Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

SheriM

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That first photo of your Wellie looks like a couple of bantam roosters that were for sale at one of the local auctions. I wondered what breed the bantams were. Do Wellsummers come in Bantam or were these something else?
 

Quail_Antwerp

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Honestly, I do not know if Welsummers come in bantam sizes or not. I have found that there are a lot of bantam breeds of many of the standard breeds.

If you find bantam Welsummers, they were bred to be small. The only true bantams are ones that there are not any large fowl breeds for, like the Mille Fleur d'Uccles, Silkies, Quail Antwerps, Japanese, and most of the Old English Games.

I know there are Rhode Island Red Bantams and Cochins as Bantams. These are examples of breeds that were bred from standards to create bantams, most likely because people wanted to have these breeds, but needed a smaller chicken to fit their lifestyle or space capacity.

Me, I have a few cochin bantams, but other than those, I *think* most of my bantams are true bantams. For me, if I want the breed, I want them in their true form.

You've now piqued my interest, though, so I will be researching to see if there really are bantam Welsummers! :D I'll let you know.
 

Farmfresh

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Wellsummers resemble BB (black breasted) Reds, which are a variety of Old English game bantam. I used to raise those - way back in the day. Very beautiful and very feisty breed, after all they were originally bred down from fighting birds!

The Wellies are very calm and sweet in contrast.
 

Farmfresh

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Oh - you are right about those other breeds Quail they are true bantams. In addition you need to add on the Black (and White) Rosecomb as true bantams. They are awesome jaunty birds.

I have never heard of a bantam Wellie.
 

Quail_Antwerp

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Thanks, FF! I knew there were other true bantams, I just couldn't remember.

Another breed my mom and I have studied in depth, Aracauna vs. Ameracauna. The true breed is the Aracauna, and the true Aracauna breed in it's true form, is a white tuffed (or non tufted) rumpless bird with blue/slate colored legs. The true Aracauna has no other coloring variation, and the eggs are a true Robin Egg Blue. These chickens are pretty much gone. There are a small handful of them left, but try to get some. Really, try. And I don't mean try to get a wheaten or lavendar or any other color, try to get the white, rumpless tufted with blue/slate legs and bright blue eggs. Most likely, you will get a rumpless tufted bird that lays a bluish green egg. More blue than green, maybe, but not the Robin Egg blue.

Try telling chicken people this, and they will let you know how wrong you are. I've given up sharing what my mom and I have learned.

Ameracaunas, which there is NO APA standard for, are Mutts! People correct us and say, "Oh you have EE's" well honestly, they are the same thing. I had a friend tell me that true Ameracaunas come in only 4 colors: Wheaten, Lavender, and really I was so over listening at that point that I couldn't tell you the last two colors. No one believes me when I say that Ameracaunas and EE's are the same. They are crossbred from other breeds to get the array of colors, and at some point were also crossed with the blue egg Aracauna, to get the green eggers.

I really shouldn't talk about these two chicken breeds. I had a person elsewhere correct me when I advertised my Ameracauna chicks. I politely informed them they were sold to me as Ameracaunas, and that's how I'm advertising them, but they were free to call them whatever they like.

From what I understand, the local 4-H allow kids to show either *true* Ameracaunas or EE's because there is no APA Standard on them. They cannot judge something if there is no standard to compare it to. I've read this in almost every chickening book I've got my hands on. Surely all of these "chicken experts" are not wrong when they are all saying the same thing?

The only step I have left in this is contacting the APA themselves. I don't just jump into anything lightly, I research and research and research. I've pretty much made chickens my business, so I've made it a priority to be "in the know".

OH goodness I sound like a chicken snob!! :th

The book I really want is Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry. There are over 100 beautiful photographs of almost every chicken imaginable! I love that book, just waiting until I can find it at a fairly cheap price (not willing to shell out $25 for one book no matter how bad I want it!) So I'm on the look out for a used copy.

The chicken breeds that I have, I've read up on, studied what their egg color should be, and have schooled myself on what the chicks should look like. There are several breeds of chickens that I can know recognize in chick form, and if I am wanting to be serious about hatching and selling chicks, then that is a good ability to have, IMO.

