The Bessemer

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Hello,
First, I'd like to apoligize to some of you out there. You were all just making logical observations, and at times I would retort in a frustrated fashion, whittingly or unwhittingly. Or, and I can tell by the way some of you have responded, that I have offended some of you in one way or another. And for that I apoligize. I apoligize for my behaviour on the thread, and the muscovy thread, and my disrespect, and I realise all of you were just trying to help me. I did post an angered retort on the bessemer thread, causing it to get locked. I can't post this little apology there, even though I'd like to, but the thread is going to become pointless anyways.
I have taken all of your comments and suggestions into consideration, and I have made a decision about the future of the Bessemer. First, I have decided that it's color or pattern needs to change. This is because of one of the drawbacks to not using an SOP. Breeders around here have come to recognise breeds by color: Any white duck is a Pekin, any Black duck's a Cayuga, any Buff duck is a BO, any gray duck is a Rouen, and anything shaped like a bowling pin is a Runner and etc.. Breeders already (although very incorrectly) recognise the 'Bessemer' as a BO, so convincing a province full of the incorrect that this is not what a BO is supposed to look like at all is not going to be easy. Besides, I have a more favourable pattern in mind.... Secondly the Name is probably going to change. I'm working on a Egg-chicken by the name of Bessemer, and I'm being smarter than William Cook, and only having one breed by that name. I picked the duck as the one to bow out of it's name. However, with both of these changes, the type is the part that I'm going to salvage at all costs. The world needs a meat duck that's better quality than the Pekin, so I'm going to be improving this breed's meat qualities over the generations.
By the way, I still haven't weighed them....

Banny

 

[grawg]

Nooo!! Say it ain't so... no more bessies?! I was looking forward to getting a couple in 20 years or so when you became famous and got them through customs... I'm just not sure if I can emotionally invest in a new name/color scheme.

On a serious note,

I never took any of your responses as being overly offensive. One thing people should keep in mind when dealing with written text over the internet is that much of the communication is lost. Most folks, myself included, aren't going to take the time to describe the mood they are in while writing a response.

For some inspiration if you're not already familiar with the history if the labrador retriever, it was essentially a utility breed of dog plucked from obscurity from some remote Canadian wilderness and became the most popular breed in the United States...

Good luck with your breeding endeavors and try not to get too discouraged by some negativity on an internet forum.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Nooo!! Say it ain't so... no more bessies?! I was looking forward to getting a couple in 20 years or so when you became famous and got them through customs... I'm just not sure if I can emotionally invest in a new name/color scheme.

On a serious note,

I never took any of your responses as being overly offensive. One thing people should keep in mind when dealing with written text over the internet is that much of the communication is lost. Most folks, myself included, aren't going to take the time to describe the mood they are in while writing a response.

For some inspiration if you're not already familiar with the history if the labrador retriever, it was essentially a utility breed of dog plucked from obscurity from some remote Canadian wilderness and became the most popular breed in the United States...

Good luck with your breeding endeavors and try not to get too discouraged by some negativity on an internet forum.

Don't worry about me getting discouraged, I'm not. However, I feel this approach will be better in the long run. I haven't decided exactly what the new name is going to be (perhaps I'll wait until I know alot more about the birds) And the new color/pattern is a secret, but it isn't too different from buff, but it's a tri-color...
Yes, the Bessy as we know now is going to fade away in favour of this new breed, which essentialy is the Bessemer; I'm trying not to outcross it to any other breed. I suggest over the years that you keep an eye on the Bessemer Feathersite page. It's going up sometime this year, and sometime whenever I get the new color finished, it's going to suddenly appear:

{blankity-blank-blank}
aka Bessemer

The other thing to think about is that the Bessy is still going to exist. If people ignorantly continue thinking that a duck like that is a BO, then they'll inadvertantly salvage the exact type of duck the Bessemer is now. Our local strain of BO is so un-BO'd that you really can't logically call it a BO, but everyone does.... ...However, the New Bessies are going to 'hit the shelves' and, filling the same niche, could wipe out the local BO. There are still breeders of these ducks around, but I just figured instead of 'Usurping' a breed (even legidimately) I'd be better off trying to get ducks that are noticably different. The smoother the start of a breed, the better it will do. I will breed these BOs for a few years, until I get the color I'm looking for for the New Bessemers, which does appear regularly in genetic buff stock... (there's a hint). But the Bessy as we know it is going to split off into two groups: the New Bessy, and it's old identity, the Buff Orpington. Don't worry about 'the loss', the New one is going to be better than the Bessy that exists now....

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Update...
this is a very serious Spoiler, and don't look at it unless you want an idea of what the New Bessemers will look like...








































Last chance to turn back...

 

[Kevin565]

Your adding a bib to the breed?

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Your adding a bib to the breed?

Yep.

 

[JulieNKC]

Never seen a buff bibbed. I think they'll be beautiful.

 

[desertdarlene]

Just a suggestion, but have you sought the advice of expert breeders like Holderread? I think they can help you with your endeavors and give suggestions. Creating a new breed can take years and several generations and will create a lot of baby birds in the process to get consistent results even if it means just creating a feature like a bib.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Just a suggestion, but have you sought the advice of expert breeders like Holderread? I think they can help you with your endeavors and give suggestions. Creating a new breed can take years and several generations and will create a lot of baby birds in the process to get consistent results even if it means just creating a feature like a bib.

Actually, I did consult several experts last summer including Holderread. But the method I'm using was actually my idea. The way to get a bib on a Buff duck is simple. The bib is already built into the genetics of the Buff, but SOP breeders have been snuffing it out whenever they get one. So all I have to do is not cull away the bibbed offspring, and voila. This will take about 2 generations, without outcrossing.
One could also deploy a BO / BDHB sexlink to get a Bibbed Cinnamon (hens only), and then backcross. This would take 2 generations as well.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Amazing what a can of spray paint can do!