2016 Claborn Farms Catalog

Transcription

Claborn Farms
Poultry Catalog
2016
day-old chicks • started chickens • turkeys
purveyors of productive poultry
www.clabornfamilyfarms.com
Welcome to Claborn Farms
Introduction
Welcome to our 2016 catalog—our very first one.
We started raising chickens over 20 years ago and
are now working to provide improved breeding to
those who are looking for productive, sustainable
birds. By selectively breeding and raising birds in
Central Texas, we will be able to provide birds that
are adapted to the Southwest climate. Enjoy our
catalog, and if you have questions, please ask.
Joe Claborn
1
The Homestead and the Sustainable Poultry Flock
To be sustainable, a homestead or farm must
be able to produce its poultry without acquiring
birds outside of its local farm or region. Just as
seed saving and selecting seeds each year create
improvements in production, vitality, flavor, and
disease resistance, selecting and saving poultry
“seed stock” from year to year will increase the
production, vigor, flavor and disease resistance of
the now locally-adapted poultry flocks.
Many homesteads or small farms are interested
in both meat and eggs—that is, a dual-purpose
bird. While many breeds were developed initially
for one or the other, most of the breeds we carry
fit in the dual-purpose category. Our goal is to
have cockerels that provide a good carcass for the
table and productive egg-laying hens. This creates
a tension in the breeding program. Once a hen
starts laying, she stops growing, and so when bred
for early lay, the strain tends to become smaller.
Thus, in order to maintain the breed size—and the
amount of meat that the cockerels and spent hens
supply—we do not select for early lay.
So our birds may take an extra week or two to
lay, when compared to those from suppliers with
different breeding programs. We are also looking
for birds that lay for multiple years, and so we are
not trying to develop the 347 eggs per year Black
Australorp; rather, we allow for a more natural
rate of lay that varies with the season. We do
not force molt because we feel that the molting
period allows the hen to replenish her body as she
prepares for the next season. By working with the
seasons, we maintain the highest quality breeders,
which in turn produce the highest quality chicks.
Contents:
Introduction
• What we offer .................................. 3
• Our Breeds ........................................ 3
• Our Breeding Program ...................... 4
• The Productive Bird ........................... 5
• Our Mission, Vision and Values.......... 6
• FAQ .................................................. 7
• Shipping .................................................. 9
• Larger Orders .......................................... 10
Chickens
• Barred Plymouth Rocks...................... 11
• Texas Bresse ...................................... 12
• Black Australorps .............................. 13
• Delawares ......................................... 15
• Dark Cornish ..................................... 17
• Mottled Java ..................................... 18
• New Hampshires .................................... 19
• Red Dorkings .......................................... 21
• Welsummers ........................................... 23
Turkeys
• Narragansett. .................................... 25
• Heritage Bronze ................................ 26
• Beltsville Small White ........................ 26
254-829-5333 • www.clabornfarms.com • [email protected]
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What We Offer / Our Breeds
What We Offer
We sell day-old baby chicks, started chickens (4-22 weeks old) and a very limited supply of
turkeys (both as day-old poults and started turkeys). For current pricing, please see our website: www.clabornfarms.com.
Our Breeds
We have chosen breeds that we like and enjoy raising. Hopefully, you will like these breeds
too, and so we can help you make a good start toward establishing a sustainable flock. On
our farm we raise Delawares, New Hampshires, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Texas Bresse, Mottled
Javas, Red Dorkings and Cornish chickens. We also raise three turkey breeds: Heritage Bronze,
Narragansett and Beltsville Whites. Nearby friends are breeding the Black Australorps and
Welsummers.
At this point, we do not plan on breeding other breeds on our farm; rather, we hope that
other people in our community will begin to selectively breed more poultry breeds that we can
begin to offer next year. If you are interested in a breed that we do not currently carry, please
contact us. We have connections with many other breeders of selectively-bred poultry, and so
we can assist you in finding the breed you love.
3
Our Breeding Program
Often we are asked, “How do you selectively
breed in a closed flock and not become inbred?
