Niederrheiner Thread! All Colors!

[TheTropix]

I have no idea, Sylvester. I don't really do any social media, either. I didn't start out to get Niederrheimers, but several ended up in a bunch of chicks & eggs I bought. That's when I was asked if I'd be interested in helping to improve the Breed's genetic pool and move it toward the Standard, so I said ok. : )

 

[Sylvester017]

That is wonderful that you are willing to help with the Nieds project. No breeding project is an easy task and requires dedication to research the breed's standards, what standards need improvement, health issues, exposure of the breed to the general public, etc etc. When I looked into the obscure Breda years ago there was absolutely no information about them. It wasn't until I saw them on Greenfire Farms website that they intrigued me and I had to do so much research to glean the least bits of info on them. When I found a couple breeders I was ecstatic and ordered them but quickly found how vulnerable Breda are to health issues. They have so many outstanding qualities but the gene pool was so non-existent that breeders quickly pulled out of their breeding projects -- obviously most breeders/sellers are in the projects to make money and few can afford the expense of making just one breed a simple costly hobby. Only a few dedicated breeders remain who find the Breda fantastic and work on improving genetics. I hope you can be diligent in your research about Nieds. Would be great to see if Greenfire can answer some questions for you or give you English speaking European breeders who can help you with your quest about Nieds. It's so easy to get discouraged but there are dedicated breeders out there -- the quest is to FIND them! See if there's anyone with Nieds on the following chicken website. It's sorta new but check them out:
chickenkeepersforum.proboards.com
I used to search every chicken website on the internet like Livestock Conservancy and Chickenform (now defunct), Greenfire Farms, and many others. Most lead to dead ends but with perseverance sometimes miracles happen and you find that one site or one person that can help - GL!

 

[TheTropix]

Hey Folks,
I have 2 young cockerels that I would like to trade for 1 or 2 young cockerels that did not come from Johnny's stock (Vorksigan). The ONLY reason is that's where mine came from and trying to diversify the gene pool for my little girls. Johnny has beautiful birds! I am in East Texas (Woodville area), not too far from the TX/Louisiana State line. Shipping (each pays their own - should be the same $$) is also an option.
Anyone?? Thanks

 

[TheTropix]

This is them. : )

 

[TheTropix]

 

[Sylvester017]

@The Tropix Sweet chicks! GL with your project!

 

[TheTropix]

I'm kind of disheartened to tell the truth. There are so few people that seem interested, and they're not talking. LOL I e-mailed Greenfire and asked them if the reason they stay 'sold out' is because they're not hatching them due to a lack of interest. Haven't heard back yet, though. Nobody seems to have cockerels.. or they're keeping them for their own plans. A swap of genetic material.. aka cockerels/roosters from far away flocks. IF people are really interested in improving the Breed, it seems to me that our best bet is to spread the genes as strategically as we can. (ie: me not wanting cockerels from Vorksigan since mine came from him) I know everyone's lives are busier than ever, I just thought there'd be more activity and chatter about what's going on in everyone's Niederrheiner projects. : )

 

[Sylvester017]

@TheTropix It's so funny -- but today -- an online chicken buddy of mine sent me a couple photos of two Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners and thought they were beautiful! She thought they were Cuckoo Marans and I had to explain to her that they are Nieds! It takes a while getting a rare breed noticed by the general public who only know Rhode Islands, Barred Rocks, or Leghorns as chicken breeds! It takes about 5 years of consistent poultry shows and a group of breeders to establish a Standard of Perfection for a new or rare breed of chicken before the APA will even consider listing a new breed as a bonafide APA American breed of chicken so it doesn't happen overnight. It took the Dominique breeders a couple decades just to save the Doms from extinction back in the 1970's.

I'm a senior and live in a zone allowing only 5 hens/no roos so breeding projects are out of my scope but I keep in touch with a couple rare Breda breeders who are facing your dilemma to get diversified genes into their Breda. Breda are like Nieds -- not accepted into the APA yet. It takes years so don't get discouraged. I mean, I had an online buddy that thought the Lemon Cuckoo Nieds are gorgeous! Add meat quality and decent egg production to the attributes and you'll eventually have a winner!

