Not Meaning to Ruffle Any Feathers, But . . .

[theoldchick]

Stan says he will continue this discussion behind the woodshed. (I think he's insulted.)

I, however, notice the difference in the quality of birds where ever I go. I don't have to travel across the world to see how different a breed of chicken can be. Finding a good breeder is not easy, and one must sift through the 'collectors' to find a trustworthy breeder who breeds a bird true to the standard.

 

[Gresh]

Oh, I would 100% agree that Brits have better birds than the US!

Folks in the US have forgotten their roots, so they don't care so much for chickens. It's all about suburbia and flashy cars instead of rural homesteads and the local livestock auction. Quite sad....

Brits have looser poultry laws, so I hear. From my very little knowledge of Britain, I think that neighbors are more tolerant of each other owning chickens than neighbors are here in the US. If you own a chicken in the US, you'll get sued just because your rooster crowed five minutes before your neighbor was supposed to get up for work!

As for quality, well, European chickens--whether Dutch, German, or British--are just a lot better in quality. I think the only chickens Americans do better with are the breeds that originated here in the States, like the Buckeye, RIR, and Plymouth Rock. I imagine few British birds can compete with these. But when it comes to birds with European ancestry--well, let's just say you shouldn't look to the US for a lot of good quality....

Just my opinion. Though it might be a tad biased since my sister recently found out from my grandma that our recent ancestry includes primarily British and Scottish

 

[Gresh]

Then again, I think it's a matter of origin. Chickens that originated in Europe will logically be better-looking in Europe. Chickens originating in the States will logically look better in the States--as long as you don't get them from a hatchery.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I've shown dogs in Britain and in the USA, and British dog breeders are very precise about breeding to the standard. American dog breeders get a bit distracted by showmanship and flash. Therefore American dogs tend to be more exaggerated and British dogs are more true to the standard.

Also British dogs are judged by breed specialists who really know the fine points of the breed. American judges are licensed for entire groups and often don't know some of their breeds as well as they should.

I suspect it is probably true in poultry as well. The British birds are probably precisely to the standard and American birds have more emphasis on flash.

All of our nice big volume hatcheries in the USA have done an awful lot to destroy the quality of our birds. If you get a "breeder" who starts with hatchery birds, he's very unlikely to ever have anything that complies with the standard, and there are more than a few "breeders" out there that have done just that.

I've got to say, though, when I look at the photos of the winning birds in The Poultry Press, those are some mighty fine, high quality birds. Nothing wrong with what's here in America and winning at sanctioned shows.

 

[aveca]

Quote:
Im a brit too...or english import...what happened was, after ww2, this. country turned industrialised..people left the farm for the work force..the chicken fancy declined year after year..during the 1950s you most likley would see up to say 100 australorps in a class..now your having stupendous day to see 20.. most times its a scant few.. the brits never lost the passion for it..even one of the duchesses keeps fancy chickens...more americans found it easier to buy chicken under plastic wrap at grocers..the italians and french wouldnt stand for the bland chicken we accept..they go through a big process to produce . when we went on vaca over there several times , their meat counters look altogether different than ours...(they also sell horse meat)...the chicken actually has color to it..not pastey grey white..they pasture raise, then capon the bird , then switch to corn milk ration until butcher time...the flavor is unbeleivably good!...and they work really hard to produce what they think is the ideal bird or type. ..they do have to be careful also because they run the risk of turing say an orpington into a cochin...also not all of thier birds are perfect..I posted some pics I took over there a long time ago, they are ina computer that has since blown up, but I might be able to retreive the pics..I saw squirrl tails, birds that looked like they were folded in 1/2..and an assortment of flaws and DQs..so its not never never land..but when they hit a good line, they are really good..
on both sides of the pond Im told, numbers of breeds became extinct..would love to see a list of those..I did see one that somone in europe compiled.

and as said above , Neighbors in America think that chicken grows under plastic wrap at grocery store..so as the person above said..they dont tolerate a rooster crowing..my mother has gotten an earful many times over 1 australorp rooster..the neighbors cant stand him..brits are much more tolerant..they know what fresh eggs taste like, not the year old nuked eggs on shelves here.

 

[Pony Trotsky]

Quote:
This is interesting. I've noticed the same thing in American horses bred for non-performance "show." (Post-legged Paints that are lame at six; 1400 pound Quarter Horses on size 00 feet; Arabians with faces so dished they can't breathe, etc.) A number of our most popular breeds are a real mess at this point, and yet terribly conformed animals keep on winning.

So I'm afraid I've developed a real bias against non-performance "show" animals because of this, and that's why I specifically asked about backyard, non-exhibition birds.

Do you guys feel that everyday UK birds - or European birds in general - are healthier, heartier and/or more long-lived than their American counterparts? From a homesteader's point of view, this is considerably more important than decorative value by itself.

Quote:
I agree! I love eating there - and shopping, too. But then, they don't put up with Monsanto, either.

 

[aveca]

Hate that monsantos..they have ruined this country...you eat one pollet de bresse in a fine resturant in that cream sauce and you'll never forget it..come back here and eat the uber bland junk raised in factory farm and no wonder there are food recalls every week.

and yes , show people do have a tendancy to pervert things beyond repair sometimes,,todays bull dog would get killed by a bull in about 2 seconds..far from what his origional job was..Ive seen a few orpingtons that are way too cochiney for my taste..in brit shows..then Ive seen a couple that were beyond good..as long as they stop at that near perfect line ..its great..I like the pollet de bresse. bred for generation after generation for better flavor..
seriously I did post piccs of some pretty bad british birds a while ago..one looked just like it was folded in 1/2..too short a back on too big a bird maybe, not really sure was the answer there..but it was pretty hidious.things can go great and things can go wrong..its a balancing act.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Couldn't agree more. I have a copy of the British Standard & of the breeds we have in common I much prefer ours. The "American" breeds, eg: Reds Wyandottes, Rocks especially. I'd make soup out of the Reds in the British Standard.