Tolbunt Polish

[chicken tows]

Here is a photo of one of my Tolbunt.

Here is the roos mother as a chick, this is where the craziness began.

 

[jeremy]

He's a beautiful boy, you should post your pictures on the Imported English Orpington thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=386051&p=657

I raise pure English BBS Orpingtons, they're wonderful birds!

 

[tay_boe]

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I'm so jealous! What a beautiful bird

 

[seminolewind]

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Chicken tows, right or wrong, that is MY idea of a Tolbunt! I would want one just like him-I love all the white. I am not a breeder, just like gorgeous roos!

 

[sonew123]

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Chicken tows, right or wrong, that is MY idea of a Tolbunt! I would want one just like him-I love all the white. I am not a breeder, just like gorgeous roos!

I have to admit Sem I love a lot of white too.... Very healthy and striking looking too!

 

[chicken tows]

He is 3 years old, they get whiter as they age. His mother is mostly white now at 5 years.

 

[welasharon]

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Very pretty! How many do you have? How long have you had them? Any interesting insights on raising them? (If you don't mind my asking).
sharon

 

[Illia]

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Pretty boy. Is he blue based? He looks almost blue when you look closely at the color merging of mottling vs rest of the body.




As per the question on Houdan x GL for a brand new Tolbunt, the idea isn't brand new actually. It's a tricky one that requires good stock to begin with and plenty of time to get right, but it isn't something that hasn't been done before.

I have a Houdan x GL Polish pullet as well as a Houdan x GL cockerel, both were bred and hatched by two (sorta nearby) people who I'm figuring are trying that method to make their own. I'm not using them for that reason, but, in seeing the parents to the birds and seeing how the birds turned out so far in type, I don't think it is a terrible idea, but -

Consider that you have to remove the 5th toe, the possibility in hatchery Houdans of oversides wattles, comb, poor mottling, and squirrel tails. Consider that you may run across in Polish, considering non-hatchery laced birds are hard to find - Clean faces, incomplete bearded birds, too big of wattles and/or combs, squirrel tails, poor lacing, thrifty/undersized type, etc etc.

After that, consider that Houdans are just extended black and mottling. Gold laced make up several genes for their color. Crossing the two once, then shooting in the second, third, fourth generation to retreive good lacing again while still going for a good Polish type is gonna require knowledge and experience.

So once all considered and you're aware how much culling and hatching this requires, I see little issue with it. I'm already aware that my F1 crosses, bred to whatever I choose, will give me a slightly shorter but still wild ride in culling out unwanted traits. I'm even aware that my pullet may carry poor lacing, as one of her two possible mothers has very poor lacing. But, one of her possible mothers has a great tail angle but not spread, the other has a squirrel tail but great spread. She herself has a great angle, decent spread.


So at least in my opinion, it's not a bad idea. Just needs the right person to carry it out.

I've seen a breeder on BYC here with some Houdans I'd get eggs from if I had the room, that's a start, but I've yet to see someone with great bearded LF Gold Laced stock. I'm sure going to a hatchery, ordering a whole ton, and culling hard isn't a bad idea though. Sometimes I seriously consider it. McMurray hatchery gave me a super Silver Laced hen 3 years ago, who knows what will happen?

ETA - My two Houdan crosses are unrelated but from two breeders within an hour's distance of each other; my F1 crosses are of breeding/laying age now, in fact, the pullet began laying really late for me - I'm expecting the breeders should have started on their second gen by now. I'm curious about how it's gone so far. I honestly haven't asked them yet. I would think they used each other's unrelated birds to cross to each other. Would be a good idea.

 

[Moochie]

My eyes! I've gone blind from the beauty!! Ahhhh!

I LIKE THIS THREAD ALOT. BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.

 

[jeremy]

Illia, do you have any pictures of your Houdan X Polish birds?