Let's talk Heritage Breeds

[Ryu]

With any breeding program the end result is at the pleasure of the Breeder.

The Standard Cornish standard does not say "breed them so heavy you have to AI"--that is/was an individual breeders choice. The judges may reward that choice or not. As a breeder I feel my first responsibility is to the breed, and I always use the Standard as my guide to resist urges to follow the fads.

I have always found it possible to breed animals that conform to the APA, ABA standard of perfection and meet any additional requirements I might have.

I think when breeding Heritage, Rare, or Endangered breeds/varieties it is especially important that you adhere to the standard if it is available for that bird.

Kudos to all that keep the Heritage, Rare, and Critical!

 

[pocopoyo]

Quote:
How has the SOP for Plymouth Rocks changed? .
I think the standard is pretty much the same. I agree with you that many show lines are not being selected for production qualities. That is a shame because the SOP clearly calls for using production as one of the primary selection criteria. I believe that you should select for production and beauty. They do not have to be exclusive. I have seen buff Opringtons that look like white legged buff Rocks. They might lay pretty well, but they sure are not meeting the standard for Orpingtons. I think that following the selection criteria outlined in the Standard of Perfection for the various Heritage or Rare breeds is essential for reviving these breeds. It should improve them for the showroom as well.

 

[dorking king]

thanks everyone I got very good info from those sites.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Not according to what I read. The Dominque was the quintessential pioneer chicken, yes. It's origins are somewhat shrouded, IIRC, but it's safe to say it was known in the first half of the 1800's. The others, well... I dooooooon't think so...

 

[heritagebirds]

I can now finally add the Buckeyes to my list....

 

[hoosiergal]

Buckeye chickens are in my estimation a good one for the heritage breed as far as poultry goes.
Nettie Metcalf had a great idea back in 1896, to design a breed that produces well and thrives in Ohio’s harsh winters, her goal was attained, the buckeye is truly a cold hardy breed. Per info from
BuckeyeChickens.com
Perfecting and perpetuating the EXTREMELY RARE and CRITICALLY ENDANGERED heritage chicken breed known as the buckeye.
They are a good layer as well as meat bird.

I am on the hunt for the buckeye and they are hard to find.
I have also just ordered 2 bourbon red turkeys poults.

 

[cybercat]

Quote:
Not according to what I read. The Dominque was the quintessential pioneer chicken, yes. It's origins are somewhat shrouded, IIRC, but it's safe to say it was known in the first half of the 1800's. The others, well... I dooooooon't think so...

Beekissed info is wrong. new Hampshires were not part of colonial time. They were breed starting back in 1915 and were put in the APA 1935 and are not concidered heritage. Actually Nh and RIR were developed after the civil war. Javas were used in all three as well as many other american breeds and is americans only foundation breed.

 

[cybercat]

Quote:
How has the SOP for Plymouth Rocks changed? .
I think the standard is pretty much the same. I agree with you that many show lines are not being selected for production qualities. That is a shame because the SOP clearly calls for using production as one of the primary selection criteria. I believe that you should select for production and beauty. They do not have to be exclusive. I have seen buff Opringtons that look like white legged buff Rocks. They might lay pretty well, but they sure are not meeting the standard for Orpingtons. I think that following the selection criteria outlined in the Standard of Perfection for the various Heritage or Rare breeds is essential for reviving these breeds. It should improve them for the showroom as well.

Pocopoyo I do not know as I do not have the APA SOP book. I know it has changed as new colors were brought in. But as far as body type I can not say. If someone here does have the APA SOP would you PM me so I can check differenaces.

 

[TimG]

Quote:
Not according to what I read. The Dominque was the quintessential pioneer chicken, yes. It's origins are somewhat shrouded, IIRC, but it's safe to say it was known in the first half of the 1800's. The others, well... I dooooooon't think so...

Beekissed info is wrong. new Hampshires were not part of colonial time. They were breed starting back in 1915 and were put in the APA 1935 and are not concidered heritage. Actually Nh and RIR were developed after the civil war. Javas were used in all three as well as many other american breeds and is americans only foundation breed.

It's easy to get misinformation or to misunderstand the information. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy web site describes the organization as:

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect over 150 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction. Included are asses, cattle, goats, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys. Founded in 1977, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is the pioneer organization in the U.S. working to conserve historic [emphasis added] breeds and genetic diversity in livestock.

And, in the poultry sections lists New Hampshires and Rhode Island Reds (non-production). They also list Delaware and Buckeye (two breeds that were developed after 1890).

Does anybody have a link to a time line which shows which breeds were present in colonial times and when different breeds were developed or introduced?​

 

[My Little Sister's Farm]

Quote:
If the only way your birds CAN breed is through AI. Like BBW turkeys bred in commercial ops, males can be up to 80 lbs and would crush the hens. And some breeds have such low fertility, you could need AI to produce chicks from a particular strain. AI can be a great resource if you want to hand pick which males are bred to which females without ruining feathers before a show. Chicken semen doesn't freeze so you can't use it to preserve a breed that way.

Quote:
Why wouldn't you use the standard? If you are going to raise Plymouth Rocks or Rhode Island Reds you need the standard as a guideline on what to select for. If you don't breed toward a standard, you might as well just breed mutts. The standard has a nice section in the front that tells how to select birds for production qualities. The Standard of Perfection is used primarily now by the exhibition breeders, but when it was first developed, it was meant to be used by farmers as a guide to improve production qualities of their farm flocks.

But the standard is about what the body looks like and the feathers, etc. But do you want a heritage breed that fits that model and the hens don't have good mothering skills or the roosters are not protective of their flock? (agression and protection are 2 different things, I don't mean "mean" roos). You also want a hardy breed that doesn't succomb to every little bacteria they ingest. I think that the standard leaves a lot to be desired in the way of personality traits that a heritage breed should have.