Inbreeding and its associated effects––small bird
size, loss of vigor and productivity, and inbreeding
depression––can become a problem in any closed
flock, not just selectively-bred flocks. The key is to
breed for improvement while maintaining genetic
diversity. We do this by maintaining three lines
of each breed. Each year as we set our breeders,
we look at the pullets produced that year and the
hens from the previous year, and then select those
that have demonstrated the most production or
are showing the best potential for production. As
each chick is born, we mark them as to which line
they came from. When setting up our breeding
pens, we place the older hens and the new pullets
from the same line together. Then a rooster or
cockerel from a different line is used in that pen.
This method is sometimes referred to as “Clan,”
“Pen,” or “Spiral” mating. By always bringing in a
male from another line, we maintain genetic diversity. By selecting for production, we continuously
improve the breed.
Our breeding program can be duplicated on your
farm with as few as six birds. We will be happy to
show you how. For more in-depth learning, the
Ploughshare Institute for Sustainable Culture (see
www.sustainlife.org) offers poultry classes where
we cover these topics (and others) in more detail.
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The Productive Bird
Our goal is for each bird to reach its maximum potential. We achieve this in the following ways:
1. Genetics - By selective breeding, we increase the genetic potential of each successive
generation without diminishing the genetic diversity. We use the appropriate poultry
standard—American, British or French—as we select our next generation of breeders.
2. Straight run chicks - We feel that disposing of day-old chicks solely based on gender
selection prevents that day-old chick from reaching its potential. Thus, we sell straight run
(un-sexed) chicks. The pullets can be used for egg production, and the cockerels can be
used for the table.
3. Nutrition - We strive for optimal nutrition at each stage of growth. We are working with
a nationally recognized poultry nutrition specialist to formulate feeds specifically for
birds in our region.
4. Housing - We provide well-ventilated housing with good bedding or rotational fresh
pasture and plenty of space per bird.
5. Water - Clean, fresh water is essential to a bird’s health. Dirty, stale water is a vector for
many different illnesses. Our motto is: if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t expect the birds to.
We use several varieties of automatic waterers—cups and bell waterers. Some of our pens
have manual 3- or 5-gallon waterers. Where manual waterers are used, they are emptied
and refilled daily. Where automatic waterers are used, they are checked daily.
6. Care - If we take care of the birds, they will take care of us. Care is the attention you pay
to all the little signs that the birds give you. When you walk into a pen and there is a happy
sound, you know things are going well. But when you walk into a pen and there is a
different sound, a different smell or a different feel (not a happy one), care demands that
you not ignore these signs, but rather find the cause and address it. We strive to do that.
5
Our Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
To provide our community and neighbors
with proven poultry and the patterns
essential to developing sustainable poultry
flocks.
Vision
As purveyors of productive poultry,
our vision is to breed, grow and market
locally-adapted breeds that are selected
based on poultry standards.
Values
Improvement - We will continually improve the quality of the poultry we produce. We will
do this by continually improving the breeding, feeding, housing, the pasturing, and
watering of the poultry and land in our care.
Resilience - We will increase the resilience of our community and region by increasing the
number of locally-adaptable sustainable poultry flocks and by providing opportunities for
learning and hands-on experiences.
Rewarding Employment - We will provide challenging and rewarding employment for those
who join with us to pursue our common mission and vision.
Care - We will strive to express care in all that we do. We will do this by first listening and then
speaking, by observing and improving, respecting and encouraging. We will actively engage with
each person and with each task that we are involved with. We will pay attention to the details
of each task and each relationship. We will be absolutely honest and resolve conflicts.
Stewardship - We will work diligently to show ourselves to be good stewards of the resources
we have been entrusted with by showing a profit each season.
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Frequently Asked Questions
?
Q. Are your birds friendly?
How a flock is raised is as important as genetics
in determining how friendly it is. A flock that
has positive human interaction from day one is
more likely to be friendly than a flock that has
only sporadic human interaction.
As we select breeders, we do NOT select aggressive males. Even so, the male is pre-disposed to
protect the flock, and if he thinks you are or are
acting like a predator, he will likely challenge
you.
