01/09/2022
Fernando del Aguilar, Jr
It’s that time of year where everyone is looking for eggs, chicks, bird, etc... Many are looking for the best that money can buy, the show winning stock, the stock directly from France, the darkest egg layers, the birds with no flaws, because they think this will somehow guarantee the birds are perfect and that there is no further work involved.
Sure, in a perfect world, we would all have the perfect birds, the darkest eggs, the best of the best without any need to worry about having to put forth any effort to get them there. But, we don’t live in a perfect world, and the perfect bird that lays the perfect egg color does not exist in anyones flock, much less, will you get the best of the best from any breeder.
My point to this as you navigate the poultry world, there are breeders and then there are propagators. Breeders know they have to put forth effort to gain any advantage on quality and of desired results year after year. Breeders will have a good understanding of what their birds carry genetically and are able to reproduce quality stock through active breeding and selection (yes it is work). Breeders will be able to answer your questions reasonably, advise you on breeding practices and ways to improve your birds and egg color. Breeders will not have hundreds of birds running around to offer up and distribute to everyone. What a breeder will not do is hand you their very best for nothing, nor will they entertain your future business endeavors as you search to find the darkest eggs on the planet. Building a quality flock takes time, work and patience.
Propagator, this is the term given to those that love selling birds, chicks and eggs in high volume, high prices, and advertise with buzz words like French, super dark eggs, show winners, etc… sure, everyone is entitled to sell what they want, at whatever price they want and for whatever reason they want. Personally, I don’t agree, but can acknowledge someone who does. So what’s my issue? Well, if you buy from a propagator, oftentimes, they just bought the birds the season before, they know nothing about their birds, they know nothing about breeding them or results. They do not understand actively breeding and selecting for better stock in order to maintain, or improve said stock. In other words you are buying someone else’s problems, and have little recourse on how to fix it or getting any kind of reasonable help.
So, please for those looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or Eldorado, please do your homework, research what you want and how to obtain it. No, Google does not always get it right or have the secret answers, and there are a lot of people posting tons of misinformation. How do I know? I was a new fancier once and knew very little but came in with high expectations. I thought I knew what I wanted, but little did I know on how to obtain it. There are no freebies or shortcuts, only good research, patience, and hard work. I for one would love to see everyone obtain what they want, and also deeply encourage to fight the urge to try and turn it into a business with little care for integrity of bird and oneself. Do what you want, but learn the process, be fair to each other, and most importantly be honest. No one likes a thief, a lier, a cheater, or a scammer.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, ask questions, tell your story and get involved. I’d love to hear from all of you.
