Houdans

[Outlier]

This would be a very valid point, but they are not pure White Houdan. They received serious infusions at the time of rediscovery in order to lift them out of the hole they were in. Every once in a while one will pop up with good shoulders, which betrays the presence of Piper's old Mottled line recently added.--now if only Piper's old line were still around en force instead of creeping around buried in a color project.

The greatest obstacle I've watched with beginners is color. The heart of a chicken is in its type; it's in its body. The ideal Houdan is to have one of the most fantastic types available for meat in poultry, but it has been decimated, absolutely ravished. The closest hatchery bird I found to being the right shape was from Hoffman Hatchery out of Gratz, PA, but they were way too small. The MMcM birds just simply weren't Houdans. I ordered a really large order of MMCM cockerels trying to find something to use, and they were amazingly worthless, utterly amazingly worthless. Multiple years later, I still can't get over how ridiculously bad they were.

Now there is this U of A strain I've never worked with them, maybe I would have made different decisions concerning our breeds back then, had I known about them. Regardless, Bentley apparently backs them as worthy (I hope I'm not putting words in your mouth, Bentley), which is saying sommething. Before I would have sad that Houdans are already gone, that their only possibility of return would be through an out-cross to Dorkings, but if this U of A strain is up to snuff and meets SOP weights--WOW. If this is true, than I'd putit out there that there's absolutely nothing worth grabbing outside of it, save, perhaps, the gent on here who seems to have a remnant of Pipers line. If the U of A strain is worthy, then they are the Hail Mary pass last best great hope. If a group of folks began uniquely with this one strain and cooperated closely for a decade, Houdans could be back on the map again as a bird really worth working with--think ALBC Buckeyes, but this will only come about through that kind of discipline.

Starting beginners on White Houdans would only lead to disappointment and abandonment of the project. They're like scrappy Leghorns with a puff--delicious scrappy Leghorns--but scrappy Leghorns nonetheless. It will take a very strong and maintained effort to get them up to SOP, and in that time the Mottleds will have been neglected. At this point, every Houdan breeder counts, and that's the biggest difference between now and when the first White Houdans were developed via outcrossing.

Now's the ideal time to figure out how to get some of those U of A Houdans into your pens. There's got to be some way to make them accessible. With a little fervor and singleness of heart, all things are possible.

Apparently the U of A strain started with hatchery stock. It was from cackle if I remember right. I suppose if anyone could breed hatchery stock to look good, it would be a poultry professor.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Apparently the U of A strain started with hatchery stock. It was from cackle if I remember right. I suppose if anyone could breed hatchery stock to look good, it would be a poultry professor.

A poultry professor with a budget, and university facilities. It's the perfect place to start.

 

[Lilwanis]

Wow! This has been an interesting and educational conversation going on. I am hoping to be able to buy or swap some eggs from U of A lines. They don't seem to make it out of AR very often though, I am also thinking about getting some from a hatchery, I think cackle but not sure. Leave it to my son to pick such a difficult breed to find. I am very new to the world of chickens. I hope that in five, ten or even twenty years I will have a worthy line. I have limited space so this will be a looonnngg project for me.

I really enjoy reading what folks who have been doing this for a long time have to say. I am so excited for spring to come! I have all these plans drawn up, but can't act on much in the foot plus of snow in my yard.

In the interim, I keep searching for more land...I never thought that I would look for property for chickens,

 

[Lilwanis]

A question for anyone who knows. I have read that one should breed for type, then work more on color. What I have read is lacking I the houdans is size. Should that be what I start to select for? Birds that look more like a meat bird should be chosen over comb or color? How about egg laying, since they are a dual purpose bird? Is it better to focus on one trait at a time? I have not yet purchased an sop...I plan to. Do you have any suggestions for books that won't make my head spin on breeding chickens and chicken (gulp) genetics? Thanks for any help and advice that you can offer to this total newbie.

