I appreciate the responses to what I wrote, yet I don't think that they address what I wrote. I, of course, was not wrting to say that I think we should all raise the same six breeds--we raise La Fleche, White Dorking, and RC Anconas--I'm hardly a conformist or a follower. I left the doorway wide open to a hugh array of fowl. I'm just pointing out that the situation for large fowl of quality is pretty dire and that concerted efforts may be the only hope. How are we going to breed new colors of quality fowl, if quality fowl in the base colors aren't available?
I recognize that all areas are different, and I can really only speak to the North East. Nevertheless, here, we are running out of time. Bantams are strong in number, but large fowl are dwindling fast. A quick list right off hand:
Australorps
Hamburgs: SS and Black:
Buff Cochins
Leghorns: White and Dark Brown
RIR, both SC and RC
Rocks: Barred, White
Wyandottes: SL, Buff, Columbian, White
Orpingtons: Buff and Black
Campines: Golden
Polish: WC BLK
Minorca: SC BLK
Brahma: Light
Chanteclers: White
La Fleche
Ancona: RC
Dorking: White, Red, SG
OEG LF: a few varieties
NH
Houdan
Lakenvelder
Dominique
Salmon Faverolles
Black Langshan
BLK Ameraucana
BC Marans
Provided I might have missed a handfull, i.e. those who don't show for whatever reason, but this is more or less it. Furthermore, several are held by one breeder only. I can't think of a single breed and variety with more than three breeders--for the entire region. The quality ranges from fair to excellent. The quality of the breeding structure infrastructures also varies. As a regional snap-shot, this is pretty dismal. So, although I'm a "screaming liberal let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya type", I'm making the assertion that we really need to consider our efforts as a community. I do so also assuming that it's not going to happen and that the above are going to dwindle. So, for a liberal I'm pretty conservative when making future predictions
Consider this real-time scenario, there is a gal in the area who was all excited to be part of preserving a heritage breed and this spring she purchased a trio of Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, having been told that these fowl were, indeed, heritage, which, of course, they are not. How disappointed she was, with plans of attending shows, to learn that she has nothing but a yard full of someone's personal experiment. Given, these are traps into which a beginner can fall, but lemon cuckoo Orpingtons were not procured from a hatchery with "generally accepted" false advertising. This was a "breeder" making a buck on someone's ignorance. More than swindling her financially, what a waste of precious time. Also, now she's stuck with these birds, trying to figure out how to cut her losses, moreover she can't show them. Time will tell whether she's going to take the chance in getting involved any further in the hobby, and heritage fowl may have lot a potential friend. There are two people with non-hatchery Orpingtons in the area that make themselves public, meaning they show up at shows and participate in the APA regional communty. The Black Orpingtons are OK, and the Buff Orpington are pretty darn good--one breeder each. Both of those breeding programs could have been bolstered with another person involved. Now that person is stuck with a mess that's going no where.
Ultimately, the clear fact that we are all individuals with inherent human dignity, worthy of personal choice and the ability to forge our own path (cue Kumbaya), what I'm putting forth is that the current state of traditional fowls may be such that they need a community of peeps to back 'em hard-core, especially in the original varieties that made the development of fad colors possible in the first place. That, although human dignity and individuality will persist, our heritage fowl may not. Shoring up our efforts might have some value.
I recognize that all areas are different, and I can really only speak to the North East. Nevertheless, here, we are running out of time. Bantams are strong in number, but large fowl are dwindling fast. A quick list right off hand:
Australorps
Hamburgs: SS and Black:
Buff Cochins
Leghorns: White and Dark Brown
RIR, both SC and RC
Rocks: Barred, White
Wyandottes: SL, Buff, Columbian, White
Orpingtons: Buff and Black
Campines: Golden
Polish: WC BLK
Minorca: SC BLK
Brahma: Light
Chanteclers: White
La Fleche
Ancona: RC
Dorking: White, Red, SG
OEG LF: a few varieties
NH
Houdan
Lakenvelder
Dominique
Salmon Faverolles
Black Langshan
BLK Ameraucana
BC Marans
Provided I might have missed a handfull, i.e. those who don't show for whatever reason, but this is more or less it. Furthermore, several are held by one breeder only. I can't think of a single breed and variety with more than three breeders--for the entire region. The quality ranges from fair to excellent. The quality of the breeding structure infrastructures also varies. As a regional snap-shot, this is pretty dismal. So, although I'm a "screaming liberal let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya type", I'm making the assertion that we really need to consider our efforts as a community. I do so also assuming that it's not going to happen and that the above are going to dwindle. So, for a liberal I'm pretty conservative when making future predictions
Consider this real-time scenario, there is a gal in the area who was all excited to be part of preserving a heritage breed and this spring she purchased a trio of Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, having been told that these fowl were, indeed, heritage, which, of course, they are not. How disappointed she was, with plans of attending shows, to learn that she has nothing but a yard full of someone's personal experiment. Given, these are traps into which a beginner can fall, but lemon cuckoo Orpingtons were not procured from a hatchery with "generally accepted" false advertising. This was a "breeder" making a buck on someone's ignorance. More than swindling her financially, what a waste of precious time. Also, now she's stuck with these birds, trying to figure out how to cut her losses, moreover she can't show them. Time will tell whether she's going to take the chance in getting involved any further in the hobby, and heritage fowl may have lot a potential friend. There are two people with non-hatchery Orpingtons in the area that make themselves public, meaning they show up at shows and participate in the APA regional communty. The Black Orpingtons are OK, and the Buff Orpington are pretty darn good--one breeder each. Both of those breeding programs could have been bolstered with another person involved. Now that person is stuck with a mess that's going no where.
Ultimately, the clear fact that we are all individuals with inherent human dignity, worthy of personal choice and the ability to forge our own path (cue Kumbaya), what I'm putting forth is that the current state of traditional fowls may be such that they need a community of peeps to back 'em hard-core, especially in the original varieties that made the development of fad colors possible in the first place. That, although human dignity and individuality will persist, our heritage fowl may not. Shoring up our efforts might have some value.
