The Rhodebar thread!

[melroseladi]

I totally get not selling or representing as RB birds that are not autosexable 100% at hatch. Where my confusion comes in is the "other" feather patterns we are seeing on RB that are autosexable. Do we call these "poorly marked" RB and work with them? I have only seen the lacing and pencilling and partridging in the hens and not the cock/erels (because of only one barring gene with females?). There are simply not enough "good" RB out there (type, color, or pattern) from what I can see.

I agree that selling culls for layers needs to be done carefully. I believe it is a mistake to give a "pedigree" on "mixed layers" no matter HOW BADLY the urban chickenkeeper wants you to. Some people have a real need to label everything. Their little mutt is a Chiweenie or a Schnoodle or whatever. They want to be able to say their hen is a Red Island Rhodebar or somesuch. It's ridiculous. As long as we say MIXED LAYER and adamantly refuse to use the word Rhodebar when referring to the mix it will help prevent that person in a year selling that hen as a Rhodebar, because that's all they can remember or all they want to remember when looking at pricing on craigslist. That being said, if only 1% or less of the people breeding do this, all is lost and I'm pretty sure that's the case.

I think the problem is (and will remain being) the all mighty dollar. You can get more money by calling them "rare" RB then you get by calling them backyard layers.

Penny

 

[Cynthia12]

No post is ever bugging. We are still very much learning and bouncing ideas and pictures off each other is how we learn.
I personally tend to be a little blunt sometimes with my opinion because I figure people wouldn't ask of they didn't want a straight answer and because I like it when folks shoot straight with me. That said, I suspect I can come across as abrasive in writing sometimes and that is not the intent.

I will say that I am becoming more and more frustrated with the problems people are having receiving eggs and chicks in this breed. While we can pick apart type and color all day long and realize the need for improvement, that does not negate the fact that this is an autosexed breed. When people receive chicks or hatching eggs that are not ALL auto sexable, it is an assault on the breed and imo it is dishonesty. No Rhodebar breeder should be selling anything that isn't autosexable - PERIOD! I believe it is the breeders responsibility to accurately represent the breed and if they are not verifying their autosexing ability through breeding they shouldn't be selling eggs. Autosexing should not be a crap shot where "some" of the chicks are autosexed... The entire hatch should be. IF they aren't and IF someone wants to perpetuate them as RB, then only the easily autosexed should be bred and only proven stock should be used to produce eggs.
Now IF someone is wanting birds for eggs or looks and didn't care about perpetuating or improving the breed, that's fine. We all need egg layers. But those birds should not be called Rhodebars, they should be called backyard layers.

I feel for those people who are receiving eggs that are not autosexable when they thought they were receiving RB. It is giving the breed and the breeders a bad name. And instead of pursuing the breed, these folks are becoming disenchanted and leaving the breed. And at the other extreme, breeders who are selling these misleading genetics (whether intentionally or out of ignorance), are perpetuating problems. And in many cases making a lot of money selling what are really back yard birds.

Here's my concern: The few very serious breeders out there who are developing really nice stock are going to become disenchanted with the breed because they cannot compete with the high priced, misrepresented stock that are being over produced and flooding the market. Over the next few years many people will give up the breed as they realize their stock is not autosexable. And worse, more people will jump on the band wagon with unproven stock.

Only a very small fraction of RB breeders are on byc. But all the other RB groups are having all the same growing pains. And many are very openly critical of RB breeders because they are selling something that is a misrepresentation of the breed. MANY folks have been publicly critical of this problem, but just add many keep breeding and selling eggs from two birds they really know nothing about.

Basically we all have or own goals. And those goals are never wrong - as long as they are represented accurately and honestly.
Guess I better get off my Sunday morning soap box now. ;-)

Very Very well said! I really thought that I was getting..Rhodebars..from someone that .. "had it down". I fear not. But having said that, I am one of those that wants a different looking .. nice looking bird that also lays well. I really don't think that either sellers that sold these eggs as RB's are selling a true RB. Like you said, if they are selling them as a certain breed, then, they should have truly worked on for a while. It takes a while to get that breed in good standard, unless of course, you start with a good nice breeding group. This much I know! From what I'm gathering here, it is taking some work to get back to where these birds started from. That they came to this country and things got a big mixed up..ha..my tech. way of saying things. Is this right? They came here as a nice breed, but people have changed that? Are there any photos of the true well bred bird..in it's own country..somewhere? Would love to see some.

 

[Cynthia12]

I think the problem is (and will remain being) the all mighty dollar. You can get more money by calling them "rare" RB then you get by calling them backyard layers.

Penny

True!

 

[Cynthia12]

Very well said. It is the breed I am interested in, not just buying eggs, hatching them, and then selling what they lay. I purchased several lots of eggs last year and only a few have been what I consider to be true RB. It will take some time to get where I want to be with my program! And until then I wont have RBs.

And that..is how it should be! This is what I was trying to say. Glad there are some out there doing this. With any breed. Honesty.

 

[RedRidge]

Keep in mind... I think very few people are truly dishonest. Lack of knowledge is probably a more likely common scenario. ;-)

 

[melroseladi]

I went out and grabbed a few pics of my first hatch. They are not great pics since I only have a cell phone to use and when I open their brooder door they go crazy, lol.

With the sunlight hitting just right you can notice the bars on this pullet.
Notice the high tail set on the pullets.



You can see the leg coloring on this pullet is not the nice yellow.
Pullet shanks are darker then cockerel shanks.


Again in this picture you can see the high tail and dark legs of
the pullets.



You can barely see the barring on this pullet.


Nice coloring on the cockerels and you can see how much lower
the tails are and how much more yellow the legs are.


Another picture trying to show just how much lower the tails are
and longer the backs are.


Penny

 

[melroseladi]

Keep in mind... I think very few people are truly dishonest. Lack of knowledge is probably a more likely common scenario. ;-)

Agreed. I think most purchased what they believed were RB and are just selling what those birds are producing.

Penny

 

[rc50]

Since it only takes four years to create Rhodebars from scratch... I'd be tempted to do that over muddling over what seems to be out there for sale... it could take four years or longer of culling to get what years should get you without having to breed out all the crap that shouldn't be there in the first place.... just my two cents....



Keith
SC
USA

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Since it only takes four years to create Rhodebars from scratch... I'd be tempted to do that over muddling over what seems to be out there for sale... it could take four years or longer of culling to get what years should get you without having to breed out all the crap that shouldn't be there in the first place.... just my two cents....



Keith
SC
USA

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

These guys have matured nicely- this is my GFF breeding pen- 3 hens, 1 roo (please excuse my roo's poor comb- he got frostbite this winter and a lot of it fell off.