Old and Rare Breeds

[Yellow House Farm]

Your RC Leghorns will do fine, you just have to breed them. In scenarios like this, it's not good to talk about breeds, you need to talk about strains. If you're serious about working with a breed, you need to maintain a good number of them, and then make winter hardiness a strong point of selection. In a few years you'll have a bunch of toughies, and the rest are soup. One talks about breeds to get ideas; one talks about strains to get realities. This is why folks need to learn to start breeding. You develop the birds that are right for your macro and microclimate. Obviously, there are important things to consider, i.e. comb-type, etc.. that are predisposed to strengths and weaknesses, but the trick to success is in the individual breeding of each strain, which is only as good as each generation.

 

[Penny Hen]

I don't want to work with Chanteclers since they are such a new breed.

I was very tempted by the Orloffs, except that they do not lay very well.

Those Norwegian Jaerhon have giant single combs...so, no thank you!

The R.C. Ancona probably would be a great choice too, I just decided not to go with them. But, maybe they are the way to go over the R.C. Leghorn or Hamburg.

Have you concidered the Hedemora or the Swedish Flower Hens or the Icelandic? All are landrace breeds of old origins and of cold climate. The Hedemora is still pricey but the Icelandics and he Swedish Flower Hens can be found at reasonable rates. The Hedemora is the most cold adapted chicken in the world.

 

[Alaskan]

All three of those have single combs. The Hedemora has the smallest single combs of those three, but there is still more than enough flesh sticking up to freeze solid.

I have no idea how people in those cold countries keep chickens with such giant combs free of frostbite.

If I wanted a garunteed no frostbite chicken, and didn't care about having a very old breed, I would just get Ameracaunas. That chicken has almost no facial flesh.

 

[BGMatt]

All three of those have single combs. The Hedemora has the smallest single combs of those three, but there is still more than enough flesh sticking up to freeze solid.

I have no idea how people in those cold countries keep chickens with such giant combs free of frostbite.

If I wanted a garunteed no frostbite chicken, and didn't care about having a very old breed, I would just get Ameracaunas. That chicken has almost no facial flesh.

Frostbite is a combination of cold and moisture. Heck I've seen people get chickens with frostbite in winter in mild climate down here because they didn't have enough ventilation in coops. No idea on the "breeds" mentioned because I only pay attention to recognized breeds, but that is how single combs can be kept frostbite free in cold climates.

I also agree with YHF about the RC Leghorns being just fine. Hamburgs should be too. Remembering they're chickens and not babying them is important. Especially if you want them to thrive in a difficult climate.

 

[Alaskan]

I completely agree with what you said.

However, I am in a 'marginal' chicken raising area in that I naturally have high humidity in the air since I am on the coast. Because of that, even with housing as ideal as I can make it, if a chicken has a large comb it gets frostbite.

 

[BGMatt]

I completely agree with what you said.

However, I am in a 'marginal' chicken raising area in that I naturally have high humidity in the air since I am on the coast. Because of that, even with housing as ideal as I can make it, if a chicken has a large comb it gets frostbite.

Oh totally understand. Plus I always love seeing the "other" combs get some love.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

The RC's will do fine where you are. It's about selection. You actually have to start working with them. You need to cull for hardiness for five generations and then see what's going on. You'll find them much more adapted to where you're at.


Too much time is wasted on thinking about breeds, when it needs to be spent breeding breeds. Personally, I wouldn't recommend anyone send their poultry time with Swedish Flower hens and the like, not until they've worked more seriously with standard-bred fowl.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I have a question about something someone here may have experimented with.
It's widely recommended to use Vaseline on combs and wattles for frostbite protection. I've never done it but was wondering if anyone has tried it on half of their birds to see if they or the control group was more affected.

I have givin mine Vetrex on cold damp weather periods on there combs

Thanks for all this info. I'll definitely put it in a file for future use.

Live oaks do well in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range but I don't know if I've ever seen one here. They can take the heat, I wonder about the cold though.

there are numerous types.
Coast Live oak and Interior Live oak will freeze In nevada. More the dry winds. You may get away with Canyon Live oak if you can find any. Virginia live oak can take the cold. The dry wind probably would damage it.

Pin Oak , English Oak , Sarlet and Red oak do well for sure.
I sell plants to Reno and Northern Nevada.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I am wanting to se if anyone in the hotter climates is interested in working with Empordanesa.
They are wonder fly alert birds and seem to be a little calmer than my penedesenca.
They lay a nice dark brown egg and are ultra heat hardy.
They do well in the snow though there large combs are prone to frostbite.


This breed is extremely rare in the U.s and I would like to see a few more flocks out there

 

[Lacy Blues]

I am wanting to se if anyone in the hotter climates is interested in working with Empordanesa.
They are wonder fly alert birds and seem to be a little calmer than my penedesenca.
They lay a nice dark brown egg and are ultra heat hardy.
They do well in the snow though there large combs are prone to frostbite.


This breed is extremely rare in the U.s and I would like to see a few more flocks out there

I don't know that I've ever seen one. Could you post a picture or two?