White faced black Spanish enthusiasts, come hither!

[Whittni]

I think she imported them, then mixed some hatchery birds if they were quality.

 

[DaveK]

These are my favorite breed of chicken and I spent many years with them. Large fowl. It does not take the face a couple of years or even only a year to come in at all. Cockerels and pullets hatched in April and May will go in to the winter with well developed faces. The face is not just a great big lobe like a Minorca. The lobe extends downward and actually meets under the wattles. We all used to call that the bib. Easier to see on the males and especially if handled but the effect is that of a bib. And it can be quite a nice big bib by October/November. The best ones will start out showing turquoise blue faces and not pink. The white creeps in and everything starts to grow downward. Smoothness is desired as is a thick, heavy leathery substance to the skin forming the face/bib. As they haven't been bred enough of late a detail like the red pencil mark over the eye, usually on a male, would be tolerated on an otherwise good and useful bird. At least in my yards. They can be a bit flighty as very young chicks but as mentioned are smart. And they stay smart and become extremely companionable. Give them lots of room and hopefully the ability to be outside. As soon as they learn that they can get away from you they decide they don't need or want to. I do not know why they are so little and sometimes so badly bred. They might just not appeal to everyone. They are unique as to appearance and character. As a young teen an old man I knew who bred them said they would become my favorites. They did, by far, and it was their great brains and overall temperament that got to me before their appearance did. So yes, hard to understand why more do not work with them.

Yes, it is an unusual and endangered breed. I don't know why, perhaps people got tired of waiting 1-2 years for the white face to come in? I love that they come in bantam and LF, I prefer LF myself, but if I got into small chickens, I'd have WFBS bantams, too! Glad someone near you is keeping them up, seems bantams are not as endangered as LF, many hatcheries sell the bantams.

 

[anderson8505]

Cool. Like I said in an earlier post, from what I've learned, some of these birds can take 1-2 years. Terry did say that he has some that color up very quickly. Perhaps your strain had great facial coloring genes or something.

Mine will luckily have an acre to free range in, taking turns with some other flocks.

These are my favorite breed of chicken and I spent many years with them. Large fowl. It does not take the face a couple of years or even only a year to come in at all. Cockerels and pullets hatched in April and May will go in to the winter with well developed faces. The face is not just a great big lobe like a Minorca. The lobe extends downward and actually meets under the wattles. We all used to call that the bib. Easier to see on the males and especially if handled but the effect is that of a bib. And it can be quite a nice big bib by October/November. The best ones will start out showing turquoise blue faces and not pink. The white creeps in and everything starts to grow downward. Smoothness is desired as is a thick, heavy leathery substance to the skin forming the face/bib. As they haven't been bred enough of late a detail like the red pencil mark over the eye, usually on a male, would be tolerated on an otherwise good and useful bird. At least in my yards. They can be a bit flighty as very young chicks but as mentioned are smart. And they stay smart and become extremely companionable. Give them lots of room and hopefully the ability to be outside. As soon as they learn that they can get away from you they decide they don't need or want to. I do not know why they are so little and sometimes so badly bred. They might just not appeal to everyone. They are unique as to appearance and character. As a young teen an old man I knew who bred them said they would become my favorites. They did, by far, and it was their great brains and overall temperament that got to me before their appearance did. So yes, hard to understand why more do not work with them.

 

[Whittni]

Oh, that sounds like fun for your chickens, a whole acre, mine have access to two but only if I'm their to let them out an watch.

 

[FarmGirl01]

Thanks for the info about the bib. I've got some bantams that I was planning to show and was wondering about the white face.

 

[FarmGirl01]

My chicks are about 3 months old and have started getting white around the ear. This is good, because they are mixed in with black OEGB's

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I have been drooling over these chickens for some time now and I must have some. Does anyone that has these beautiful birds live in Va.?

 

[FarmGirl01]

Cute little young pair.

 

[exop]

For any Indiana or eastern Illinois folks reading the thread, I just received a group of 8 White Faced Black Spanish chicks from Duane Urch as extras. I have not made up my mind whether to keep them; if anyone is interested, I paid $7 / each and would like to re-home at least a few. It's a venerable old breed of chicken, but I am afraid I have my hands full with the six other breeds I'm working with.

Best - exop, in Warren County, Indiana (near Danville IL / the Illinois state line, and not far from Lafayette IN / Purdue University).

 

[anderson8505]

(baby pics post #97 of 120 2/23/12 )

My WFBS standards @ a bit over 2 months:

Couple of roos (just two, two different pens, such awesome luck!)