Houdans

[exop]

Quote:
Cool, neat to hear from someone who kept them around that time (early eighties?) Do you recall anything much about who was raising them at that time? Where were yours from, do you remember? It would be fantastic if you thought you might have some photos buried somewhere.

I have heard of the project that the University of Arkansas is doing with Mottled Houdans. From what I have heard they are hatching out hundreds of birds in an attempt to improve the variety. Kinda cool I think. Hope they succeed. I do believe you can get hatching eggs from them but you have to go pick them up in Fayeteville.

Yep! They are very generous with their stock. A couple of us on here are trying to start some U Arkansas strain chicks! The project apparently started with Cackle Hatchery stock in the early oughts. There are a bunch of other rare breeds they are working on too,

Best - exop​

 

[WyandotteTX]

To be honest I have no idea where they came from but they were not hatchery stock for sure. I have seen those and got rid of them as fast as possible. No, mine were very dark black with white flecks, brick shaped bodies, an even temperament and had great crests to boot. They were what I thought Houdans were supposed to look like from those old Schilling paintings.....

You know, 15 years ago I think there were still some dedicated old breeders raising them but that stock seemed to have disappeared as the breeders got older. I remember seeing pictures of some great Houdans from a woman named Barb Piper many years ago....

Yes I had mine in the early 80's and I remember seeing great looking Houdans and Polish at almost all of the shows we would go to as well.

John

I may have to hit up the Uof Ark. one of these days for some breeding stock, hopefully they are having success so far. What other breeds are they working on if I may ask?

 

[WyandotteTX]

I was looking through my ABA yearbook and came upon a name of a breeder, David J. West. Who in his advertisement within the yearbook states he is raising Mottled Houdan LF from the flock of Barb Piper. So I guess they do exist, which is a good thing.

 

[exop]

Quote:
I met the extension poultry specialist who is running the project (is it kosher to bandy about names of innocent third parties on a web forum like this?

), at Crossroads, and I should remember - I think it was 6 breeds in all, or maybe 12 - but was suffering from information overload and did not fully take it in. I want to say, Dorking was in there (I don't remember which color variety), and maybe Faverolles, there was at least one American Class breed... all were large fowl, I think... or maybe not... darn.

Barb Piper's lost Houdans have become the stuff of legend! I have never seen photos of them though I would love to; there must be some knocking around out there somewhere. According to Premier Silkies, Cackle does attend the poultry shows and is very interested in purchasing quality breeding stock for their hatchery. So there's always the possibility that they, or other hatcheries with similar practices could have come into some of the birds she must have dispersed around the show world.

Best - exop

 

[NEK38583]

I was wondering has Bantam Houdans been accepted by the ABA yet ? I am getting some in the spring I was wondering if they are showable. I am getting them from one of if not the best chicken breeder in the country so no doubt the qualty will be great, but I was just wondering if they have been accepted yet. Thanks

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yes, both white and mottled are in the ABA

 

[seminolewind]

Hi, I got 8 eggs from an auction here, they go into the bator tonight. I'm eggcited!

 

[ClintD]

I just started some Mottled Houdan eggs I got from NEKs auction. Day 8 today. Candled, 4 of 7 MH eggs coming along. Pretty good, since they travelled all the way from TN to TX. The other 16 eggs in bator are 100% so far (knock on wood). I would also like to do what I can for the Houdan breed. Have to take it slow though. Avoid too much inbreeding and, ideally hatch eggs from mature birds to restore longevity. I'd like to maybe get another set of eggs this spring from a separate strain or blood line and keep a small flock of Houdans. My wife might even let me too. She thinks the crested varieties are CUTE.

 

[Illia]

Good luck to both of ya.

ClintD - Those are some nice eggs, I'd look for some more sometime soon and focus on slightly bigger crests but make sure the weight is still good. From the looks of photos, which isn't much but appears to be - The eggs you got came from some pretty nice, meaty birds.

I personally hope to work on Houdans sometime soon, but right now I'm trying to keep my numbers even and good here and not get ahead of myself.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

i have wanted some of these for a long time... i have ordered hatching eggs 3 times and only got one to hatch and it died a week later... a friend gave me 2 young ones from a hatchery and they both died... but next week i will be picking up 5 started chicks from a teacher that hatched them out for a class room project... she got the eggs from Keith Bramwell at the U of AR im so exited