Key West aka Gypsy Chickens Thread :)

[holliewould]

You will get a different story with every article you find and every other person you chat to. As for being a "bizarre" statement, you mis-quoted or took the statement out of context for unknown reasons. Here is a general read on the subject. http://www.explorekeywesthistory.com/Viva Weekly/Those Clucking Neighbors/Clucking Neighbors 2.html I am not looking for a lesson about chickens and how they can run or fly for survival, so maybe you can contribute to the topic by posting some "real" articles to the curious posters above us. Thanks.

 

[Old Rando]

The link you posted has as good information as any other. I guess I don't know how much more context I needed with the quote you made concerning Cubans bringing seramas. Seramas weren't imported into the US until 2000, why would and how would Cubans in a communist country closed off to much of the world have a tiny ornamental chicken from Malaysia only recently exported to anywhere. and then bring them to Key West apparently decades before they made it to the mainland US. Maybe you have some sources for this.

My comments on the ability of chickens to fly, run and hide is essential in all feral chickens and in order to do this smaller is better. Big ones get eaten small ones live to reproduce. The feral chickens of Key West are an example of that. So are other feral chickens in the rest of the world. They are all relatively small, they do not need any bantam ancestry, serama or other kinds.

 

[theadvocate19]

Well, one good thing is we're all pretty passionate about the 'breed'!

Perhaps the more people who know more and can contribute to the owning of the breed may be lurking around somewhere and can share their knowledge and perhaps pictures as well. And just remember, one persons opinions or personal experience should not be challenged, we are all here for the same reason, enjoyment and education. We're all friends on here and learning together!

 

[miss heny]

Okay can't remember if i read this anywere on here... but is anyone trying to work on a 'standard' for them? Or draft one?

And a random question.. can they come crested? And how 'flighty' or human hatched and raise birds?

 

[theadvocate19]

And how 'flighty' or human hatched and raise birds?

One poster has previously stated that they are flighty even if have raised.

 

[miss heny]

O whoops i will be following this thread

 

[Old Rando]

Well, one good thing is we're all pretty passionate about the 'breed'!

Perhaps the more people who know more and can contribute to the owning of the breed may be lurking around somewhere and can share their knowledge and perhaps pictures as well. And just remember, one persons opinions or personal experience should not be challenged, we are all here for the same reason, enjoyment and education. We're all friends on here and learning together!

My intent was not to offend, I'm sorry if they came off as such.

I do believe it is important to understand that the ancestral stock of the Key West chickens came with the earliest settlers beginning in the 1830's. Those people came from the Bahamas and mainland Florida. Key West was cut off from the mainland until 1912 when a railroad was built and then 1938 with a roadway being built. They were isolated and not a tourist attraction yet. The chickens that were brought by those early settlers would have to be breeds or types that existed at that time and that a frontier family would have access to. The development of types of livestock into breeds was not much of a concept before the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The chickens brought would likely be games of some types and probably other nondescript chickens. These were available and common. Many breed that might be common to us now just were not developed yet or still in their country of origin.

I have no doubt a new arrival or two in the past few decades brought along a pet chicken or two of breed X or breed Y and added to the mix a little but the ancestral stock would still be those original settlers chickens I do believe history and chronological order are vital to this discussion

 

[theadvocate19]

Hey I'm just loving learning here. I think that's what's crucial about this thread and the "breed" - we need as much contribution as possible. Does anybody know of any other Key West owners?

 

[Runawaylobster]

Seramas are much smaller than Key West. I would consider Key West somewhere between a bantam and a LF in size. Some of the hens are pretty small though. They most definitely will roost high in the trees. I had an bunch of owls wipe out half my flock a year ago. I don't let them sleep in the trees any more. They love to do it and it is a hard habit to break them of so best not to go there lol.

I had a funny thing happen a few mos ago. I had two KW hens that kept trying to go broody. I kept stealing both of their eggs daily. They still kept trying to be broody and would just lay more eggs or steal the other hens eggs. One morning I walked into their coop and one had a chick!! They are masters at hiding eggs. Both of these broody hens wanted that chick badly and they both raised it. It had two mommas 24/7 and the moms just snuggled together in the coop corner at night and the baby got between them. During the day, the 2 mommas would scratch up bugs for the chick and he would run back and forth between them. Of course the chick turned out to be a totally spoiled crele baby roo. I thought these hens would fight over this chick but they really cooperated and shared that baby. No wonder Key West is run over with chickens lol.

you know i would be up for hatching some of these and helping promote the breed, i'd even drive down one day to pick up eggs.. do you have some? i'd be interested in bartering some of my Marans eggs...for some? i have wheaten and also black copper that are immediate, i can do blue copper too but that would take 2 weeks as i switch out the roo.

 

[theadvocate19]

you know i would be up for hatching some of these and helping promote the breed,  i'd even drive down one day to pick up eggs..    do you have some?  i'd be interested in bartering some of my Marans eggs...for some? i have wheaten and also black copper that are immediate, i can do blue copper too but that would take 2 weeks as i switch out the roo.

Good luck! Still waiting to hear more from other owners. I hope you can find one, because it appears there are few too many owners out there....