Survey: What breeds to import first? Need your help deciding!

[Tigress]

As suggested by someone on my other thread, I am creating a survey to see what people would want if I imported birds from Europe, because I have realized it would be quite foolish to import birds that no one wanted. I will limit myself to a maximum of ten breeds in the first few years, if I even want that many. I probably won't, but you never know. Chickens are addicting, after all.

Please copy and paste, and bold your answers so I'll see them more easily.

#1
What breeds need help? (ie are so inbred because of limited gene pools)

#2
What breeds/colors are already popular, but they aren't here yet in the US?

#3
Over all, what breed and color do you want the most?

#4 (optional)
If you feel the need to, then
-insert opinions / creepy stalker comments / anything else here-




Thanks!

 

[houndit]

Cream Legbar! I have always thought they were interesting. I love autosexing birds. I do not know if they would sell big or not. I would think they would.

 

[jeremy]

#1
What breeds need help? (ie are so inbred because of limited gene pools)
Delawares, but they're an American breed.

It probably wouldn't hurt to add some new Lavender Orpington stock though.

#2
What breeds/colors are already popular, but they aren't here yet in the US?
I'd say any of the Orp varieties. Chocolate, Gold Laced, Silver Laced, Crele, etc. Also I'm sure some of the French Marans would be an amazing addition to American flocks, they have many different colors that we are only beginning to see.

#3
Over all, what breed and color do you want the most?
Orpingtons.
Chocolate.

#4 (optional)
If you feel the need to, then
Are you serious about importing?

 

[chickboss]

What kind of hoops do you have to jump to import. I would love to get some Australorps from Australia some day.

 

[SunnyDawn]

#1
What breeds need help? (ie are so inbred because of limited gene pools) Barnevelders!

#2
What breeds/colors are already popular, but they aren't here yet in the US? Barnevelders!

#3
Over all, what breed and color do you want the most? Barnevelders!

OK, so they actually are in the US but the US version is so watered down they don't even lay a very dark egg anymore. Not sure why this is. Inbreeding should have caused other problems, not a lightening of eggs. So I assume the problem is the opposite. Folks have breeded them to other varieties, for various reasons, and now the true Barnevelder is almost impossible to find! I found 1 lady on-line that sold the super-dark eggs and I haven't been able to confirm that others have had good luck with hatching her eggs. I've not had good luck with shipped eggs in general and would prefer to buy day-old chicks or pick up the eggs myself. Plus if she is the only one in the entire US then inbreeding has got to be a problem by now.

 

[gandbcook]

Ditto what Sunny Dawn wrote!

 

[justuschickens59]

Quote:
You can find info on importing birds/eggs here. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/index.shtml

You can also call the USDA and they can give you all the info you need. I actually found them to be very nice and helpful and they walked me through the entire process.

 

[crazyhen]

Quote:
I would love to try a few of the cream legbars with their large blue eggs. Gloria Jean

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

#1
What breeds need help? (ie are so inbred because of limited gene pools)

The breeds we have really do not need "help". Perhaps new breeds.

#2
What breeds/colors are already popular, but they aren't here yet in the US?

Chocolate does not existt in the USA in Chickens or Bantams.

#3
Over all, what breed and color do you want the most?
Would like to see the following in Orpingtons, both Bantam and large fowl: Chocolate, Jubilee, Buff Colombian etc


Basically varieties that we do not have here.​

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

#1
What breeds need help? (ie are so inbred because of limited gene pools)
Barnvelders is a good one. And perhaps the Dorkings, too. Silver Gray is fairly common, but there isn't much to be seen in Red or Colored (I think they call it Dark in Europe).

#2
What breeds/colors are already popular, but they aren't here yet in the US?
Another vote for the Cream Legbar! They are a great backyard bird - or so say those in Europe! I would love to add these interesting and productive birds. Chocolate Wyandottes or Orps would be good, too!

#3
Over all, what breed and color do you want the most?
I would love to see some good colored Dorkings. I saw a vanilla Wyandotte cockerel on feathersite that was gorgeous.

I also love the look of the Cemani. They are so unique!

#4 (optional)
I saw a vanilla Wyandotte cockerel on feathersite that was gorgeous! They red pyle Wyandottes were also quite nice!

Edited to add bold!