeds takes more than just raising a bunch of chicks. imho

 

[Vamvakas]

Anyone here in the Northeast area going to the Northeast Poultry Congress in a few weeks?

 

[3riverschick]

I have raised many Rock's for many years and what I have observed is what Matt mentioned. Good breeders can make any variety of Rocks great. Most have concentrated on Whites and Barred and you see that in the results.

Bee..great to see you in this thread. Everything from SOP bred to performance bred Rocks have the mark of the breeder on Them . They may look similar, but they may be quite different in their performance. As hellbender says...it's more about the breeder and what they are looking for in a chicken.

Walt

"It is the varied opinion of breeders as to what constitutes the ideal representative of the breed, and their selection of breeding stock that maintains breed diversity."
Jerold S. Bell, DVM (genetics expert)
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, N. Grafton, MA

 

[gjensen]

"It is the varied opinion of breeders as to what constitutes the ideal representative of the breed, and their selection of breeding stock that maintains breed diversity."
Jerold S. Bell, DVM (genetics expert)
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, N. Grafton, MA

That is a good quote.

I look at it as a collection of traits. One line excels over another on one point or another. I do not care how good I might think I have it, I seam to find something I like about another.

I think we all have an ideal in mind.

That is what I like about the standard though. There would be no recognizable breeds without something to keep us anchored. We would all go our own way, and a little too far.

 

[3riverschick]

I agree.
Happy New Year,
Karen

 

[hellbender]

That is a good quote.

I look at it as a collection of traits. One line excels over another on one point or another. I do not care how good I might think I have it, I seam to find something I like about another.

I think we all have an ideal in mind.

That is what I like about the standard though. There would be no recognizable breeds without something to keep us anchored. We would all go our own way, and a little too far.

Your point can not be denied but how that standard is interpreted is also a crap shoot. Different judges/breeders see things from their own jaded perspective.

 

[hellbender]

I am really enjoying my RIR heritage chickens. To me right now they are the best heritage breed. Not to say I don't have a nice large variety of other chicken breeds in my layer flock, but my large RIR that can be traced way back are my favorites. Once I hatch and grow up a few more, I'll decrease the other breeds hanging around.

Just curious but how many different heritage breeds do most breeders work with at one time?

It might depend upon how deep are their pockets and ideally, how wide is their knowledge and experience. A neophyte would be wise to chose one, to begin with until their knowledge base is expanded exponentially.

My pockets are relatively deep and I have the infrastructure to deal with many breeds but my limited knowledge and a plethora of common sense dictates that I will begin with one breed and do that job well.