Q. Are you certified organic or soy-free?
No. Where possible, we source locally grown, non-GMO grain. There is much noise around
soy and soy’s hormonal effects on the chicken and those who eat the chicken. The bottom
line is that without soy or animal byproducts, a feed will have to have non-organic lysine
added to it. We formulate our feed for the birds’ health, believing that if we take care of
them, they will take care of us. We believe that the best feed is a diverse, whole-grain ration.
Thus we minimize, but do not eliminate, the inclusion of roasted soy in our feed.
Certified organic does not address the care or welfare of the bird. For certification to have
value, trust must be placed in the certifying agency. We would rather earn your trust by
demonstrating the care we give our flocks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What do you do with the chicks that do not sell?
All of our chicks sell, :). But if they don’t, we raise them up to sell at 4-22 weeks. Those that
do not sell at that age, primarily the cockerels, become high-quality packaged meat that we
sell through the local grocery store.
Q. May we visit your farm?
We highly encourage you to visit the farm where you procure your birds. Each quarter we have a
farm visit day, and when we can, we provide a heritage poultry meal with the visit. Please check
our website for dates and costs.
Q. Can you explain the terms “cock,” “cockerel,” “hen,” and “pullet”?
People use these terms different ways in different contexts. In this catalog, we use “cock” to
describe a male bird over a year old. A “hen” is a female bird over a year old. A “cockerel” is a
male bird up to a year old, and a “pullet” is a female bird up to a year old. This usage is based on
how these terms are defined in the APA Standard.
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Shipping Day-old chicks
Our experience and our reading have taught us
that the first week of a chick’s life is nutritionally
critical. When a chick spends the first 72 hours
of life in a box—which is what happens when
you buy chicks shipped through the postal service—they will never reach their genetic potential
because nutrition plays such an important role in
the development of the bird.
We feel that the eventual production characteristics
of the bird are 50% genetic and 50% environmental and that nutrition is a large part of the environmental component (water, housing, air quality,
and hygiene being some of the other important
environmental characteristics).
When nutrition is restricted the first few days, as during shipping, the digestive system of the chick
never reaches its full potential, so the bird never reaches its full genetic potential.
Therefore, we strongly encourage LOCAL pickup of your chicks. ALL of our local poultry sales
are handled through the Homestead General Store (254-754-9663). Please place your order for
LOCAL pickup through them. Once you place your order, we will provide the date when you can
pick up the chicks.
If you live beyond a comfortable drive to Waco, TX, we may be able to meet you part way, depending on distance. We can arrange a meeting place and time and let you know what the cost will
be. For those outside of that range, we ship day-old chicks, though we prefer to ship 4-7 week-old
started chickens, as shipping at an older age is less stressful on the bird.
We are only offering to ship to areas where USPS Express Mail can deliver in one day. If USPS is
unable to reach your post office in one day, you may find that by driving an hour or so, you can
reach an area that has one-day delivery.
We guarantee live arrival and 48-hour survivability. Normally we ship a couple of extras, so please
count the number of live birds you have before calling. We do NOT guarantee one-day delivery. We
have no control over the USPS and have never been able to collect on their overnight guarantee.
So if your birds take more than one day to arrive, we will not refund the shipping cost, nor will we
file for a refund.
For some orders, air cargo may be an option. Air cargo is particularly useful when there is a nonstop flight from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport (DFW) to your airport. Most of the country can be
reached in a 5-6 hour trip, minimizing the stress on the birds.
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Larger orders
We are very interested in connecting with those
who are developing and supplying local and
regional markets with heritage chickens. Our
Delawares, New Hampshires and Barred Plymouth
Rocks have proven to be excellent meat birds.
Our F1 cross of the New Hampshire male on the
Delaware female produces a meat bird with
excellent hybrid vigor. Plus, they are color sexable
at birth, allowing the cockerels to be raised for
meat and the pullets for egg production.
Please contact us if you are interested in larger
orders (more than 200 birds).
