Old time big birds

[write2caroline]

My mother found one photo of her mother as a small child surrounded by chickens. These chickens all looked like barred rocks but they had really small combs like a buffed orp and they were very large in size like a jersey giant - It wasn't just because my grandmother was a small child - I am actually a navy trained photo interpretor and you can measure the size of an unknown object (using physics) by a simple comparison to a measurement of a known object size working with ratios ..... anyway these were really big birds in height and width. I was curious if anyone had any idea what barred breed could be this big. I will scan and post the photo. The photo is dark and being restored. The photo is dated 1917. My barred rocks are no where near this size and they had big floppy combs. These are definately neat and tight to the body. These were just plain gloriously beautiful huge birds and I would love to breed some or find some. Thought I would check with my peeps (pardon the pun) and wonder if any of you had any knowledge of big barred bird breeds.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yes, even until the 1950's, when I first became involved with chickens as a little boy, the birds were different. Fact is, that after 70 years of fairly indiscriminate, mass producing chicks, the birds sold today are almost different birds. Some resemblance remains, but much has been lost.

This spring, I was pleased to receive a package from KathyinMO, a fellow BYC member, of some heritage Barred Rocks. This line has been carefully preserved from the very period of which you speak, the turn of the last century. I just now fed them and they are now 12 weeks old. It is as if they traveled through a time machine, 120 years into the future. They are amazing. Just nostalgia? Expensive, feed eating, slow feathering, growing, less productive (egg laying) than the modern bird? Perhaps. Both a Timex and a Rolex keep time.

Read more on the BYC thread: Barred Rocks Good Shepard Poulty Ranch

 

[Fred's Hens]

The old-timers used to talk about "Domineckers". Apparently, in the years following the Civil War (War Between the States), frontier rural folks kept birds that were barred and called them Domineckers or Dominickers. It is unclear as the whether these birds were to become Dominiques or Barred Rocks as combs of either rose or single were around. The APA didn't establish "standards" and "breeds" until the later 1800's and rural folks only knew they had chickens. If the APA established body shape, size, poundage, comb standards, etc, most the rural folks didn't necessarily keep up with all that. Big, raw boned, barred Domineckers were very prominent birds in that post war era. My grandmother spoke of keeping them in the late 1890's, trading off with family and friends.

It is possible that the birds in the photo are birds kept without much thought as to them being Barred Rocks, per se. Cannot wait to see the photo, once you get it scanned. Thanks for sharing this story.

 

[write2caroline]

I should also state that my grandmother grew up in Washington State near Seattle/ Port Washington area, if that helps at all.
I have been looking at other photos and you are right, the chickens from the past are definately bigger. Even the RIR in another photo from the other side of the family put my two girls to shame in size and girth. I went to a poultry show, a while back, and the show birds were larger than my hatchery birds.

My first step into chicken keeping was just to learn if I could effectively keep chickens and for the last three years I think I did a good job. This past year we were hit hard by kids with bb guns and sling shots, dogs, birds of prey and foxes so my flock of 55 is now a meager 10. The rotten red neck kids down the road discovered girls and for the most part have stopped terrorizing the neighborhood with their unsupervised vices. Slowly we got the Duval county to realize - Hey multiple neighbors lodging complaints about the same dogs to take action and remove the dogs (they actually told me they had several accounts of these dogs killing other animals but because the complaints were not about the same incident they took no action ( I know Wha?????) Till a supervisor saw it and took action YEAH!!!!! The birds of prey well not too much I can do except accept once and a while if my girls free range it is a risk. and the Fox well I lock up my girls and let them out around 8 ish and currently I am letting 35 kids run through my woods playing paintball so hopefully that will convince the foxes it is time to go elsewhere....

I am purchasing new stock with purpose and I started with some cream legbars, basque and birchen marans. I got some great stock and I am keeping them in different runs than the other girls. I am really interested in big beautiful chickens, I like the idea of heritage chickens. I will get that photo back today and I will post it.

Caroline

 

[Chris09]

My mother found one photo of her mother as a small child surrounded by chickens. These chickens all looked like barred rocks but they had really small combs like a buffed orp and they were very large in size like a jersey giant - It wasn't just because my grandmother was a small child - I am actually a navy trained photo interpretor and you can measure the size of an unknown object (using physics) by a simple comparison to a measurement of a known object size working with ratios ..... anyway these were really big birds in height and width. I was curious if anyone had any idea what barred breed could be this big. I will scan and post the photo. The photo is dark and being restored. The photo is dated 1917. My barred rocks are no where near this size and they had big floppy combs. These are definately neat and tight to the body. These were just plain gloriously beautiful huge birds and I would love to breed some or find some. Thought I would check with my peeps (pardon the pun) and wonder if any of you had any knowledge of big barred bird breeds.

The reason yours are smaller is because there most likely from hatchery stock and have Leghorn bred into them to increase egg production.


Chris

 

[Chris09]

The old-timers used to talk about "Domineckers". Apparently, in the years following the Civil War (War Between the States), frontier rural folks kept birds that were barred and called them Domineckers or Dominickers. It is unclear as the whether these birds were to become Dominiques or Barred Rocks as combs of either rose or single were around. The APA didn't establish "standards" and "breeds" until the later 1800's and rural folks only knew they had chickens. If the APA established body shape, size, poundage, comb standards, etc, most the rural folks didn't necessarily keep up with all that. Big, raw boned, barred Domineckers were very prominent birds in that post war era. My grandmother spoke of keeping them in the late 1890's, trading off with family and friends.

It is possible that the birds in the photo are birds kept without much thought as to them being Barred Rocks, per se. Cannot wait to see the photo, once you get it scanned. Thanks for sharing this story.

Most other countries call the American Dominique a Dominikaner because the term Dominique refers to a color pattern even in the U.S. Gamefowl breeds have a Dominique/ Dom pattern.

Chris