Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I’m thinking that everyone on this thread should own a manure rake and knee high boots!

Yes!

You are right about that….

Staples for any chicken Hooman! For dealing with the slippery chicken poops.

I almost fell down yesterday slipping in a partially large cecal poop someone did on the rubber floor mats…. Don’t fall down in the barn!!!! They’ll peck your eyes!

 

[Ponypoor]

There's no connection between a Barnevelder and Partridge Plymouth Rock. Other than at the VERY beginning...maybe...
Barnevelder history:

In the 1850s Asian chickens began to arrive in Europe, where they were at first known as "Shanghai" chickens. These were initially cross-bred among themselves, and only later developed into breeds such as the Brahma, the Cochin and the Croad Langshan.[1] From about 1865, some of these Shanghai chickens were cross-bred with local farmyard chickens in the area of Barneveld. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there may also have been some breeding with a type called Amerikaanse Nuthoenders ("American utility birds"), which showed some similarity to the American Wyandotte;[5] it is not known what these birds were, or if they were really American.[1] In about 1906 there may also have been some cross-breeding with British Buff Orpington stock.[6]: 99  According to Hans Schippers, the greatest influence on the characteristics of the Barnevelder was from the Langshan, which contributed hardiness, brown eggs, and good winter production.[5]

The name Barnevelder was first used for birds shown at the Landbouwtentoonstelling or agricultural exhibition held in The Hague in 1911.[7]: 164  From about this time attempts were made to breed for consistent type and colour.[6]: 100  However, when the Dutch Poultry Club discussed whether to accept the Barnevelder as a new breed in 1919, it was found to be too variable.[8]: 105  In 1921 a breeders' association was formed, and the first standard was drawn up. The breed was recognised in 1923.[1]

From about 1921 the Barnevelder was exported to the United Kingdom, where brown eggs were in demand. The birds were at first very variable, with single-laced, double-laced or – mostly – partridge plumage. Partridge and double-laced varieties were included in the British Poultry Standard; the double-laced became the principal variety.[9]: 62  There may have been some cross-breeding with Indian Game stock.[10] The partridge variety was added to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1991.[2]
Characteristics
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Four colour varieties are recognised by the Barnevelderclub of the Netherlands in both large fowl and bantams: double-laced, double-laced blue, black and white. The silver double-laced variety was recognised – in the bantam only – in 2009,[11][12] and the silver-black double-laced was recognised in 2014;[13] other varieties are in development.[14] The Entente Européenne recognises two further colours in large fowl – blue and partridge; for bantams it recognises crele and partridge in addition to those recognised in Holland, and lists the blue.[3] In the United Kingdom the four varieties recognised are the double-laced blue, double-laced brown, double-laced silver and black.[15]: 74 
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The Rocks:
The Plymouth Rock was first shown in Boston in 1849, but was then not seen for another twenty years.[2] In 1869, in Worcester, Massachusetts, one D.A. Upham cross-bred some Black Java hens with a cock with barred plumage and a single comb; he selectively bred for barred plumage and clean (featherless) legs.[6]: 68  His birds were shown in Worcester in 1869; the modern Plymouth Rock is thought to derive from them.[2] Other people have been associated with the development of the Plymouth Rock, as have other chicken breeds including the Brahma, the Cochin (both white and buff), the Dominique and the White-faced Black Spanish.[2] According to the Livestock Conservancy, it may have originated from cross-breeding of Java birds with single-combed Dominiques;[7] or, based on genomic analysis, principally from the Dominique, with substantial contribution from the Java and Cochin and some input from other breeds.[8][9]

The Plymouth Rock was included in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection of the new American Poultry Association in 1874.[2] The barred plumage pattern was the original one; other colors were later added.[2]

It became the most widespread chicken breed in the United States and remained so until about the time of World War II.[2] With the advent of industrial chicken farming, it was much used in the development of broiler hybrids but began to fall in popularity as a domestic fowl.[6]: 68 

In 2023 the Plymouth Rock was listed by the Livestock Conservancy as 'recovering', meaning that there were at least 2500 new registrations per year.[10] Worldwide, numbers for the Plymouth Rock are reported at almost 33000;[11] about 24000 are reported for the Barred Plymouth Rock[12] and over 970000 for the White variety.[13]

Characteristics
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The Plymouth Rock is easy to manage, is early-feathering, has good resistance to cold and is a good sitter.[2] It has a single comb with five points; the comb, wattles and ear-lobes are bright red. The legs are yellow and unfeathered. The beak is yellow or horn-colored.[6]: 69  The back is long and broad, and the breast fairly deep.[14]

In the United States, seven color varieties of the Plymouth Rock are recognized: barred, blue, buff, Columbian, partridge, silver-penciled and white.[3] Ten plumage varieties are listed by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture, of which five – the barred, black, buff, Columbian and white – are recognized by the Poultry Club of Great Britain.[4] In Australia, the barred variant is split into two separate colors, dark barred and light barred.[15]

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My conclusions:
Similar base breeding stock used in totally different ways resulting in completely different and equally beautiful birds. Neither used in the development of the other as they were developed parallel to each other on different continents.

Oi I really do need a bigger barn

10 different varieties in Europe? Wow!

And I wonder about those light and dark barred patterns in Australia.

 

[Ponypoor]

I can get you half-breed or quarter breed mixed eggs....

Oh where am I going to get a bigger barn?!!!

 

[BY Bob]

Nice flag! Does the waving flag help to keep wild birds away?

Not at all.

 

[BY Bob]

Merry Christmas everyone from everyone here at FBA

 

[Ponypoor]

What a lovely flock!

Thank you they are a lot of fun. And huge time thieves, I have to really be disciplined in the mornings so I don’t waste time playing with the chooks and the horses

This morning I was late getting out to the barn, it’s a holiday here (Boxing Day) so everyone was mad with me. The stalls were a disaster with the horses tromping around in them.

Once I let the horses out, the chooks just went to town digging through the horse poop and bedding. What a mess!

I was out there 2 hrs! And of course now with Georgie’s chicks to also distract me, it’s a wonder I got anything done hahaha.

Holly is out digging around, Jolly is smaller and spends more time snuggled up under mama.

 

[Ponypoor]

Light wishes everyone a belated Merry Christmas
View attachment 4014421

Merry Christmas Light to you and your flock mates and Hoomans

 

[Ponypoor]

Merry Christmas everyone from everyone here at FBA

View attachment 4014463

Merry Christmas!

Hattie seems very interested in her gift!

 

[BY Bob]

Merry Christmas!

Hattie seems very interested in her gift!

She is sharing with her friends and everyone is enjoying it.

 

[Ponypoor]

She is sharing with her friends and everyone is enjoying it.

Is it a seed block? I saw some in at Peavey Mart and was going to get one to see if they ate it.