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Barred Plymouth Rocks
At a Glance:
• Prolific layers of light-brown
eggs
• Dual-purpose, meat and eggs
• Friendly
• 9 ½# cocks
• 8# cockerels
• 7.5# hens
• Selectively bred for 15 years
Breeder: Claborn Farms, Waco, TX
History
I once read that there is no end to what a man can accomplish if he does not care who gets
the credit. I remembered that sentiment as I examined the various histories of the Barred
Plymouth Rock. It seems that the further we get away from the original poultry show where
they were first shown, more and more obscurity surrounds the origin of the Barred Plymouth
Rock. To search for the “truer” history, I went back to the book The Plymouth Rock, by A. C.
Smith, copyright 1906.
According to Smith they were first shown in 1869 in a poultry show in Worcester, Mass. by
Mr. D. A. Upham. Mr. Upham showed a trio of fowls and two trios of chicks. Mr. Upham
states, “They were bred originally by a Mr. Joseph Spaulding, of Putnam, Conn. from a
Dominique or Hawke colored male” and a Black Cochin. Various stories circulated that the
breeding was from a Dominique and Java cross. But according to Smith, Mr. Upnam said it
was a Cochin, and the Standard makers also called it a Cochin.
Physical Traits
Our Barred Plymouth Rocks have excellent barring. Barring is due to a dominant sex-linked
gene. The gene prevents pigment being applied to feathers—it creates a light spot on the
feather. Because the male carries two copies of the gene, and the female only carries one, the
males tend to be lighter in color than the females. The barring feathers tend to grow more
slowly, and so feather growth is slow. Barred Plymouth Rocks are a great general farm or
homestead bird—they are good egg layers, and the males make a nice carcass for the table.
Excellent foragers, they do well on pasture.
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Texas Bresse
At a Glance:
• Moderate layers of creamcolored eggs
• Friendly, calm disposition
• 5 ½–6# cocks
• 5–5 ½# cockerels
• 4 ½–5# hens
• Selectively bred for 1 year
History
From the Bresse region of France comes what has been acclaimed as the best tasting chicken
in the world—the Poulet de Bresse. As soon as they are able, the young Bresse are started on
pasture. They are raised on pasture for 4 to 4 ½ months. Fed a lower-protein feed, they are
encouraged to forage for their own protein in the form of bugs and grubs. In France, they
are served with their head and steel blue legs intact, as a sign of authenticity. They are raised
in small flocks, and each bird presented for sale is banded with a metal band with the name
of the producing farm. According to the French, only birds produced in the Bresse region of
France can be accurately called “Bresse.”
They first came to the United States from Canada to the Northwest, though in a phone
conversation with a grower there, I was told that flock was destroyed by the avian flu.
Greenfire Farms of Florida has Bresse that they call “American Bresse.” We obtained our
breeders from Greenfire parentage and from breeders at Bresse Farms.
Our Texas Bresse
Our “Texas Bresse” are a work in progress. The APA does not include the Bresse in the Standard, so we are selecting our breeders based on the British Standard. Our Bresse tend to be
longer-legged than the British Standard calls for, and our combs are larger. The larger combs
are an asset in the Texas heat, as it allows for better cooling. We are getting a larger percent
than we would like of muffed offspring that lay a green egg, indicating that our breeding
stock is not as pure as we would like. Our selective breeding will improve these traits over
time. We have found our Bresse to be excellent foragers and good layers of a light-brown,
almost cream-colored egg.
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Black Australorps
History
Development of the Australorp began in Australia around 1890 to 1900, based on Black
Orpington stock from England. Orpingtons were primarily being bred in England for meat.
Breeders outcrossed the Black Orpington with Minorcas, White Leghorns and Langshans, all
known for their egg-laying ability. There is mention of Plymouth Rocks possibly having being
used in their development as well.
The goal of the breeders was to maintain the dual-purpose nature of the breed, while focusing on improving its laying ability. They wanted a bird that would lay well and produce a
good-sized carcass for table use, and they were successful to this end.
In egg-laying contests during the 1920s, a group of six Black Australorp hens is said to have
averaged 309.5 eggs per hen in a 365-day period. From what I understand, this was without
the supplemental lighting used with many modern flocks. Another record was set by a Black
Australorp hen that produced 364 eggs in a 365-day period. While these are exceptional
records set by exceptional hens, Black Australorps as a group are well known for their ability
to lay copious quantities of large, brown eggs.
