Old and Rare Breeds

[saladin]

Bentley is of course right. Time is not something that I take into much consideration with chickens. Having been in chickens my whole life, I just think in the terms of generations. I don't mind shortcuts though. lol.

bentley I just think your stock is to good to pass up.

 

[Robert Blosl]

If this breed is in the standard then I stand corrected. I am wrong some times. I got beat by a Canadian Honker Goose about 15 years ago. She beat out one of my best Red Males for fourth best bird of the show. I could not be l eave the judge could do this but he would put anything up on Champion Row to make sure the prizes got spread around to the exhibitors. I latter looked into my standard and saw that the DAM goose was in there. How and Why a wild goose got in there is beyond me.

In this breed I have been to allot of chicken shows and read allot of poultry presses and I dont ever remember seeing or reading about them. Any way get some breed them up and keep them going. We hate to see any standard breed of fowl die off and then have to be crossed up to rebuild them again like the White Rhode Island Reds.

Wish people would consider some of the Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks that are fading away. Some day they will be all gone I guess they just dont have the popularity like other breeds have today.

 

[Lacy Blues]

If this breed is in the standard then I stand corrected. I am wrong some times. I got beat by a Canadian Honker Goose about 15 years ago. She beat out one of my best Red Males for fourth best bird of the show. I could not be l eave the judge could do this but he would put anything up on Champion Row to make sure the prizes got spread around to the exhibitors. I latter looked into my standard and saw that the DAM goose was in there. How and Why a wild goose got in there is beyond me.

In this breed I have been to allot of chicken shows and read allot of poultry presses and I dont ever remember seeing or reading about them. Any way get some breed them up and keep them going. We hate to see any standard breed of fowl die off and then have to be crossed up to rebuild them again like the White Rhode Island Reds.

Wish people would consider some of the Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks that are fading away. Some day they will be all gone I guess they just dont have the popularity like other breeds have today.

Bob, I would LOVE to get several more breeds. Columbian Rocks, Gold Laced Wyandottes, Cubalayas, Sumatras, Rhode Island Reds, the list goes on and on. I just don't have the money to feed more let alone build appropriate accommodations. Wish I could help more.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Bob, I would LOVE to get several more breeds. Columbian Rocks, Gold Laced Wyandottes, Cubalayas, Sumatras, Rhode Island Reds, the list goes on and on. I just don't have the money to feed more let alone build appropriate accommodations. Wish I could help more.

Having said that, I very much appreciate the fact that you are working exclusively with the Andalusians. It really honors them. You're able to have a clear focus. That's rather cool.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Seeing sumatras mentioned makes me remember that many people do consider them a rare breed. Locally we only get about $10 each for ours but at shows and online, we get much better prices because they are still rare in some areas.

 

[gjensen]

If this breed is in the standard then I stand corrected. I am wrong some times. I got beat by a Canadian Honker Goose about 15 years ago. She beat out one of my best Red Males for fourth best bird of the show. I could not be l eave the judge could do this but he would put anything up on Champion Row to make sure the prizes got spread around to the exhibitors. I latter looked into my standard and saw that the DAM goose was in there. How and Why a wild goose got in there is beyond me.

In this breed I have been to allot of chicken shows and read allot of poultry presses and I dont ever remember seeing or reading about them. Any way get some breed them up and keep them going. We hate to see any standard breed of fowl die off and then have to be crossed up to rebuild them again like the White Rhode Island Reds.

Wish people would consider some of the Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks that are fading away. Some day they will be all gone I guess they just dont have the popularity like other breeds have today.

Bob, I am disappointed by these comments. I call these curve balls.

I have enjoyed reading your posts, and I have learned some things from you. I also might agree that there should be an emphasis on American Breeds. We are Americans. I have an American Breed. I have been playing with New Hampshire's before they became a fad, and when good ones were hard to come by.

I did make the decision to see what could be done with this breed, and I do not remember asking any one's permission to do it.

Out of all the talk, that I have heard about preserving old lines and rare breeds, I never expected that you would criticize someone having done something of the sort. These Catalanas have been kept "pure", since the 80s. I put a lot of effort into finding them, and finally after overlooking a source because of a rumor, I found them.

That the story is better understood, after discussing the breed with this man, he called me back and asked me to take them on. I got half of the remaining flock of 11 that he had trusted someone else with. He called me last night to ask if I wanted the other half. I intend to accept the offer, and be as respectful to the man's efforts as I can.

This man became interested in this breed from a flock that his father started from importing them from Cuba in the 50s before that was cut off. Cubalaya breeders know something about that. He got his interest from his father, and later in life started his flock from an importation from Peru. Now he is hoping that some one else will take some interest in them, and do something with them.

