Hatchery
or Breeder? It's as
easy as Gold vs. Red
Trying to decide on which
way to go? For all intensive purposes, if you just want to have some of the most
colorful and beautiful birds in poultry today, than either the big commercial
hatcheries, or even most of the smaller hatcheries/breeders will do just fine.
It seems that the few serious American breeders that are working with the blue
laced red Wyandottes are still looking to improve on refining the color (mainly
the red), lacing, combs and overall type, and have yet to offer them on mass to
the American buying public. All’s one would have to do is to understand the
brief history of the blue laced red Wyandottes in the
United States
. It seems that greed and the dollar have had a negative influence on the blr
variety. As best we know, a gentleman name Lowell Barber was one of, if not the
first to import blr eggs from England before international restrictions made it
illegal to do so. Others imported from
Canada
, but all in all the blrs were very few in number. The first hatchery to mass
produce them was Mckinney & Govero, who out crossed the blrs to the golden
laced Wyandottes to put more birds on the ground faster. The vast majority of
blrs in
America
today are from that line. One of the nations largest hatcheries has since bought the
Mckinney
line of blrs. The resulting problem of out crossing to the golden laced birds,
is a lack of red, and more of what’s been described as a brassy color has
taken it’s place amongst the feathers. Unfortunately, the blrs that most of us
desire have a delicate genetic balance when it comes to the red color. Enhancing
and modifying genes, that are so critical in producing the rich mahogany red are very easily replaced by the dominate gold gene. There are however, a
couple of individual breeders who either have blr stock that has not been
carelessly out crossed, or who are working on returning the variety to it’s
former splendor. A smaller breeder will take years, spending thousands of
dollars, and raising several hundred chicks each year to adulthood, just to see
a pair make up the next generation. If you want correctly colored and typed
blrs, do your research. Check the various online poultry groups, and ask a lot
of questions. The members will know who has the best birds.
These
pictures below are an excellent example of the differences between hatcheries,
and what a few breeders have.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| This is an
actual hatchery blr rooster and hens. They were purchased from Mckinney
& Govero in June 2004. As
McKinney
was closing their business, they sold their blue laced red line of
Wyandottes to a large hatchery who now offers this same line.
|
These birds
have no out crossing as best we know. The line is from Lucinda Van
Valkenburg. She had obtained her stock by combining an importation from
England
(via
Canada
) and Lowell Barbers stock. What little was left of this line was obtained
by Phyllis Eide. We have worked extensively and exclusively with
this line. Both hen and Roster are from that line. Pictures courtesy of
Paul's Poultry. |
MAIN
SITE