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Black Australorps
At a Glance:
• Excellent brown egg layers
• Calm temperament
• 8 ½# cocks
• 7 ½# cockerels
• 6 ½# hens
Breeder: Matthew Pressly, Waco, TX
Physical Traits
As evidenced by their name, Black Australorps are black-feathered. In the sunlight, their adult
feathers have a sort of iridescent, green hue, with some purple. The hue changes with the angle
of the light falling on them—a feature that is difficult to capture well in a photograph. With their
bright red comb and wattles, they are a very attractive bird. Despite their dark feathers, their skin
is white, owing to their Orpington heritage. The white skin makes for an attractive carcass that
browns nicely when cooked.
The Standard specifies a live weight of 8.5 pounds for cocks (over a year old) and 7.5 pounds for
cockerels (up to a year old). In cockerels we culled at 17 weeks of age, we saw live weights of 4 to
5.4 pounds, and the birds dressed out to about 60% of their live weight. Hens, according to the
Standard, will be 6.5 pounds at maturity and pullets, 5.5 pounds.
Behavior
Our Australorps have a friendly disposition and are not flighty, but they are not overly friendly. They
don’t seem to mind human presence and will continue eating, foraging and such nearby with me
present in the coop or pen, but they do squawk a bit when first handled. I think that with more
handling they could be tamed quite well.
They are calm and mild-tempered and can handle confinement well. We are raising them in portable hoop-style coops on unused garden areas or pasture where they have access to some fresh
ground daily, or in paddocks that we move every few weeks.
As we are in our first season with this line of Black Australorps and have not reached the point of
lay, we do not have egg-laying records yet, but we are told they should lay well. We are anticipating an average of 250 or more eggs per hen per year. The breeder from which we purchased our
initial stock reports that there is some tendency in his flocks toward broodiness. As we want to
develop a line that is a good fit for the homestead as well as being productive, we do not plan to
cull for broodiness unless it becomes excessive.
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Delawares
At a Glance:
• Prolific layers of light-brown
eggs
• Exceptionally friendly
• 8 ½# cocks
• 7 ½# cockerels
• 6 ½# hens
History
In 1940 or thereabouts, George Ellis from Ocean View, Delaware mated Barred Plymouth Rock
males with New Hampshire females. By mating the friendly, docile Barred Plymouth Rocks
(admitted to the Standard in 1874) with the relatively new, faster-growing New Hampshire Reds
(admitted to the Standard in 1935), George aimed to produce a hardy, fast-maturing,
fast-feathering broiler. (Interestingly, if he had mated the New Hampshire male on the Barred
Plymouth Rock female, he would have produced a black sex-link instead.)
This mating produced a small group of “silver sport” offspring. George mated these sports to
produce the Delaware plumage pattern. He used one very fine specimen named “Superman”
to produce a lightly-marked Columbian-patterned bird with mostly white feathers. With mostly
white feathers they would be easier to dress out than dark-feathered birds. Initially bred for the
meat industry, Delawares were the broiler of choice until the Cornish X-Rocks took over. The
Cornish X-Rocks, despite their inferior taste, began to flood the market just as the Delaware
began to become popular. By the 2010 census, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
rated the breed as “threatened,” meaning that fewer than 1,000 breeding Delawares exist in the
United States, and less than 5,000 worldwide. (They haven’t counted mine yet.)
George originally called this breed “Indian River” after the hatchery that he ran. Later he
changed the name to “Delaware” after his home state.
Physical Traits
The Delaware matures more quickly than most other heritage breeds. Delawares are mostly
white with black barring around the neck. Though they are sometimes referred to as having the
Columbian pattern, this can be confusing. The Columbian pattern restricts where color is located
on a bird. The body is normally one color and the hackles, wings and tail are a solid color. For
example, the Columbian Wyandotte is a white bird with black hackles, wings and tail. But the
coloring of the Delaware in the hackles, wings and tail is NOT solid—those feathers are barred.
