Sunday, June 30, 2013

Damascene Pigeon : The Ancient Pigeon from Middle East

Damascene pigeon is a selective breed pigeon from Damascus, the capital city of Syria. This bird has been domesticated for more than 3000 years.
The performance is not different to the ancestor rock pigeon. People raise the bird as an ornamental bird. The bird has beautiful looks plumage.
photo source: wikimedia

The plumage is ice blue with two strips black color at the wing. The pattern color is similar to the blue bar pigeon. Some article said that the bird is grey in color.
The head is oval and it has middle size thick beak. The eye is red sparkling dark red The neck is short but strong. It has broad full and round breast and the back is broad and slightly descending. The wing and the tail are not long.
Read Also: African Owl Pigeon
Strasser Pigeon

Source : aviculture-europe

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Swedish Yellow Duck

The duck is the descendant of Swedish blue duck; however,  the plumage is different to its ancestors. The duck is yellow brown in color. The hen shows consistently uniform in color. The hen bill is brownish blue but the drake is greenish-blue in color.
 The breed is a rarely duck breed. People though the bird had been extinct. Only a farm in Bilinge, still keeps the yellow duck. The Swedish Yellow is believed as Khaki Campbell Duck and Blue Swedish duck. It has been introduced first in 1920.
The Swedish yellow duck (Svenk Gul Anka) is different to its ancestor the blue; due it is not a good meat producer. However, the duck is a better layer than its ancestor.
Perhaps the yellow is a selective breed of Swedish blue that lays more eggs. The duck is also large, weighing 7.5 to 8.5 pound (3.5 to 4 kgs).
source:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5936317_information-yellow-ducks.html

Friday, June 28, 2013

The Wild Unique Quail from Indonesia


Quail Barking Java
Barking quail Java is derived from Java. The bird differs from most animal quail or quail that can be maintained by breeders. This bird is also called chestnut bellied partridge in Indonesian translates as quail with reddish-brown abdomen (chestnut). Latin name of this beautiful bird is Arbophilia Javanica.
This is characteristic of animal quail oval like other entities. The bird color is chestnut and there are ring pattern at the head.  Wing feathers are brownish color with small black spots; while, the belly color is red chesnut. Eye and red legs, while the black half.
As the name implies, these birds live on the island of Java. Habitat of this bird is forest or open field. They will be looking for food on the forest floor or open fields. They will look for feed in the form of grains, fruits, insects and larvae.
This bird will nest close to the ground after breeding. These birds breed almost every year and especially in January, March, April, August and September. The uniqueness of this is to have quail nest like a dome. In the quail nest eggs will incubate 2-4 eggs. Quail egg color is different to the other quail which is tinted The size is about 25 cm, but the size of the smallest quail when compared to others such as quail Sumatran barking (red-billed partridge) or quail barking Kalimantan (yellow breasted partridge ).
These birds live in pairs or small groups to live within. These animals are also traded as ornamental bird.

Quail Barking Kalimantan
This bird is still the brother of Sumatran and Java Barking quail. The quail has a medium size that is 32 cm in length from tip of beak to tip of tail. Quail is also shaped oval with a small oval head and a short neck. In English this bird called the red-breasted quail (red breasted partridge) and its scientific name Arborophila hyperythra
Plumage color is dominated by brown with black markings on the wings of this bird. The Chest is yellow bird and the female chest tawny color. The bottom near the cloaca is white in color. At the head of the line core is blackish brown in color. Eyebrows and cheeks pale chestnut brown. This bird has a brown iris and eyelid skin and eye circles are colored red. Bird's beak is gray or gray. This bird has leg has four toes (three in front and one in back). His legs pink outages. The slim leg is useful for quail to run quickly.
This is a bird habitat and G Hills North Borneo, Kinabalu to the south until Usun Apau, Upper Kayan, and Mount  Mulu. Also found in the Kelabit Highlands and Barito Ulu. There are at least two sub-species of Borneo Barking quail namely:
• hyperythra (Sharpe, 1879) - in the mountains of north-central region P. Kalimantan.
• erythrophrys (Sharpe, 1890) - Mt Kinabalu, Sabah (P. northeastern Borneo).
This bird inhabits the hills and forests sub mountain with high  600 meters - 1750 meters.
This bird has a loud voice repeated in a tone of "ku-war" in every matter of three seconds. This bird whistling sound also answered with "nail" the three-minute intervals as well.

