Houdans

[Puddin Fluff]

Crazy Roo Behavior

Dont' know if I had mentioned that Zeus (houdan roo) and Birdie (silkie roo) have been compeeting to see who is #2 Roo in the Flock. (Walter - Salmon Fav unquestionably hold top spot.) The two have been haveing some vicious battles, usually instigated by the silkie. Today my daughter came in and said she found Zeus upside down with his head stuck behind a nest box!

She picked him up, checked him out, and he was not injured but now readily runs from the silkie practically with his tail between his legs! We can only assume the silkie got him trapped and beat the snot out of him. We'll see what happens next!

 

[Lilwanis]

Crazy Roo Behavior 

Dont' know if I had mentioned that Zeus (houdan roo) and Birdie (silkie roo) have been compeeting to see who is #2 Roo in the Flock.  (Walter - Salmon Fav unquestionably hold top spot.)  The two have been haveing some vicious battles, usually instigated by the silkie.  Today my daughter came in and said she found Zeus upside down with his head stuck behind a nest box!   She picked him up, checked him out, and he was not injured but now readily runs from the silkie practically with his tail between his legs!  We can only assume the silkie got him trapped and beat the snot out of him.  We'll see what happens next!

Oh my! Poor guy!

I am thinking of starting my houdan project from cackle and Murray. Still debating whether or not to take on this project. It seems like it is a worthy project. Meaning that I would feel good about helping a breed avoid extinction while working to improve quality.

 

[Bentley]

You all have really nice looking houdans and have enjoyed seeing the pics in this thread. 
Does anyone know if U of arkansas still has eggs for 2013.  I am within driving distance and would do the trip to acquire eggs or chicks.
Anyone know if Duane Urch has houdans?

"Rumor has it" that the U of A has lots of fertile Houdan eggs right now. If you are interested PM me and I will get you the information to contact them.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Might want to specify WHICH U of A...once in this thread I could see that you are from Arkansas, but just looking at the index page and I couldn't tell if you meant Alaska, Alabama, Arizona or even Argentina (lol to that last).

 

[aoxa]

Might want to specify WHICH U of A...once in this thread I could see that you are from Arkansas, but just looking at the index page and I couldn't tell if you meant Alaska, Alabama, Arizona or even Argentina (lol to that last).

Good point!

 

[Bentley]

Might want to specify WHICH U of A...once in this thread I could see that you are from Arkansas, but just looking at the index page and I couldn't tell if you meant Alaska, Alabama, Arizona or even Argentina (lol to that last).

Excellent point. I was just responding to the initial question. Having lived in Arizona, Georgia and Arkansas U of A could mean Arizona, Alabama (gag, sorry Georgians can't like the crimson Tide, and neither can Arkansans) or of course University of Arkansas. And yes, Argentina and Alaska could count too haha

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Only problem is they won't ship from UofAR, as far as I know. Maybe there is someone local that could distribute...but I won't be able to hatch for at least another month or two!

 

[Schipperkesue]

Might want to specify WHICH U of A...once in this thread I could see that you are from Arkansas, but just looking at the index page and I couldn't tell if you meant Alaska, Alabama, Arizona or even Argentina (lol to that last).

Don't forget THE U of A, my alma mater, the University of Alberta!

 

[Outlier]

Just an fyi, Sand Hill Preservation Center is selling White Houdans. Their focus on preservation makes me think they are the real thing; although, I have no idea what their quality is like. They'll dress out better and be easier to breed since there's no mottling to deal with. They are not exactly cheap though. They have been unavailable in their catalog for a couple years for some reason, so I am assuming that the price reflects the issues they've had.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Just an fyi, Sand Hill Preservation Center is selling White Houdans. Their focus on preservation makes me think they are the real thing; although, I have no idea what their quality is like. They'll dress out better and be easier to breed since there's no mottling to deal with. They are not exactly cheap though. They have been unavailable in their catalog for a couple years for some reason, so I am assuming that the price reflects the issues they've had.

Just putting this out there, but I've been dressing Mottled Anconas for ages, and with a little practice and proper timing they dress out just fine. Concerning Houdans and having worked with the Whites from Sand Hill for a while, I'd say that they're lovely but not worth the focus. Meaning, Houdans are mottled, the whites are a side project that got recognized but that was never really important. If Mottlled Houdans dserve a book, the whites might deserve a pamphlet. Considering the current state of Houdans, a full on charge with the mottleds might get you somewhere powerful, and then you can recreate good White Houdans via outcrossing to White Dorkings. It would take a couple of generations. They won't be hard to have in nice quality once the Mottleds are safe and secure.