White faced black Spanish enthusiasts, come hither!

[HHandbasket]

I have posted in other WFBS threads, but I thought I would start a fresh one. These are great birds, hard to find, and very few people have them. I absolutely LOVE these birds and just got my first batch. I had to start with hatchery stock, but these seem like nice, healthy birds. I have also recently made arrangements to acquire eggs from Jim Bell of Tennessee this fall.

If you have pics of your birds, PLEASE post them here! I love to see pics of everybody's WFBS.

As soon as I have pics of my chicks, I'll post them.

 

[HHandbasket]

Nobody???

No wonder these beautiful creatures are on the endangered species list.

 

[kfchickenlady]

what hatchery did you find them in?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Ideal has them

 

[HHandbasket]

I got my birds from Ideal. It was their second to the last hatch of the season & I got them 2 weeks ago. One has a defect… we got 1 crossed-beak baby that is also missing her left eye, but she runs around with everybody else, eats, drinks, poops, interacts with the other chicks and seems otherwise completely healthy. She won't ever be part of my breeding stock, but as long as the crossed-beak doesn't get worse to the point where it interferes with her ability to eat and drink, we'll keep her and add her to the laying flock. We named her Krisskross.

I'll have my heritage stock birds this fall when I get Jim Bell's eggs! I'm so excited!!!!

I had purchased WFBS hatching eggs from a different breeder twice this year, and none of the eggs from that breeder hatched… not the LF WFBS, not the banty WFBS, not the salmon faverolles or nankins or vorwerks. I was sent bad eggs that were either old or improperly stored before shipping, or both. $90 and not a single chick to show for it. I hesitated on ordering hatchery chicks, but I was on the waiting list at Ideal for a couple of months. When they called me 2 weeks ago and said they were only doing 2 more hatches for that breed this year, one that week and one more the following week, I told them to send me what they had. They had 26 chicks, and I had them send me the whole lot! One died en route, and one was crying a lot so we put him out with the broody who had hatched chicks that same day & she killed it.... I think something was wrong with it. The other 24 are doing great (save for the 1 with the crossed beak, but even she is doing just fine). I feather sexed them at 3 days of age and got 14 pullets and 10 cockerels, which was consistent with what Ideal told me when they called… they said they had 14 pullets & asked if I wanted only the pullets. I said no, send me the whole lot, cockerels and all, because I want to breed them. I can't wait until I get Jim Bell's eggs later this fall. He has the absolute best birds in the country from what I have read.

ETA: There are a couple of other hatcheries that carry them. Cackle, Murray McMurray, and Ideal all carry them. I think one other place carries the WFBS bantams, but I cannot think of who it is off the top of my head. I prefer the LF version, though.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

I saw several at the San Diego County Fair last week. Very interesting birds! First time I have seen them in person. I intended to take pictures, but I forgot the memory card for my camera Doh!

 

[HHandbasket]

They're very rare. Not only are they on the critical list of fowl in need of preservation, but I recently read taht the WFBS is actually on the Endangered Species list!

I am hoping to get the word out and generate some renewed interest in them. I would hate to see the species disappear. As it is, there are only a handful of breeders that have them, and even the hatcheries that have them have long waiting lists for them. I think I'd been on Ideal's waiting list since January or February and *JUST* got my birds in June! In all fairness, they did call me back the first week of April and tell me I was next on the list, but I had to decline because I couldn't take any at the time cuz we were in the middle of moving. It took 2 months to get back to the top of the list.

I had heard someone down in the San Diego area had some and has some bantams, as well. I wonder if that's who was showing at the fair down there?

 

[flgardengirl]

I actually saw some on CL not long ago. I was sitting on my hands to keep from buying them lol. I really want some but don't need anymore breeds right now LOL.

 

[Farmerboy16]

I have gotten some from McMurray last year, and I really like them. So I am going to buy a dozen eggs of a breeder's stock soon.

Here is the link to my pair of White faced black Spanish- http://goldenwillowfarmhatchery.webs.com/hatchery 043.jpg

 

[HHandbasket]

Very nice birds! I understand it takes about 18 months to 2 years for them to have fully white faces. So far, I'm pleased with the stock I got from Ideal. I'll be getting eggs from Jim Bell when the weather cools a bit & the eggs stand a better chance of not getting parboiled in the shipping process.

How are your WFBS temperament-wise? My boys are REAL flightly, the girls less so, though they all do have that tendency. Mine are still very young, about a month old.