Quail Barking Sumatra
Quail Barking Sumatra is one of Indonesia wild quail.  This bird has a characteristic such as quail farm with a round body and a small tail. Beak endless running and a little crooked. This being the size of the bird reaches 30 cm.
This bird has a feather  white nominated striated brown and black. Head black and color interspersed with black spots are small; Whereas part of his body is black with white spots. Beak and legs have a light red color and contrast with it’s body color. Iris eye color,  eye circles and red petals. Therefore this bird is called quail as red billed partridge, while the name in Latin is Arborophila rubrirostris (Salvadori, 1879).
This bird has a distinctive voice and screeching in the back. Rhythm behind reads "kioww". These birds have habitat on the island of Sumatra precisely in the hill region of the line. The animal is an endemic Sumatran, meaning is only found in Sumatra. Unlike wild quail liked lowlands, this quail occupy a plateau 900 meters - 2500 meters. This bird likes the soil surface. This bird has a habit of looking for food in the forest base.
This bird has a shy nature and will stay away from aliens if approached. These birds live in small groups. Luckily this bird in the wild is still available. Maybe not a lot of bird hunters who are interested in this pad because there is no economic value. Perhaps the crossed with quail is a quail farm for the color could be better or crossed to produce quality quail meat with a lot more or a lot more eggs.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Catalana : A Mediterinean Dualpurpose

Catalana is a dual purpose breed chicken from Catalana that is rarely in North America but it is popular in Latin America. The breed is popular due it’s tolerance to high temperature. This chicken is listed  at American standard of perfection. AS guess its name the chicken comes from Catalana and it is famous in Mediterranean too.
The color is black tail buff, almost similar to New Hampshire. Perhaps, you must be difficult to distinguish between Catalana and New Hampshire.  The chicken is 5 – 6.5 pound in weight so it is included as large chicken breed.  It has red blood single comb and red earlobes. The hen’s comb must be smaller than the roosters. The feet are white pink and and have no plumage.
The hen produces so many eggs (I cannot find literature that supports it).Some article says that the production is middle. It lays white middle size eggs. The hen rarely hatches the chicken.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Sicilian Buttercup: A dual puropse chicken with a unique buttercup comb

It is a unique chicken due its buttercups comb above its head. The buttercup is a comb that is similar to rose comb but the middle of cup has no points. The buttercup comb gets from its ancestors Berbera Breed. The other Buttercup ancestor is North African fowl (Gallus turcicus).
As guess is name the chicken come from Sicily, Italy. The USA was imported this breeding 19th century. British and Australian also imported the breed in 20th century.

photo by : clearwater 88
The female has buff color marked by black spangle. The hen neck color looks like a pheasant hen. In my opinion, the buttercup color is similar to Egyptian Fayoumi and Campine Chicken in color. However, he rosters color is not similar. It has orange red with some black spangles, similar to New Hampshire. The tail feather is black beetle with sickle shaped feather at the middle tail.
The skin of the bird is yellow and the feet are yellow willow in color. The hen is a good layer that lays small eggs. The egg color is various, from white to tinted. People raise it for is egg. The chicken is good for free ranging farm but it is no a good setter which means you have to provide the hatching machine (incubator machine ) to hatch the eggs or you should use other broody hen to hatch the chicken.
The chicken is a good flier. If you raise it in free ranging, you will see the chicken perch in tree, roof, or others.
read also rosecomb

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Gallus sonneratii: A JUngle Fowl From India

