Why are breeds allowed to become extinct???

[Carrie Lynn]

I was reading about the buff-white-buff Vorwerks, they will soon become extinct.
I can't understand why, knowing this, enthusiasts in Holland/Europe aren't interested in raising them to prevent their
extinction.

 

[usschicago1]

Quote:
I think the main problem is they are not readily available. Breeders often don't sell them or sell for outrageous money. Then, lets say a flood comes and drowns that flock, they are lost. It's quite sad actually.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

They are really pretty birds, too.

Breeds go extinct for all kinds of reasons....I have found that a lot of today's extinction (or risk of) has to do with people wanting instant gratification. They don't want to wait 9 months for eggs. So they buy hybrid, mega-super-layers that mature quickly and lay like crazy.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Sometimes maintaning a breed is simply not worth the effort for a large enough group of people. Same problem exists with endangered species with their habitat requirments. The "worth effort part" is an opinion that is or is not acted upon. For me, breeds are artificial constructs that must be maintained by a combination of artifical and natural selection. Changes in either form of selection will either change breed or kill it.

From my perspective, much of the conservation efforts with many breeds are intiated too late and when done result in the continuation of the "breed" that is in fact not what originally existed. Loss of much of the genetic variation of a breed through sloppy inbreeding or genetic bottle-necking (not enough breeders used to found flocks, trios are not enough) reduces performance to such a degree that the breed is no longer suited for what it was originally bred for such as egg laying and / or meat production under a given set of conditions. Another method effectively killing a breed already on the ropes is the introduction of genes from other breeds to such an extent that the breed being saved may retain desired looks but genetically be much more consistent with the breed(s) it was infused with. This seems to be an ongoing issue where breeds are largely repressented by show quality stocks and frequent infusions of new blood are needed to restore desired type, coloration or fertility.

 

[centrarchid]

We also can not save everything as not enough people are involved and such efforts are in reality long-term (multi-generational for humans) and we as an organization and species are not exactly what I call great thinkers for multi-generational timescales. We truely are temporally challenged.

 

[farmerlor]

Quote:
Sometimes maintaning a breed is simply not worth the effort for a large enough group of people. Same problem exists with endangered species with their habitat requirments. The "worth effort part" is an opinion that is or is not acted upon. For me, breeds are artificial constructs that must be maintained by a combination of artifical and natural selection. Changes in either form of selection will either change breed or kill it.

From my perspective, much of the conservation efforts with many breeds are intiated too late and when done result in the continuation of the "breed" that is in fact not what originally existed. Loss of much of the genetic variation of a breed through sloppy inbreeding or genetic bottle-necking (not enough breeders used to found flocks, trios are not enough) reduces performance to such a degree that the breed is no longer suited for what it was originally bred for such as egg laying and / or meat production under a given set of conditions. Another method effectively killing a breed already on the ropes is the introduction of genes from other breeds to such an extent that the breed being saved may retain desired looks but genetically be much more consistent with the breed(s) it was infused with. This seems to be an ongoing issue where breeds are largely repressented by show quality stocks and frequent infusions of new blood are needed to restore desired type, coloration or fertility.

Sometimes an animal becomes very popular due to the prevailing population and then falls from favor for the same reasons. Take the Beltsville White Turkey. That turkey was once the most popular variety of turk in the US and then through selection processes we found Broad Breasted turkeys and the Beltsville was finished as were many other heritage breeds who took longer to mature and didn't have as much breast meat. The same thing happens in dairy and meat cattle production. We want more, faster, and cheaper so we cross the breeds that can provide us with those attributes and the parent stock dies out in favor of the new cross.

 

[rc50]

This leads to asking if we can should we recreate breeds that are super rare or gone altogether...?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
With some of the rarest breeds that's what's already happening, unfortunately.

Crevecoeur for example....people are using Polish to get their numbers back up which creates an entirely different slough of problems to deal with later down the line.

This is why you may see a bird advertised as one thing but when you look up the old APA standard or photographs they don't match at all.

Hatcheries are also guilty of quantity over quality and mislabeling breeds...look at the whole Ameracuana/EE mess.

or some of the breeds that are labeled one thing but have the wrong comb type, wrong color legs, lay the wrong color egg--the list goes on and on.

Speaking of which--there is a hatchery selling Rhode Island Whites. These are a very rare bird and should have a rose comb, always. However, when I contacted this hatchery, I was told that all of their "RIW" are single combed?

I have personally seen a poor newbie bring her birds to a show (hatchery stock) only to be embarrassed and DQ'd because their breed has the wrong comb, too much white, wrong color earlobes, wrong leg color, etc. She was aghast that the hatchery would misrepresent their stock and sell them as something they were far from.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
For some folks the creation or recreation is a challenge they enjoy so they do it. Problems are that such efforts result in flocks that have very little genetic variation to work with and interest often is not carried forward or expanded upon by others so breed / flock dies with creator or at least creators interest.

 

[rc50]

As most of you know I would think from reading posts here that there are breeds in other parts of the world we in the US do not have... and some we never had.... yet some if you really want to try could be recreated in the US... For me it is all about what we like and want... this I think is with any breeder or keeper of any animal. Some breeds have a very loose standard or none in the US ... Many here breed and keep Marans... yet there is no US standard of perfection.... Different standards in different countries... most people here in SC I know that just keep chickens have no idea what a standard is.... most have no idea that different breeds can be barred... they see a barred chicken and it is a Dominique.... and many simply just let them all run loose free range and then think that they can sell or have pure bred chickens... ") TO me the funniest thing I see is on eBay when some one has a sex link hatching eggs for sale...

lol
love this thread...
hope all have a great weekend

Keith
SC
USA