Registered Chickens?

[Egghead_Jr]

Interesting question. I never heard of a registered chicken. I'd suggest contacting some of the hatcheries with this question. Their business is breeding birds and selling them as close to the standards as possible.

This is not true. Their business to to sell high production egg layers and to maintain some semblance of breed. Hatcheries have never had the intent of breeding to the Standard of Perfection for breeds. Quite the opposite of their business model.

 

[ShannonR]

To the OP: the APA does do a flock certification, but it doesn't really do anything very useful for the average breeder. It costs $300, not something that I for one would be interested in.
The link is on this page, it opens to a PDF file so didn't link to it directly.
http://www.amerpoultryassn.com

 

[getaclue]

The flock certification is for birds that are going to be consumed, assuring they are the breed they're advertised to be. It's more commonly used for turkeys, and ducks.

Why the concern about registering a chicken? Are you interested in showing, or purchasing S.O.P. stock?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My interest is not about having high-end or fancy birds. My interest is in getting what I pay for. How many people come on here thinking they have purchased Ameraucanas only to discover that what they really have is Easter Eggers. And there are many ways of spelling the name so they can legally get away with it. There is no "standard," or requirement that hatcheries or casual sellers be honest about what they are selling, is there? That's not fair to the buyer. I may not be saying this very well, but I just wish there were a standard to protect the consumer.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Most of the serious show people have left BYC or were never on it. Breed clubs and licensed judges (if you can get ahold of one) are fantastic sources of information on breeding to the Standard. The deepest and oldest poultry breeding circles haven't really made the jump over to the Internet, at least not fully. You'll get your best information from legwork and books.

Part of the difficulty in implementing a registry would be the rather informal tone of many breeding operations. These aren't people with lush barns, a corporation to run them, and big name sponsors, like those present in, say, the horse racing industry; these are backyarders, down to earth men and women doing what they do because they have passion for preserving and improving these genetic lines. I'm sure you could find some purists that would be all for the idea, but by and large, that's not what I have seen.

I wasn't thinking of horse breeding operations so much as dog breeders. Much has been done to improve dog breeds by people who are not millionaires but people dedicated to improving their breeds. However, I recognize that many breeds have also been ruined by so-called "backyard breeders" and puppy mills. I think some good chicken breeds, some heritage breeds, are in danger of having the same happen to them. My EEs are a case in point. I love them, but I also realize they are essentially "mutts." I have no way of knowing what genetic material has gone into developing any one of them, or that any two may be identical. I can't reproduce the breeding in my own coops, because I don't know what they are.

 

[getaclue]

BigBlue, while the APA sells the S.O.P. books, so the standards are not really available, the list of breeders are. You can search by breed, and contact confirmed breeders of the type birds you are interested in. Since you're not showing, tell the breeder that, and you are interested in some of their decent culls. They will be pure, and much better than average, just not up to SQ (show quality) standards.

 

[ShannonR]

My interest is not about having high-end or fancy birds. My interest is in getting what I pay for. How many people come on here thinking they have purchased Ameraucanas only to discover that what they really have is Easter Eggers. And there are many ways of spelling the name so they can legally get away with it. There is no "standard," or requirement that hatcheries or casual sellers be honest about what they are selling, is there? That's not fair to the buyer. I may not be saying this very well, but I just wish there were a standard to protect the consumer.

There IS a standard. The APA standard of perfection. It is up to you, dear buyer, to research and know what that standard is for a given breed in order to purchase quality birds.

 

[getaclue]

As I was saying, go into the American Poultry Association website. Breeders names, and contact information is available. Most breeders tend to have plenty of Standard of Perfection birds that are not Show Quality, but are fine birds nonetheless. Make arrangements. Another avenue for great birds is to attend the local APA shows.

 

[hhouck514]

Thank you for your answers!

 

[gtaus]

This is not true. Their business to to sell high production egg layers and to maintain some semblance of breed. Hatcheries have never had the intent of breeding to the Standard of Perfection for breeds. Quite the opposite of their business model.

That's not the impression I get when I read through their catalogs. Some of the rare breeds are quite expensive. They sure make it sound like they are very interested in breeding birds to standards. Is it possible that different hatcheries have different business models? I don't know. The only option we have where I live is to get chicks from these hatcheries. Disappointed to hear that I may have been mislead.