I am going to see if I can get some help in keeping this man's bird's going, because that is what he wants.

This sounds a lot like what you promote.

The Wyandottes and Rocks still have you Bob. I doubt my humble little beginnings with this breed will affect them any. There are more Rocks in the county that I live in than there are non hatchery Catalanas in this Country. I know, I hatched a lot myself.

Concerning that goose . . . . I would have kept that story to myself. I wouldn't have wanted anyone to know that I was beaten by a wild goose. The goose must have been better though.

Maybe, the judge that picked the goose over your red is the same poultry judge that has shared the Catalanas with me. I will have to ask him.

You might not have ever seen this breed in the Poultry Press, but the man that these came from contributes to the Poultry Press.

With all due respect Bob.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Taking a crazy walk out on a limb (

), but I think the problem with Rocks, Wyandottes, Leghorns, Dorkings, Orpingtons, Marans, Hamburgs, Polish, Cochins, is that they exist in way too many varieties for their own good. One fad of color leads to another, and now we have the proverbial divided kingdoms that cannot stand. There's the old adage that "if you're doing more than two or three things, you're not doing anything." It's what's great with Andalusians, Australorps, Redcaps, Buttercups, La Fleche, and Dominques. If you're working on them, then you're working on them. Considering RIRs and Anconas, there are two varieties separated by comb alone, which could be interbred in a pinch and proper combs could be drawn out over a few seasons, while type and color would never need falter. Some breeds have variety, but they're at that limit that additions would be unfortunate, i.e. Brahmas and Jersey Giants.

The reality with so many of these breeds with multiple varieties is that they are redundant, but each color has a breed it calls home, i.e. Blue in Andalusians. We even refer to it as Andalusian blue. Reducing of varieties wouldn't make color genes disappear; indeed, I think it would strengthen them. I think that the general quality in stock would improve and the actual manifestations of the given color pattern would strengthen because more people could exchange stock.

Imagine if the original variety of a breed were focused on with, perhaps--but not necessarily, one or two historically significant varieities:

Dorkings: Whites, Silver Greys, Reds
Leghorns: Whites, Light and Dark Browns
Minorcas: Keep it black, SC and RC
Rocks: Barred, White, maybe Partridge.
Orpingtons: Black, Buff, White
Wyandottes: Silver Laced, Golden Laced, White

It might seem a bit Draconian, but I think that on the other side, we'd see better and better birds.

 

[gjensen]

Yellow House, I think that is a good point.

I am of the opinion that preserving poultry breeds is as much about a general interst in poultry as anything. People are going to get into what they like, what they think suits them, or makes them feel good. It is really that simple.

When the general interest goes up, the numbers go up. When the general interest goes down, the numbers go down. Naturally in periods of the most interest, variety and numbers go up.

Of course promoting individual breeds makes a difference. It encourages people to take a second look at a particular breed. Of course promoting older more rare varieties makes a difference. It needs to be and should be done. People need to know what is really rare or not. People are still going to gravitate towards what makes them tick though.

The trend is going where the trend goes. We can't and should not impose our own ideals on the rest. We should encourage and support the efforts in whatever they might be. Even if it is not what we would chose. That is how we have the wonderful variety of poultry breeds to begin with. We are not all the same.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Yellow House, I think that is a good point.

I am of the opinion that preserving poultry breeds is as much about a general interst in poultry as anything. People are going to get into what they like, what they think suits them, or makes them feel good. It is really that simple.

When the general interest goes up, the numbers go up. When the general interest goes down, the numbers go down. Naturally in periods of the most interest, variety and numbers go up.

Of course promoting individual breeds makes a difference. It encourages people to take a second look at a particular breed. Of course promoting older more rare varieties makes a difference. It needs to be and should be done. People need to know what is really rare or not. People are still going to gravitate towards what makes them tick though.

The trend is going where the trend goes. We can't and should not impose our own ideals on the rest. We should encourage and support the efforts in whatever they might be. Even if it is not what we would chose. That is how we have the wonderful variety of poultry breeds to begin with. We are not all the same.

You said a mouthful there George, and thank God we are not, too. It would be a much boring atmosphere and world for sure.

Jeff

 

[juststruttin]

I have some White Empordanesa set to hatch Thursday. ( a few may be white empordanesa x crele penedesenca)
I have 12 more cooking now as well set to hatch Next Friday plus
12 crele penedesenca x creme legbar olive egger crosses. My friend is getting some nice speckled olive eggs off this cross.

I am really hoping to get a Empordanesa rooster at least to replace the one that D#m hawk killed ! I have 2 hens presently.

For those wondering, her is the resulting egg color from the Crele Pene X Cream Legbar offspring