Making Your Own Line of Birds |
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Written by Laurence Beeken
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Saturday, 03 July 2010 00:00 |
 If you are familiar with showing and breeding then you will almost certainly recognise the reference to a 'line' or a 'strain' and this becomes immediately obvious when you start to look at show winners - a particular exhibitor will have a row of birds all appearing exactly the same, and in fact the average member of the public visiting the show would be hard pressed to spot even the smallest difference.
This range of related birds will all have been bred in a specific way to maximize the preferred features and minimise or even eradicate those physical traits which fall 'foul' of the breed standards. The line is fixed to such an extent that a judge will recognise instantly a specific breeder's stock, and would even be able to tell which line a new exhibitor's bird originates from.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 July 2010 06:21 |
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Poultry Identification with Leg Rings |
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Written by Tim Daniels
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Thursday, 22 July 2010 00:00 |
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 If you are breeding or showing your birds, you will find it soon becomes necessary to identify them. Chickens, ducks and other poultry and pigeons can be clearly identified by a unique number printed on a leg ring which is registered to you when you purchase them. This allows you for example to prove ownership of your birds at the end of a show before you take them home, or identify birds that are being used in a breeding pen and maintain accurate breeding records.
There are many different types of identification used to identify pedigree animals from the tatoos used on cattle, pigs and horses to ear tags used on sheep, or microchips that are often used on cats and dogs. Identification is used on farms, primarily to identify animals that are going into the food chain but pigeon fanciers adopted leg rings many years before people were ringing poultry and it is mandatory for birds to have a permanent leg ring identification if they are to be entered into a race or a show.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 July 2010 12:41 |
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Breed in Focus - The Poland |
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Written by Laurence Beeken
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Saturday, 23 April 2011 11:16 |
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 The Poland is an old breed, although its ancestry is unclear due to many countries having laid claim to its making. Some books connect the type with the Paduan (Patavinian) fowl. What is clear is that this was originally a utility breed for both table and egg, with the bantam (or miniature) varieties coming along in the late 1800s due to several matings with different breeds to reduce size. A shame really as the bantam varieties that we see are probably more genetically mixed up than their large counterparts. First shown in London in 1845, the Poland was one of the first breeds to be standardised in 1865.
Did they originate in Poland? Possibly, but their name is more likely to be a result of the 'poll' or 'poland' sat on top of their head (the knob and crest), which them makes them Polands rather than Polish...... snobbery on my part perhaps, but perhaps a more fitting reason than simply a country that they at one time may have proliferated in.
In some parts of the world, Polands are referred to as 'Dutch' which does little to help with the naming of this magnificent breed.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 April 2011 12:40 |
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Keeping Chickens Month by Month: July |
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Written by The Mad Chicken Lady
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Wednesday, 01 June 2011 00:00 |
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As I type this, we are all sweltering in the grip of a mini heat wave. The hens have all disappeared in to the shrubbery, and can only be tempted out by the lure of chicken ice pops (or frozen peas to you and me). They lie in feathery hummocks, occasionally making a moaning ' boooooooooork' sound that is very much a complaint. Now that we're going in to July, we can expect the weather to stay on the warm side. As long as your hens have access to cool fresh water and shade, they will cope in the heat remarkably well. The problem is, a lot of poultry parasites not only cope in the hot weather, they positively thrive.
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Last Updated on Friday, 01 July 2011 10:21 |
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Tips on Re-homing Ex-Battery Chickens |
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Written by Jo Barlow
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Thursday, 31 March 2011 17:56 |
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 Ask anyone who already re-homes ex-batts about their ‘girls’ and you will be receive an enthusiastic, and probably very long, animated response extolling the virtues of their ladies. Whether you are new to chickens or already have a flock of ‘normal’ birds, offering a home to some ex-batts is a rewarding and life enhancing experience. And whilst they are just as easy to care for as any other chickens, these very special ladies do require some special consideration and treatment.
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Last Updated on Friday, 01 April 2011 16:43 |
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Read more... [Tips on Re-homing Ex-Battery Chickens]
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