Ok this has to be one of my FAVORITE threads. I do LOVE looking at all the pics and best guessing myself, sharing the IMHO's and even at times on a previous name posted (and will in the future Im sure) pics of WHAT THE HECK IS THIS pics.
I buy the oddball chicken from time to time just cuz its purdy
and then get curious as to what it is, and if I want to try my hand at making more...I never do as I havent the time..but I like to think about it.
I sell chickens, A LOT OF CHICKENS....mostly backyard layers to the city folks and then I have all the fancy and weird breeds for myself and to show or at least try too.
Most of what I sell, to ensure people are getting pullet chicks, come from the well known hatcheries. Some sell as chicks and I always hold back some to have later young laying pullets and some for my personal needs as I sell eggs to and am always rotating stock. I have NEVER had a bird come from a hatchery that wasnt what I bought...maybe not show quality, but they were THE BREED. A Buff was a Buff, A RIR a RIR etc.
The other night I got a first...a SCATHING NASTY email
from some cityslicker who had bought several PUREBRED pullet (young adult) hens from me awhile back. Now I alway ALWAYS recommend this site to any of my chicken buyers and most are on it already. But THIS PERSON had posted pics and got 12 different opinions of what I had sold him and this person went as far as saying that the ones I sold him WERE OLD BIRDS
and MUTTS (how you can call a barred rock a mutt and old by a pic that clearly shows a bar is beyond me, and they WERE REALLY only 8 mo old). All from pics they posted here and from all the "expert" opinions.
Well I again went over with this person what he had gotten from me, breeds, ages (as I keep track of that) and did even offer a full refund. Never to be heard from again of course after I wiki-pediaed this person to pieces! LOL.
And I slept on what I had said to this person. And I got to thinking....as fun as this thread is, and as many barnyard mutts are out there (which often just give more hybrid vigor and their eggs are still just as good and yummy) as well as purebreds that look NOTHING like pics of show birds of the same type....well this is what I came up with.
1)People just like to be right, its feels good and it feels great when you know all your breeds so well you can ID any and all pics posted here and there are some people on here Ive noted that respond to EVERY PICTURE hmmmmm???!!!. But I have yet to have met that person who know ALL THEIR BREEDS. So opinions that are not 100% obvious should be regarded as" IMHO" Guessing IS FUN I like doing it too....but I only guess at breeds that I own or are familar with.
2) When you post a pic...be SURE to include FEET/LEGS, COMBS, EARLOBES Tail feathers and make sure there is no funky weird flash reflections or that the pics wasnt taken in a dark barn or that Ms Chicken Little desided at the moment of your shutter click that the sky was falling and to RUN LIKE HECK. If you really want an IMHO as to what it is post SIDE VIEW at level with the chicken so leg lenth, number of toes and color can be seen, a close up of head/comb wattles and maybe even an over the bird shot, to get a good view of coloration.
3) Take EVERY opinion with a grain of salt! Ive had horses over 40 years, Bred dogs for 20 have had chickens most of my life, seriously into chickens for the last 15 years or so and Im STILL learning and hope to always be learning about all. You should ALSO take everything with a grain of salt on here, not WORD IS LAW. Its a GREAT Starting point tho...get the opinions and then utizle google and bing and the SOP and search for images and COMPARE COMPARE COMPARE when in doubt, and keep in mind that sadly show birds and those thankfully preserving the true Heritage breeds and backyard birds of the same breed can look very differen, even when they are purebred!!!
4) DONT TRY TO GUESS a birds age by its picture! LMAO...not like they are horses and we can pull their chicken lips back and have a look at their teeth. Pullets can look like hens, cockerals can look like roos! And EVEN some Boys can look like GURLS (young Sebrights/silkies etc) Breeds develop at different speeds and rates and then toss in what you are feeding/climate etc. and...well you get the picture.
Again, Ill say it, its a GREAT FUN THREAD and I enjoy it alot, learn about breeds I dont deal with, and even despite the evil email from the disgruntled customer I do like playtime here. But keep in mind its a learning tool, a place to point and laugh, a place to wonder WHAT KINDA CHICKEN IS THAT etc. but its not the be all and end all in chicken breed research.
There I feel mo' betta now!
I sell chickens, A LOT OF CHICKENS....mostly backyard layers to the city folks and then I have all the fancy and weird breeds for myself and to show or at least try too.
Most of what I sell, to ensure people are getting pullet chicks, come from the well known hatcheries. Some sell as chicks and I always hold back some to have later young laying pullets and some for my personal needs as I sell eggs to and am always rotating stock. I have NEVER had a bird come from a hatchery that wasnt what I bought...maybe not show quality, but they were THE BREED. A Buff was a Buff, A RIR a RIR etc.
The other night I got a first...a SCATHING NASTY email
Well I again went over with this person what he had gotten from me, breeds, ages (as I keep track of that) and did even offer a full refund. Never to be heard from again of course after I wiki-pediaed this person to pieces! LOL.
And I slept on what I had said to this person. And I got to thinking....as fun as this thread is, and as many barnyard mutts are out there (which often just give more hybrid vigor and their eggs are still just as good and yummy) as well as purebreds that look NOTHING like pics of show birds of the same type....well this is what I came up with.
1)People just like to be right, its feels good and it feels great when you know all your breeds so well you can ID any and all pics posted here and there are some people on here Ive noted that respond to EVERY PICTURE hmmmmm???!!!. But I have yet to have met that person who know ALL THEIR BREEDS. So opinions that are not 100% obvious should be regarded as" IMHO" Guessing IS FUN I like doing it too....but I only guess at breeds that I own or are familar with.
2) When you post a pic...be SURE to include FEET/LEGS, COMBS, EARLOBES Tail feathers and make sure there is no funky weird flash reflections or that the pics wasnt taken in a dark barn or that Ms Chicken Little desided at the moment of your shutter click that the sky was falling and to RUN LIKE HECK. If you really want an IMHO as to what it is post SIDE VIEW at level with the chicken so leg lenth, number of toes and color can be seen, a close up of head/comb wattles and maybe even an over the bird shot, to get a good view of coloration.
3) Take EVERY opinion with a grain of salt! Ive had horses over 40 years, Bred dogs for 20 have had chickens most of my life, seriously into chickens for the last 15 years or so and Im STILL learning and hope to always be learning about all. You should ALSO take everything with a grain of salt on here, not WORD IS LAW. Its a GREAT Starting point tho...get the opinions and then utizle google and bing and the SOP and search for images and COMPARE COMPARE COMPARE when in doubt, and keep in mind that sadly show birds and those thankfully preserving the true Heritage breeds and backyard birds of the same breed can look very differen, even when they are purebred!!!
4) DONT TRY TO GUESS a birds age by its picture! LMAO...not like they are horses and we can pull their chicken lips back and have a look at their teeth. Pullets can look like hens, cockerals can look like roos! And EVEN some Boys can look like GURLS (young Sebrights/silkies etc) Breeds develop at different speeds and rates and then toss in what you are feeding/climate etc. and...well you get the picture.
Again, Ill say it, its a GREAT FUN THREAD and I enjoy it alot, learn about breeds I dont deal with, and even despite the evil email from the disgruntled customer I do like playtime here. But keep in mind its a learning tool, a place to point and laugh, a place to wonder WHAT KINDA CHICKEN IS THAT etc. but its not the be all and end all in chicken breed research.
There I feel mo' betta now!