Many chicken breeders will pick one breed to concentrate genetics improvement to the exclusion of other breeds. I have a KS breeder who specializes in creating their own exclusive varieties of chickens like a Blue Laced Gold Brahma, or Blue/Black/Splash Breda, or White Peacocks, or rare Yamato Gunkei -- not poultry on the popular list and very rare -- but that was their particular passion to concentrate efforts on because they happened to love the breeds. I've known a lot of breeders that gave up on the Breda years ago because it was such a rare unknown breed but a whole new group of Breda enthusiasts has sprung up to take up the breeding project after realizing the potential of the breed -- they are very decent egg layers and a rare unusual looking chicken with no comb, a triangle tassle on top of their head, cavernous V nostrils, and long feathered legs/toes, and have a docile non-combative temperament. New breeders loved these attributes and thought them worthy enough to pick up the breeding projects. The Breda have been in the USA a little over a decade but chickeneers are just beginning to recognize the Breda name of a bird that's been around yet not on the APA list yet. This may be true of the Nieds also -- takes a while to get the word out and to find other Nied enthusiasts. You wouldn't believe how many online researches I did or how many people I PM'd on BYC to find ONE Breda owner or people who used to raise Breda but no longer did for their own various reasons but they were still very helpful to give me more info about Breda qualities and quirks -- it's all going to depend on how much you wish to pursue the Nied project and meet with other Nied breeders in person -- that's the best way in the long run -- but it takes time!

 

[TheTropix]

Hey Sylvester,
You're right... across the board. I don't know if there's anyone besides Vorksigan and I that even have them in Texas. (mine by accident lol) I told you that I had contacted Greenfire Farms asking about Nieds, particularly why they are always out of stock. I heard back this morning. I copied their response below, but they aren't getting viable eggs. Looks like Johnny (Vorksigan) is one of the more successful Breeders! woo hoo to him for his success!! All the best!! : )

Greenfire Farms: "Hi Sherry,
Every week we have been setting their eggs in hopes of getting at least one hatch but with no such luck. We haven't had a hatch in quite some time now. We have one viable egg this week so we are keeping our fingers crossed for a hatch! We would really like to have them available again soon. Another thing worth looking into is how the breeding program is set up where you received your chicks from.
Just please don't give up them yet! Check back with us next spring to see how our flock is doing. Hopefully we will be able to provide some fresh blood to yours and we can bring this breed back.
Thank you"

 

[Sylvester017]

A funny thing I read on another post today -- one Breda breeder had a bout of hot weather and their hatch produced an inordinate batch of cockerels and no pullets. Apparently, cooler weather hatches more females. Something to think about in the Nied hatches!

So glad GFF got back to you! They have been instrumental in bringing the rare European and world's rare breeds to the USA. Not cheap for them to do it and hats tipped to them for doing the imports. Because GFF deals in small numbers of a particular imported rare breed those will most likely be the only genetic pool available in the USA. Dealing with a very small number of birds within a breed will not likely increase genetic hardiness. It's too bad because large numbers produce healthier resistance in breeds. But it is VERY expensive to import birds with all the fees and restrictions on livestock imports so it's not feasible to import 100's of chickens just to increase hardiness in one breed. That would be great if GFF can get their Nieds to hatching well again! They spend so much money importing lovely birds that I'm always rooting for them! I remember they imported Ausburgers a few years ago and one USA breeder bought out GFF's entire Ausburger stock. Now I don't see the breeder offering the Ausburgers any more and hope they didn't phase them out since they were the only known Aus's in the USA that I was aware of! Aus's are a lovely jet black chicken where some of them produce Buttercup combs. The problem with Aus's is that only about 25% of the offspring will sport the Buttercup combs so maybe the breeder got tired of trying to perfect the combs? That's a lot of chicks to hatch and feed to only get 25% with the desired buttercup trait.

I am in contact with a KS breeder who is increasing the hardiness resistance in Breda by infusing another breed of similar chicken by cross-breeding to increase hardiness. Then crossing the offspring back to the original rare Breda to get body type, color, temperament back into the original standard of perfection. A time-consuming project! Otherwise the same genes bred over and over again will make a breed weak, die, and of no use to anyone. But without new Breda poultry being imported the USA Breda breeders have to do something within the USA to increase disease resistance and hardiness. Hence, they use a similar breed to cross with the Breda and then cross back until they get all the good Breda traits back again and hopefully with better health issues. I hope GFF gets some hatched cockerels to add to the USA Nied diversity!