I am looking for a good to excellent quality skin or at least nice saddle hackle from a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster. If you breed these, or know where I can acquire some of these feathers, please let me know. I would like distinct barring…between the white, and close to black barring. (the darker the bars, the better) Please contact me if you know where I can find these feathers. Thanks.
Kelly
You call Denny yet? Bet he has something for you.
I emailed Denny. He said they don’t get enough requests for that particular bird…so he doesn’t raise them. I want a grizzly with black and white, and most you see are chocolate brownish and white, or dark brown and white. I need just about pure black…or as close to it as I can get. This bird was used in feathers I guess more in the past than in recent times. I emailed a breeder too…but doubt if they will want to kill and dry a skin for me. I asked regardless. A show bird quality would be best. (or almost a show bird) I wish I could go to a large shop that had lots of grizzly to choose from, I could maybe find what would be close to what I need then.
When my dad was raising game birds he belonged to a Michigan bird breeders group that had a directory of all of the members and what kind of birds thay had. I don’t know if Texas has something similar but finding someone near you who raises any kind of show bird my lead to someonme with plymouth rocks. They all attend tjhe same shows and sales. Maybe something in Craig’s list? If all else fails there is a weekly small animal auction near me and I could look at what’s available but you seem to want something very specific and it would be better if you found it yourself rather than my guessing about it. It could also get expensive by the time I buy the bird at auction and pay a taxidermist prepare it to ship.
I have communicated with Kelkay and she does not want Genetic Rooster (saddles) as what he needs it for is much larger than any genetic breeder raises today.
I get requests such as his now and then. My suggestion to her was to try and find a show breeder that breeds the old barn yard Barred Plymouth Rock.
We do breed the very narrow black / white barring in our grizzlys. Most of our saddles are size 12, a few 14s and a few 10s. She needs size 8 on up…lots of size 6, 4,2,1, up to a 2/0.
Almost all (is my understanding) present day genetic breeders have refined our birds down as this is what most tiers want today.
If anyone knows a Breeder that breeds these old barnyard birds, contact her direct.
The other option I told her would be to buy 25 day old chicks from someone like McMurray Hatchery and raise them. She lives in town so is not possible.
Anyone interested, fire me off a shot and I will help all I can.
I am sure you would not get rich doing this but am also sure you would have a lot of fun if you have the room on your property.
Denny
rainbowchaser…thanks for the idea.
Denny, I am a woman, but you didn’t know that…no problem…you had no way of knowing that. If you have a size 10 in white with black barring…I would be interested in it…for other flies. You have my email, so contact me. A size 12 would be as small as I would ever want. Grizzly is my favorite feather.
its a long shot but try your local extension service, perhaps there is a small breader in your area, a 4H person or someone.
Eric
Great idea, thanks!
i really think you could find something by contacting the local 4-H clubs.
you may be right about that…I think it is a good idea…maybe the easiest
Hi Kelkay,
Try contacting Joe Fox at Dette Trout Flies. He may be able to at least give you more options on where to find some if he doesn’t have some on hand. His family’s been in the fly business for generations. His website’s below.
http://www.dettetroutflies.com/node
Regards,
Mark
Thanks Mark, I will check it out! 
Yep… Ive ordered some hackle from them, descent quality… Not A1 quality but close…
I emailed them, so we will see. Thanks for the recommendations for them, guys.
Just an out of curiosity question… WHat are tying with those?
Now onto a contribution, if you are going to look into a bird from a breeder/4h or something to that effect you really want a bird that is 2-3 yrs old. I have a couple well picked through saddles and necks that I raised several years ago for 4h (bout 12-13yrs ago) The featherrs will not mature until then (or so I was told) and most often will be very loosely barred, the color will not be distinct until the reach a more mature age and have lost them and then regrown several times. Also was told that the featherrs will be rather thin as far as the barbs go and will tend to be more webby than most as well until they mature. I use mine for large streamers as they seem to be harder and harder to find, think I ma going to get a few more birds next spring just because I need a couple new necks and saddles or will in a couple years anyhow so I have time to grow them and won’t have to settle for what is on the market, I’ll have just what I want and be able to harvest at the right time.
I am also a bit curious though when do the genetic comercial guys harvest the birds? Denny any comments on that, thoughts about the age of the birds or did I just have some crap birds to begin with?
Steve
I want to tie streamers mostly with them. Thanks for your ideas, and thoughts on the maturity of the bird and stuff, it is something to consider. I know very little if anything about this.
Along with 4H, don’t forget the local High School FFA Teacher/advisors. They usually also know a lot of people in the area who raise all kindsa animals. I have more wool than I know what to do with from this…also Rocky Mountain Oysters, but that is another story.
That is another good idea, thank you. Oh, and I know what those oysters are, my dad used to eat them. All I can say about those is, no way.
In answer to Steve P’s question:
I am not sure when other Genetic breeders process. We control our egg laying with lights
(photo period) so breed when ever we want. This makes our processing time of year different each year.
As for quality of feather and age? Young genetics are as good a dry fly quality as are older birds. The hackles may be just somewhat shorter.
My advise if someone wanted to raise some streamer birds would be to obtain a few roosters and keep them for plucking feathers. The color of the feathers may change as a bird get older but you will find it is more in the shades. I find the color of a 26 week old genetic rooster will not be much if any different when older. Colors differ from bird to bird in a specific strain or breed.
Breeders of show chickens is where I would start. (Fanciers) The Barred Rock is a very old breed.
Families of these birds from one breeder to another will differ in feather quality and size and shades of color, so much it will drive you nuts especially if you try to breed them. It could take 20 years of selective breeding to obtain exactly what you want and be sure you can reproduce the same year after year. It is not like going to a car dealer and looking at one make and model of car where the color is obviously different but when looking at the different add ons! It can be fun but feed is very expensive as is building a proper facility to house them
12 to 14 months of age is normally when we process our adult Roosters. If I want longer saddles I must wait an extra 2 to 4 months. Our JV Roosters are processed at 26 weeks of age and are as good a dry fly quality as are the big boys.
Hope this helps a bit.
Denny
Another possible source for a barnyard rooster: a local egg producer. One of my coworkers raises organic eggs on the side, and they have routine culling of roosters as they raise chicks to replace layers. Don’t need one rooster per hen, after all.