 

[toybarons]

I am a houdan fancier here in Alberta Canada. I have been working with standard mottled houdans for a few years. I also do local APA shows with the breed. I came across this topic late tonight. I want to read through all the posts in hopes of gathering further information about the breed.
My main interest is to seek out and find other houdan fanciers and breeders, especially here in Canada.

I currenlty have a flock of about 15 standard houdans: 4 roos the rest hens. I am working with another houdan fancier who is local. We are trying to improve the breed. Our biggest hurdle is actually incubating the chicks and getting them to hatch with sound legs. In tests with standard polish which I also raise, we have noticed that when incubated together with the exact same conditions, my standard polish will hatch with no leg issues, where as the houdans will hatch with terrible leg issues. My friend has also noticed this issue uses breeds she has hatched reliably with no leg issues. We are each working with 3 seperate unrealated lines which adds to the frustration.

Just putting this out there in hopes houdan breeders will read this and will want to contact us and maybe we can exchange information to help each other with these wonderful breed.

Also if anyone has any houdans that are of exhibition stock, please contact me via my email. Even if in the USA as we are interested in purchasing stock to bring into Canada.

Thanks for reading =)

 

[toybarons]

Might check to make sure she isn't laying internally or egg bound...
I know, ball of fun I am today. She looks so nice. A lot of white. I wonder if she will darken up and get more even? I don't know what Canadian standards are but ours would want that.

Canada follows the same standards as America.

 

[Bentley]

The U of A Houdans are still not up to standard weight but i think that is the main goal now. I think they are about 10 generations from hatchery stock (Cackle and MCM) and have changed body type and color to more closely resemble Houdans but are still plugging away with size. They are able to hatch hundreds of chicks at a time and have been doing so for years. I don't think Mottled Houdans are gone, "they will be back"!!!!

 

[toybarons]

The U of A Houdans are still not up to standard but i think that is the main goal now. I think they are about 10 generations from hatchery stock (Cackle and MCM) and have changed body type and color to more closely resemble Houdans but are still plugging away with size. They are able to hatch hundreds of chicks at a time and have been doing so for years. I don't think Mottled Hudans are gone, "they will be back"!!!!

I agree with you. I don't think Mottled Houdans are gone. Most of the knowledge I have about the breed includes reading old poultry books. Interesting thing is books written even 100 years ago commented that Houdans needed help. Then it was trying to establish the breed in America. The breed did have fans. Houdans back in the early 1900s were even tooted as being amongst the best egg layers in America, being able to lay an egg nearly every day. Problem was, my opinion, the breed takes time to mature. Compared to other noted egg layers, the houdan pullet can take up to 6 months before laying her first egg. Once she gets started laying though, she will lay pretty consistent. Back in the early 1900s the notion of having a hen that can lay 200 plus eggs or more a year was just begining and which would lay the ground work to creating the egg laying dynamos commercial operators use today.

 

[seminolewind]

I never realized what a joy Houdans are. Unfortunately, I have too many roos. 2 of them are loose on the property and are buddies. I wish I could find them a home, they are Marek's vaccinated, but exposed to my flock which I've occassionally had problems with. They are mottled. They would have to go to a vaccinated-flock home. They follow me around all day. But I do love Houdans!

 

[Chambertin]

Reading about the breeding of the line and other interesting aspects again I really wish I knew more about where exactly the ones here in China came from.
I wish I could sned a bunch back home to get a proper inspection, but poultry laws seem to frown on any importation now.
The ones I have (rather HAD, before my mother in law stuck her nose in my flock) were a wonder to have around and loaded with genetic diversity.

The breed is really strong and although not 100% uniform they sell chicks by the batch of 500! Although not uniform they are absolutely Houdan.
You want any crest shape or comb size you can find it.
I can only imagine what a shipment of 500 chicks could offer in terms of genetic recovery to the breed back home.

Does anyone have any contact information for the people at U of A?
They might be interested to hear about this little farm across the blue.
If nothing else it would be a fun excuse for them to do a study abroad or conference on Asian Poultry.