Why Are Hollands As Rare As Hens' Teeth?

[NeilV]

I am just starting with chickens. As part of my search for potential breeds, I came across the Holland breed. This breed seems to have characteristics of a dual purpose breed that lays a reasonable number of white eggs and takes confinement well. Seems to fit a niche to me.

However, it seems these are some scarce birds. It does not appear that any hatcheries have them. With all the interest in heritage breeds, and with this breed being truly scarce and filling a specific, unoccupied niche (white egg layer/dual purpose/good backyard bird), why do the hatcheries not jump on this breed?

Just wondering what I'm missing,

Neil

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Mostly because they niche they fill was never a very big one. They're a fairly recent breed so never really got a chance to establish much popularity before being shoved aside by modern poultry breeding marvels such as the Cornish-X. Dual purpose birds have virtually no commercial importance any more and haven't for decades now.

The folks that do have interests in dual-purpose birds now almost exclusively want brown eggs.

.....Alan.

 

[3littlebirds]

Quote:
I had exactly the same thought! I don't know if you've seen it already, but I have a thread a little farther down the page (Dual-Purpose White Egg Layer) asking pretty much this same question. I could go for a Holland too, although white feathering would be a nice option for dual-purpose birds too. From what I've heard though, some of the commercially available Hollands don't even lay white eggs. I think this is a breed that could really use some dedicated breeders.

 

[Cara]

Ideal Poultry have them.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I am pretty sure Sandhill has them too. They come in barred for sure and I'm pretty sure they come in white.

 

[Freeholder]

White birds are pretty, but it isn't really the ideal color if you are going to let them run loose at all -- white is easier for predators to spot, so their survival rate isn't as good as the barred birds (barred or cuckoo coloring, while not my favorite, is excellent camoflage).

Kathleen

 

[jenjscott]

I have been researching them too. I will be getting some barred Hollands. Even American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is unsure if there are any whites left. That recreation would be a good project, they know exactly what breeds were used to make it, but I am too old to take that on, so I will settle for helping with the barred. Several places have them, but different folks report different results. Some complain of cream eggs instead of white, white legs instead of yellow. etc. I am still trying to make up my mind. ideal, sandhill and efowl are in the running so far.