15
Delawares
Physical Traits (continued)
Delawares can be harvested at 16 weeks and
make a very attractive carcass. They free range well
and can be left to grow out without becoming
tough, if cooked correctly. We ate some that were
22 weeks old, and it was the best chicken I had
eaten.
The Standard specifies a live weight of 8.5 pounds
for cocks (over a year old) and 7.5 pounds for
cockerels (up to a year old). Hens, according to
the Standard, will be 6.5 pounds at maturity and
pullets 5.5 pounds.
Behavior
Our Delawares have an exceptionally friendly
disposition and are not flighty. They’ve seemed
very pleased to have human visitors, coming
around to see what treat I might be bringing in
with me. They are eager to chase grasshoppers
and other insects. They forage well, enjoying
the fresh grass and fermented alfalfa that we
supplement their feed with. Our breeding flocks
are housed in stationary sheds with outdoor runs
below live oak trees.
Our breeding flocks have been selectively bred for
five years. We do not have complete egg records,
but for the last month (September into October
2015, with temperatures running 15 degrees (F)
above normal) we are getting 22-26 eggs a day
from 30 pullets. We have been told that our hens
may go broody in the second season, after the first
molt. If this happens, we will mark those birds and
develop a strain for those desiring a broody hen.
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Dark Cornish
History
At a Glance:
The development of the Cornish is an
example of how a breeding program can totally
fail at its intended purpose and yet succeed in a
different area. In the early 1800s, prior to 1820,
Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert of England was trying
to combine the power of the Aseel Game with
the speed of the English Game, with the goal of
producing a superior fighting chicken. Instead
of a chicken that excels at fighting, what came
of this effort was a slow-growing, non-fighting
bulldozer of a bird.
• Poor egg layers
• Tasty slow-growing meat
• 10 ½# cocks
• 8 ½# cockerels
• 8# hens
Physical Traits
The Cornish is a very close-feathered bird, with little or no apparent down. As such, they feel
almost hard, as opposed to the Java, which has a very soft feel. The close feathering makes
their size very deceptive; though they look small and light, they are all meat, and heavy.
They have wide skulls, and their bodies are of medium length, but they have thick necks and
massively thick legs. Unique to the Cornish, the overall body type of both males and females is
the same. When viewed from above, the proper shape is a heart—the broad part of the heart
at the front of the back, and the tip of the tail filling out the bottom of the heart. The heart
shape restricts egg capacity, so they are not prolific egg layers. Cornish are the slowest
growing of the breeds that we carry; their optimum harvest age being 22 to 24 weeks.
Because they are slow growing, they have an intense chicken flavor.
They are not a free-range bird, though as any chicken, they will forage. If allowed to forage,
they will require supplemental feed. They are docile, slow-moving birds. The hens will go
broody, and they make good mothers.
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Mottled Javas
At a Glance:
• Moderate layers of
brown eggs
• 9.5# cocks
• 8# cockerels
• 7.5# hens
• Selectively bred for 20+ years
History
The second oldest American breed after the Dominique, the Java was developed from birds
imported from Asia. Though mentioned in the literature in 1835, it was probably developed
before then. They did not reach Britain until 1880, and so those who claim stock from the
Island of Java are missing earlier mention of them in the Americas.
The exact parentage of the breed is unknown, but the influence of the Rhode Island Red and
the Jersey Giant seems to be without question. Some claim that Javas were involved in the
development of the Plymouth Rock, but this has been questioned. For some time, the Black
Cochin and Black Java were referred to interchangeably, leading to some confusion as to
which breed was being referenced.
Physical Traits
Our Mottled Javas go back to the old Dr. Albert McGraw line. They have a rectangular build
with a long, sloping back and a deep, full breast. Their back should be the longest in the
American class. The comb is unique in that the first point is set above the eye, not the nostril,
as is more typical. They are a homestead breed par excellence. Dual-purpose, for both meat
and eggs, they are a bit slower growing than Delawares. Excellent free rangers, they also
tolerate confinement. The hens will go broody, and when they do, they make good mothers.
