Pricing

[NYREDS]

Those prices sound a bit on the high side, unless the birds are show lineages. Show birds have such strong production, vigor and fertility issues.

Where'd you get that information? It certainly isn't consistant with my 50+ years of experience breeding & showing chickens. I'm sure it may be true of certain strains but as a global statement it's false.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I think you are just quoting something you heard somewhere and have no real knowlege of. There are so many hundreds of breeds that are shown and thousands of different breeders who show, that are breeding for different ideals. It would do a show breeder no good if they breed all the production, vigor and fertility out of their birds. How would they keep their lines perpetuating.

I personally have show birds and do show my breeding birds. Last fall my two most prolific and strong roosters were shown because they represented the best of the araucana that I have. Same goes for the hens. I breed the best hens I have to the best roosters, not just for looks but for egg laying year round and to be a dual purpose meet bird. If I didn't breed my best and healthiest together I would never and I mean never get a bird that was show quality. My hens are used as broodies also when they want to hatch eggs. That is what the Standard of Perfection for my breed calls for. A dual purpose breed, Not a pale wasted bird that doesn't lay eggs or can't feed your family if need be.

I have found Personally that my pure bred show birds are laying much longer and more reliably then any hatchery bird I have ever bought no matter the breed and I have about 10 different hatchery breeds represented in my table egg laying flock along with some araucana that are not correct to breed type in all respects.


I don't advocate that everyone run out and buy a show bird or even a bird from show quality stock for just some back yard eggs. Why spend the money. However if you are going to show or breed your birds, a breeder is where you really should start.

Lanae

Experience is the teacher of all things...Sorry to have ruffled your feathers, but I stand behind my statements.

If you truly breed top quality show birds, then you know the genetics and what it takes to maintain vigor within your flock while at the same time achieving the phenotypic results that you are searching for so that your birds continually place well in the show ring. Strict culling and colsely maintained breedings are used in the successful programs to ensure effective birds that will perform well in the showring. To say that you maintain both Top Quality Show Birds and at the same time possess the genetics that results in Very Good to Excellent utility birds..Your efforts very well could rival top show bird breeders in the nation. I suggest that you profile the genetics of your flock and publish your work in a scientific journal and share your wisdom. For the rest of the participants, its a tight-rope-walk and takes years of experience to maintain successfully and achieve measurable consistant results from breeding to breeding, the goal being a phenotypically perfect bird for the showring...if your goal is the breeding of top quality show birds.

Again...Sorry to have ruffled your feathers. It was not intended.

 

[cashdl]

Experience is the teacher of all things...Sorry to have ruffled your feathers, but I stand behind my statements.

If you truly breed top quality show birds, then you know the genetics and what it takes to maintain vigor within your flock while at the same time achieving the phenotypic results that you are searching for so that your birds continually place well in the show ring. Strict culling and colsely maintained breedings are used in the successful programs to ensure effective birds that will perform well in the showring. To say that you maintain both Top Quality Show Birds and at the same time possess the genetics that results in Very Good to Excellent utility birds..Your efforts very well could rival top show bird breeders in the nation. I suggest that you profile the genetics of your flock and publish your work in a scientific journal and share your wisdom. For the rest of the participants, its a tight-rope-walk and takes years of experience to maintain successfully and achieve measurable consistant results from breeding to breeding, the goal being a phenotypically perfect bird for the showring...if your goal is the breeding of top quality show birds.

Again...Sorry to have ruffled your feathers. It was not intended.

My feathers were not ruffled, I just felt it was inaccurate and misleading to make such a generic quote about something that is so broad spectrum as the entire showing world of poultry thats all. If you are a breeder of Show birds than you have some knowledge to speak from but I would doubt that you are a responsible breeder if you allow your breeding lines to degrade for the goal of a "Phenotypically Perfect" show bird. I am sure there are breeders that chase that all important goal to the detriment of their breeding lines, but making a sweeping statement like that about all show birds is like saying that all white people are bald inbreeding hillbillies that wouldn't know a book from a paper weight. And your statement about breeding Top Quality Show Birds is an oxymoron if the birds lack vigor, fertility, and production abilities, they are not by definition Top Quality, are they?

I did not say I maintain Top Quality Show Birds. I said that I show my best birds and breed from my best birds. My flock is a work in progress and my goal is to breed a bird that has both the ability to be shown ( Phenotypically correct) and the ability to pass on good genetics also. Isn't that the goal of most breeders who show, or are you saying that they ditch genotype for phenotype to win a ribbon.

Lanae

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Thank you for the clarification of your meaning...

In my post, I was speaking specifically about Show Birds...These are birds that have been bred for show and competition as a focus of the handlers interests. I thought that that was understood and I didn't realize that my statement would illicite such emotion or require further refinement or clarification.

You should be comended for your efforts, I applaud that you bare in mind the production aspects of breeding and maintaining the birds that you show. Others that breed for show should definately take your example and follow it.

Have a nice day.

 

[Oregon Blues]

In my post, I was speaking specifically about Show Birds...These are birds that have been bred for show and competition as a focus of the handlers interests. I thought that that was understood and I didn't realize that my statement would illicite such emotion or require further refinement or clarification.

So? Grand Champion Waterfowl isn't good enough to qualify me as a breeder of quality birds? She's not a real show bird? My Grand Champion Waterfowl sets on and hatches her own healthy goslings after breeding naturally. She's never so much as sneezed and she doesn't have any issues with vigor or health.

BS that show birds are unhealthy, non-productive, and lacking vigor. None of my show birds bred to be shown have any issues at all with reproduction, health, or vigor. Seriously? Am I the only show breeder who isn't having issues? Now, I feel so lonely.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

So? Grand Champion Waterfowl isn't good enough to qualify me as a breeder of quality birds? She's not a real show bird? My Grand Champion Waterfowl sets on and hatches her own healthy goslings after breeding naturally. She's never so much as sneezed and she doesn't have any issues with vigor or health.

BS that show birds are unhealthy, non-productive, and lacking vigor. None of my show birds bred to be shown have any issues at all with reproduction, health, or vigor. Seriously? Am I the only show breeder who isn't having issues? Now, I feel so lonely.

Your statements about "not a show bird" or that you personally are "not a quality breeder"...I am at a loss as to how I would ever know those details about you.

 

[hdowden]

i have never meet a show bird that was unhealthy, non-productive, and lacking vigor. granted they might not produce as many eggs per year like a hatchery bird does but they tend to lay longer and from everything i have seen are by far healthier than any hatchery bird and also more vigorious to

were ever you got your information from is wrong ​

 

[cashdl]

Those prices sound a bit on the high side, unless the birds are show lineages. Show birds have such strong production, vigor and fertility issues.

This is your quote that is getting the reaction. You simply said "Show Birds". You didn't say that "Some show birds bred strictly to win, have production, vigor, and fertility issues". So your statement lumped all breeders who show their birds and all birds that are shown in the same catagory and as you have said. How could you know each individual show breeder, their birds, their goals or their lines, to know wether they have these issues. That was my point, that such generalizations don't fit everyone or every bird. You have since clarified your statement as I have clarified mine and its all good.

Lanae

 

[Rock Home Isle]

So people are interpreting the word "issues" as being primarily negative...well that explains it.

 

[cashdl]

Here is whats totally funny to me. I just interpreted your statement to explain why show birds are so expensive. Good Point. I missed that the first time around when I was getting worked up at the thought that show birds couldn't be productive.

The araucana definately have genetic issues that have nothing to do with showing but everything to do with what they are which is another reason some birds are more expensive than others.

Edited to add " I appologize for getting sidetracked by the words that I missed the meaning".

Lanae