Oriental Gamefowl Thread!

[Oldhound]

Some time back Saladin aka Doc told someone here on BYC to expect to pay $100.doz for hatching eggs or $100. and up per bird for good quality Malays. A person I know told me he paid $300, for a breeder pair from a top exhibitor. Good ones are not easy to raise and cost accordingly so I have been told.At this point they are above my pay grade.

 

[Shamrock4]

www.malaieninfo.de is a german website with lots of good pictures and info on malays.

 

[SD_Paulo]

In response to the Malay breeder question, and other similar ones like it that come up--- This may be a shocker for some, but this forum actually does not have every poultry breeder as a member.

A lot of old school breeders don't use either the internet or mess with forums, or both. If people want to find a breed, first, I would suggest the Poultry Press, a lot of people still use that and only that to advertise. Second, go to a show near you. Talk to people. Poultry people are good people, they love to talk about their breeds, someone at a show can surely point you in the right direction as far a finding a breed. No, Malay are sure not common, but, I can think of 4-5 breeders right off the top of my head. None of them are on this site and probably never will be. Third, join the SPPA, their breeders directory is invaluable in finding breeders for rare breeds.

Here is a pic of a bantam Malay ( not my birds) I saw at a show recently. You never know what you will see and who you will meet at a show.

The eyes on this bird are incredible. Almost a platinum pearl eye from what i can see. Nice pic GR!

 

[Gresh]

Some time back Saladin aka Doc told someone here on BYC to expect to pay $100.doz for hatching eggs or $100. and up per bird for good quality Malays. A person I know told me he paid $300, for a breeder pair from a top exhibitor. Good ones are not easy to raise and cost accordingly so I have been told.At this point they are above my pay grade.

Wow, that's some pretty high prices--way beyond my pay grade too

I guess you either have to be semi-wealthy or very dedicated to afford birds like that. I wish they were easier (and cheaper) to raise. Maybe they would be more popular among your common poultry people.

 

[GotGame]

To make them easy to raise and keep, in the process you would have to eliminate the very traits that make them stand out, that took hundreds of years to perfect, and they would cease to be the birds you so admire. Popularity has ruined many very good working or hunting breeds of dogs. Collies, Irish Setters, Labs, etc.... the same would happen with game birds, imho.

 

[Oldhound]

To make them easy to raise and keep, in the process you would have to eliminate the very traits that make them stand out, that took hundreds of years to perfect, and they would cease to be the birds you so admire. Popularity has ruined many very good working or hunting breeds of dogs. Collies, Irish Setters, Labs, etc.... the same would happen with game birds, imho.

Agree X 10. IMO the same has already happened with Games, just surf the web , check out the hatchery ads, and the pages of some who have little or no training who think they can cash in on the" New Poultry Fad " by offering lists of breeds. Breeding to a Standard is difficult at best . Breeding a performance or production animal to Standard is even harder . To the average person a chicken is a chicken , a dog is a dog, etc so a cheap mass produced mediocre animal will fit their needs.( Go to the Super Store). I am Not meaning to insult those folks,most of my relatives fall into that category . Breeders are not Doctors, Lawyers, Chemists , Rocket Scientists, etc with degrees on the wall to prove their status. So many people think" how hard can it be , you don't need a degree". No you don't need a college degree ,you need to study genetics and the principles of inheritance, you need a learned mentor, and you need a deep seated love of what you are doing and the perserverance to keep going through the inevitable failures, with no more Reward than satisfaction.
Before I get off my soapbox let me say that I think that if you just want a pet or small flock to provide eggs and meat for your family , hatchery birds are fine. I have some hatchery birds and I am very happy with them, I consider them project birds. They are not worth more than a few dollars each , but there are birds of the same breeds that I would pay much more for if I thought they could improve my stock. Some animals may be out of my financial reach at the moment, but it does not mean they are not worth the price.

 

[fowlman01]

Wow, that's some pretty high prices--way beyond my pay grade too

I guess you either have to be semi-wealthy or very dedicated to afford birds like that. I wish they were easier (and cheaper) to raise. Maybe they would be more popular among your common poultry people.

The prices of birds is what the traffic will bear. I have sold lots of Call ducks for $300.00 each and as much as $500 each. I have seen a white male Call duck go for $1000. Here is Cali it is not unusual for Orientals to go for $200-300 each. Some Marans eggs just sold for $300 for a half dozen on Ebay a few days ago.
I was kind of surprised when I saw the recommendation for $25 per bird as an average for some birds a fellow lost to dogs. I was thinking they should be at least $75.00 each.....especially if some dog killed them. On the other side of it I know many good breeders that will sometimes give birds away if they think the people will do a good job with them.

Walt

 

[Gresh]

To make them easy to raise and keep, in the process you would have to eliminate the very traits that make them stand out, that took hundreds of years to perfect, and they would cease to be the birds you so admire. Popularity has ruined many very good working or hunting breeds of dogs. Collies, Irish Setters, Labs, etc.... the same would happen with game birds, imho.

I wasn't suggesting that I or anybody else should start making them easier to keep. That's madness, and all you have to do is look at hatchery "Orientals" to see where that leads you. I guess I should have said that I wish I had the financial aid that would make keeping them less difficult. Reality says that if there are two dedicated breeders, one dirt poor and the other filthy rich, the filthy rich one will make the most progress with his flock since he has the money for all the necessities, from buying expensive stock to building elaborate breeding pens.

Darn, how to all the old-timers do it? They don't seem like money-bags men but yet their stock is superior and they have acres of land and beautiful supplies. Am I making chicken-keeping too difficult in my head?

 

[Gresh]

The prices of birds is what the traffic will bear. I have sold lots of Call ducks for $300.00 each and as much as $500 each. I have seen a white male Call duck go for $1000. Here is Cali it is not unusual for Orientals to go for $200-300 each. Some Marans eggs just sold for $300 for a half dozen on Ebay a few days ago.
I was kind of surprised when I saw the recommendation for $25 per bird as an average for some birds a fellow lost to dogs. I was thinking they should be at least $75.00 each.....especially if some dog killed them. On the other side of it I know many good breeders that will sometimes give birds away if they think the people will do a good job with them.

Walt

Gosh, how can anyone afford prices like that? I guess somebody can because otherwise no one would sell birds for prices that high.

 

[GotGame]

Many of the old timers rarely have too buy a bird. They have proven themselves and their abilities to do the birds justice, and they are given birds that wouldn't even be for sale to the public. And how did the old timers get to that point? Lots of years and hard work, and some luck.