Show Quality Mottled Houdans

[highdesertsun]

I have a triplet after culling non-select and tragically mutated birds from a group of 11 from Murray McMurray last August. The girls have a lot of white and are laying small white eggs, around 5 a week each. The cockerel is quite dark with about half the amount of mottling that a cock should have, which I hope becomes exactly the right amount after his first molt. He has just a few white feathers in the crest, which I'm pleased with. All the birds are smaller than I'd like to see, but the meat quality in the culls was good. No extra toenails, nice upturned 5th toes. I currently have a small order in to Duane Urch. I'll tell you in October or so what I'm left to work with, as well as what these birds' offspring turn out like .

 

[allured1]

Please keep me in mind!!!

 

[highdesertsun]

Cackle Hatchery has pretty good stock. Take the best cock,the top two or three hens - then there will be three MH breeders in the USA. I think their minimum order is 15, but the cockerel culls are delicious and the hens eggs taste the same as the breeders.

 

[exop]

Whoever manages McMurray's Houdan flock appears to have ruined them... there are a lot of deformities which are probably the result of some bad inbreeding. Years ago, in the eighties McMurray is supposed to have had some good birds, large and healthy at least. Even longer ago, in the sixties, some of Barb Piper's starting stock came from McMurray. I tried McMurray in 2007, even then there were some shrimpy birds with poor head points and crossed beak. Looks like things have only gotten worse.

Privett has interesting looking Houdans, the photo I made fun of some years ago really does not reflect the stock which they sell. Get rid of any that have a polish body shape, and or no beard / unusually small beard, and you will be looking at a promising lot of birds. Cackle has some very good birds, but because of their habit of frequently buying new stock at shows, they also have a little of everything and a few pretty crappy ones too. Cackle is recommended if you have a discriminating eye for body shape and already know what a WCB Polish looks like, a Crevecoeur, a Houdan Bantam, and a bearded Polish, so you can get rid of birds that look like they are other breeds thinly disguised with some mottling.

You know, this "3 breeders in the US" is hooey. Have you looked at standardbreedpoultry.com? That site is an index of poultry breeders in the US. There are also at least 2 other longstanding Houdan threads here on BYC. And, there are the old guard of breeders who do not do BYC or get out much but you will meet both of them if you go to the Ohio National.

OP, still curious as to why you "like Houdans"? Have you met them before? Are you a patriotic French person? Or just read about them, or seen pictures?


PS. A lot of serious poultry people have given up on BYC... so no replies does not mean no one is out there. Just that no one is monitoring this rather exhausting, fast moving, hard to keep up with, full of random posts forum. Do try posting in the Houdan threads though. You may attract someone's attention who monitors those threads.

 

[allured1]

Thanks for the info I wiilbtry to find thise threads!!!
I wish I could tell you why I am attracted to things... I have always loved Animals and especially Horses so when I saw my first Arabian that was for me of corse when I started getting into them I also throw in my love of color and have produced some of the rarest colors in our breed.i showed fir over 20 years and every Horse shown but three have been multi Champions with a U.S. nation reserve and a Canadian nation champion, sold Horse all over US and out of the Country also Semen.
When I started looking at fish to add to a tank little did I know that it would lead to over 500 and I also specialize in rare fin shapes and wild you guessed it color!! I do not show fish but have sold all over US including Hawaii

So when my daughter (12) said I want to show chickens when we looked at all the breeds she of corse wants and so we have two getting two more next week... Silkies
No I want Moutled Houdans.. Why???
I also had and want another Chineese Crested Dog.. Can anybody say why they are attracted to the breeds they are attracted too??

 

[tazzdevil99]

hello I am trying to raise some houdans this year if I can find a hen or two got me a rooster. so stay in touch. I like the breed very docile and nice and friendly chickens