They lay a moderate quantity of medium-sized brown eggs. They are calm, friendly and have
soft feathers. The mottling is white splashes on black feathers.
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New Hampshires
History
New Hampshires, also known as New Hampshire Reds, are a relatively recent breed. They began to be developed in New Hampshire and southern Massachusetts around 1910. Beginning
with Rhode Island Red parent stock, breeders developed the New Hampshire by continuously
selecting for vigor, early maturity, fast growth rate, conformation, egg size and rapid
development of full plumage. It is thought that no other bloodlines were crossed with the
Rhode Island Red to develop the New Hampshire, a testament to how a breed can be shaped
for specific purposes by selective breeding alone.
Color was not a primary concern to the early breeders of the New Hampshire, so plumage
colors began to drift from the darker feathering of the Rhode Island Reds to the lighter color
of today’s New Hampshires and various shades in between. Early breeder, A.W. Richardson is
noted for saying that “the bird is not producing colour for sale, but meat and eggs.” His focus
and interest lay in its production traits rather than its color. Commercial producers continued
to develop the breed through the 1920s, and in 1935 it was admitted into the APA Standard.
In addition to the New Hampshire’s use as a purebred, the Delaware and New Hampshire
cross was also a popular broiler cross before Cornish crosses came into widespread use in the
1950s.
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New Hampshires
At a Glance:
• Good layers of brown eggs
• Fast-growing and fastfeathering
• 8 ½# cocks
• 7 ½# cockerels
• 6 ½# hens
Physical Traits
New Hampshires are dual-purpose, traditionally
raised for both meat and eggs. They lay large
brown eggs and produce a plump carcass. They
are fast growing and can be used as broilers or
roasters. According to the Standard, live weights
for cocks (over a year old) are 8.5 pounds and
7.5 pounds for cockerels (up to a year old). Hens,
according to the Standard, will be 6.5 pounds and
pullets, 5.5 pounds. The handsome, deep, rich
plumage of New Hampshires remains lighter than
that of their Rhode Island Red ancestors and is
described by some as a “deep chestnut red.”
Traditionally, New Hampshires were bred for dual-purpose use, with a main focus on meat
production. Our current line of New Hampshires has been selectively breed for the past five years
for a balance between meat and egg production.
Behavior
New Hampshires can be raised in confinement or free ranged and will tolerate either environment
well. We’ve had our New Hampshire breeding flock less than a year and do not yet have full egg
laying records. This line of New Hampshires is reported to lay well and reported to have some
tendency toward broodiness. Those that go broody tend to make good mothers. In regard to
disposition, I would describe our New Hampshires as fairly laid back.
20
Red Dorkings
History
Red Dorkings are a very old breed, named after a small town in England of the same name.
Their history is a bit uncertain, but there is some evidence that ancestors to the Dorkings
were brought to Britain during the first century by Romans invading the area. Columella, a
writer during the reign of Julius Caesar, describes a chicken with traits similar to those of the
Dorking—five toes, a square frame and a broad breast.
In addition to the Red Dorking, there are several different color varieties. Dorkings are in the
English class. The breed was recognized by the APA in 1874. Throughout their history,
Dorkings have been prized for the quality and flavor of their meat.
21
Red Dorkings
At a Glance:
• Excellent quality meat
producers
• White egg layers
• Strong tendency toward
broodiness
• Good foragers
• 9# cocks
• 8# cockerels
• 7# hens
Physical Traits
Despite their red ear lobes, which normally signify a brown egg layer, Dorkings lay white eggs.
They are considered a dual-purpose breed, but their main use is for their excellent quality
meat production and their strong tendency toward broodiness. Their appearance is somewhat
unique, with short legs and a squarish frame.
Cocks (over a year old) reach 9 pounds, and cockerels (up to a year old) reach 8 pounds,
according to the Standard. Also, according to the Standard, hens will reach 7 pounds and
pullets, 6 pounds. With their white skin, they will finish out nicely for table use.
Behavior
Dorkings are calm, docile and very adaptable. They are good foragers, but they do not scratch
in the soil aggressively (an excellent characteristic if you plan to use them in a chicken tractor
on a grassy lawn that you don’t want destroyed). Though Dorkings don’t fly well, they can
jump exceedingly well, as high as 6 feet.