Now to change gears on ya'll, DH and I have come to an agreement on the raised bed. He's going to move his garden spot behind where I want my raised beds, but still going to till where my raised beds go. It's not worth fighting over, especially not if I want my raised beds. So today, as long as the rains hold off today, we might get something done. (long as I hold my self and my temper in check!) :p


ETA: regarding the chickens again, the only breeds I'm really interested in are the breeds in their true form and color. I like my Speckled Sussex as they are, Speckled, and have no interest in the reds that they have been bred into. Might have my eye on some Light Sussex later, as that again is an original coloring of the breed. Not so much into the lavendars and not everything needs to be Gold Laced, etc. I mean, what ever happened to admiring a breed for what it originally was??? If you want a mixed chicken, toss all your flock together and have a mixed flock! Trust me, you'll have gorgeous birds out there!!
 

keljonma

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Another book that is good, QA, is The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens by Esther Verhoff and Aad Rijs. I got this book as a present from my ds and his dgf. It has some beautiful pictures of true breeds.

And the Standard of Perfection is a must have for showing APA guidlines.

The reasons you mentioned are EXACTLY the reasons we only purchased heritage breeds.
 

Quail_Antwerp

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Thank you, keljonma! I'll definitely look into those books!! :D

This morning we changed our plans as I remembered it was Monday, so we took 12 chicks up to the auction barn.

On our way I decided to take a couple dozen eggs to the local feedstore and have them just subtract it from the bill I have with them.

We had gone back to this feedstore this past Saturday because the owner was working. I explained to him how rudely I was treated by his employee the last time I had been in. He must have said something to his employee, because when I took my eggs in today, she jumped all over me! Reamed me for going to her boss. She said I should tell her when I have a problem with her, not go to her boss (DH assured me I had done the right thing).

I managed to hold my tongue while she told me off and after she said, "My family comes before this job..." I said, "Fine, I'm just bringing you eggs to pay on my bill, and I'll be back to pay the balance and I will not buy anymore feed from here." Spun on my heel and walked out.

My husband was livid that she talked to me that way, and told her he was going to make it his job to tell everyone he knows to not buy feed from there.

She said nothing to us after we said we'd be taking our business elsewhere. She did snatch up the phone and start dialing right away as we walked out.

Once in our car DH told me he was surprised I held my temper in check and didn't fly back at her (I'm pretty hot headed at times) and I told him it is better for me to keep my cool, and just take my business elsewhere. He said he was proud of me.

So we left there and took our chicks up to the auction. While there, we stopped in at the drive thru feedstore. The drive thru is the feedstore that initially approached me regarding chicks last year. We have tentative plans to pick a weekend to use as "chick days" so I can take some chicks in to sell. They also said I can make a poster with pictures of the breeds I will have available and hang it in their feedstore with contact information. She said they will send business my way when someone inquires about chicks! She said she would rather do it this way than have to order in and be responsible for hundreds of chicks. The people can come directly to me to purchase what they want.

After the chick discussion, we started talking feeds, and I found out that they will deliver for me! So I might be getting all my feed for the month at once, delivered right to my door!!! :celebrate
 

BeccaOH

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Hey! That really is a beautiful Welsummer rooster there. I should have kept him. ;)

I'm assuming the feed store you are having trouble with is the one in small town that I have yet to get around to visiting and drive-thru being one in P-town? I like the drive thru's new store arrangement but was frustrated Sat when prices still weren't marked on everything.

Enjoy those Wellys!
 

Beekissed

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Proud of you, Aly! You really can't argue with a fool.....she was jumping you, about being jumped on by her boss, for acting rudely to you in the first place....hmmmmmmmm! Lady has a slow learning curve, huh? :p :rolleyes:

Best to walk away and brush it off, as time wounds all heels, doesn't it? :D
 

Quail_Antwerp

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BeccaOH said:
Hey! That really is a beautiful Welsummer rooster there. I should have kept him. ;)

I'm assuming the feed store you are having trouble with is the one in small town that I have yet to get around to visiting and drive-thru being one in P-town? I like the drive thru's new store arrangement but was frustrated Sat when prices still weren't marked on everything.

Enjoy those Wellys!
He is gorgeous, isn't he? LOL Thank you again so much for picking them up for me! You are such a wonderful friend!!

Not sure what P-Town is? I went to Carrollton. :D Are you talking about the Drive thru on 250?? I rarely go to that one.

How are your new hens doing? Are they settling in Ok?
 
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