Our Red Dorkings are extremely likely to go broody. The breeder from whom we purchased
ours said, “These will go broody at the drop of a hat. I’ve seen them gather up the [ceramic]
nest eggs [in order] to have something to sit on.” They also make excellent mothers.
We don’t have egg laying records for our Dorkings yet, but based on everything that we know
about the breed, we don’t expect them to lay as well as some of our other breeds, particularly
our Delawares and Black Australorps.
The Red Dorking is a good breed to consider if you’re looking for a bird with an interesting
heritage that will produce very high quality meat and that will sit on eggs readily, particularly if
you are not overly concerned with egg production.
22
Welsummers
History
The Welsummer is a Dutch breed. It originated in the small village of Welsum, located in the
eastern Netherlands. It was developed in the 1900s by crossing Barnevelders with various
breeds: Rhode Island Reds, Partridge Leghorns, Cochins and Wyandottes.
The original birds showed unstable coloring and characteristics until a farmer’s son crossed the
original Welsummers with Barnevelders. This cross provided the most stable and consistent
characteristics. Later, farmers from the area began buying stock from this source, and the
Welsummer breed was established. The breed was added to the British Standard in 1930 and
the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1991.
23
Welsummers
At a Glance:
• Prolific layers of dark-brown
eggs
• Originated in the Netherlands
• 7# cocks
• 6# cockerels
• 6# hens
Breeder: David Holifield, Waco, TX
Physical Traits
The Welsummer is reddish brown with the
roosters having iridescent greenish-black tail
and black breast feathers with red mottling. The
hens have a lighter brown body with gold neck
feathers, speckled with black.
The Welsummer is a light breed, although it still
has a fair amount of meat if harvested for table
use. The Welsummer’s main quality is that it is a
good layer of large brown eggs, varying in color
from light taupe to a rich terra cotta brown,
occasionally having spots of darker brown.
Welsummer hens will occasionally go broody.
Behavior
Welsummers have a wonderful disposition. They
are docile and friendly. They readily come when
I bring a treat that they like. My Welsummers
especially like to forage and eat bugs. On some
cold, early mornings, when all the grasshoppers
cling to the fence, I’ll fill up a container with
grasshoppers, and then all my Welsummers will
come running around me to gobble up the juicy
bugs as I shake them out on the ground.
24
Turkeys
Heritage Bronze
When settlers came from England they
brought turkeys with them. These European
turkeys cross bred with the Eastern Wild
Turkey, producing a bird that was larger
and more robust than the European stock.
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, the
Heritage Bronze was selected for larger and
larger breast size, eventually producing the
Broad Breasted Bronze. As the larger breast
was emphasized, the Broad Breasted Bronze
was developed to the point at which it could
no longer naturally mate. All of our turkeys
can naturally mate and so are suitable for a
backyard flock.
25
Turkeys
Narragansett
Named for the bay in Rhode Island of the same
name, the Narragansett was also developed
from crosses of imported turkeys and the Eastern
Wild Turkey. The Narragansett is smaller than the
Bronze, and where the Bronze has a coppery tinge
to the feathers, the Narragansett is a silver gray.
In the ALBC 1997 census, only six breeding birds
were found! Since then the Narragansett has
made a comeback, and we currently have several
breeders.
Beltsville Small White
The Beltsville Small White was developed in the
1930s in a research center in Beltsville, Maryland.
The goal was to develop a small, white turkey
for small-scale and home growers. For a brief
period it was very popular. In the 1950s it
accounted for over 25% of turkey sales. But the
industrialization of turkeys brought the Beltsville
Small White almost to extinction. We drove to
Georgia and back—straight through—to pick
up our breeders from a research facility there.
They have had a small closed flock for the last 30
years. Each year they replace their breeders with
new poults, and we were fortunate to be able to
acquire some of their one-year-old breeders.
26
Claborn Farms
P.O. Box 194
Ross, TX 76684
Place
postage
here

2016 Claborn Farms Catalog

Transcription

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