Grey Jungle fowl or sonneratii is a jungle fowl from India where is also habitat of red jungle fowl. The grey jungle is closely related to Ceylon Jungle fowl rather than red jungle fowl; however some studies said that the grey is the hybrid of Ceylon Jungle fowl and Red Jungle Fowl. Its habitat is South Indian. The grey often overlaps with red jungle fowl habitat. The grey lives at canopied forest with low or no grass. The grey find feed at the forest floor
The performance is not different with green jungle fowl. The cock has grey patridge and the female has grey color. The male has red comb and red wattles but it is not bigger as its cousin red jungle fowl. The female has smaller comb and wattles. The female has red legs but the female has grey legs. The male plumages are dominated gray as guess its name. The elongated neck feather is beautiful that is why people hunt it for artificial flies or artificial lure.

photo by : wikimedia
This bird is an India endemic animal which means we cannot find the wild gray jungle fowl outside India. The length of the cock could reach 80 cm, meanwhile the female is just 38 cm.In a season, a female can lay four to seven eggs. The egg is smaller than commercial breed eggs and it is pale creamy in color. Only the hen hatches the eggs and she will raise the chick alone.
Some books in my country referred that gray jungle fowl descend some landrace chicken in my country. The Sentul chicken is believed as the gray jungle fowl descendant because either Sentul or grey jungle fowl are grey in color; however, Sentul is bigger than grey jungle fowl and some people raised it as pit cock. Now, People raise it’s for delicious meat.

read also :


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Ixworth Chicken from Ixworth

The Ixworth not famous as dual purpose chicken breed such as New Hampshire, Orpington, Rhode Island Red, and so on. The chicken produce white meat on their light boned carcass though the chicken grows is not fast other chicken breed. It is a good table chicken breed.
The Ixworth was produced in1930’s by Reginald Appleyard by crossing some chicken. Appleyard want to produce good quality meat, and lays so many eggs. At the first time, Appleyard had produced great chicken but he was failed to keep the descendant performance.
Appleyard created the chicken from various great chicken breed such as Sussex, Minorca, and Orpington. All ancestor of the Ixworth is white. That is why Ixworth has white color.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/apr/18/chickens-ixworth-dual-purpose

Monday, June 17, 2013

Silver Appleyard – The English Duck


It is also a famous duck breed from West Suffolk England. The bird was developed by a famous duck breeder Appleyard in 1943. The duck is also good layer that lays 220-265 blue eggs per annum. The duck also produce good and delicious meat.

photo source: Pinti1
The bird is a large duck, weighing 6 to8 pounds. The Appleyard has almost similar characteristics to mallard especially the greenish-black head and neck. The drake bill is also black or yellow with black tip while the female bill is orange or yellow. The legs are orange. The Drake plumage is creamy or silvery white while the female color is whitish with, gray brown, fawn, and buff marking with a blue cross-strip in wing.
This duck is good for backyard bird. The bird is good foragers and calm temperament. The bird will not far from your house if you feed it well.
Source:
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/silverappleyard.html

Read Also
Mandarin Duck
Champbell Duck

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Iowa Blue Rarely dual purpose chicken from Iowa

The chicken is not blue as people guess. The color is black with lacing white or pencil. A folksy legend said that the chicken is he descendant of White leghorn and a pheasant. I believe it is not true. I have never heard any chicken that is crossed by pheasant.
This chicken is originated at Iowa as guess its name. The Chicken is also rarely chicken breed. The breed has not registered in poultry association. The chicken is dual purpose chicken breed which produce good quality meat and lays so much eggs.
The chicken is good for backyard due its forage ability. This chicken is good for small business or for mea because you do not have to provide the hatching machine. The Iowa Roosters is a good guardian. The Iowa dare to fight to hawk. It is also known as hawk fighters.
The Roosters weighs 7.5 lbs (3.2 kg) and the hen weighs 6 lbs (2.75 kg). The chicken has single comb and red earlobes. When mated with White Plymouth Rocks or New Hampshire produce sex linked. 
source : wiki

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Bald Chicken: The Naked Weird Chicken

I thought bald chicken the chicken whose has no feather in head or neck. I was wrong. The bald chicken is the chicken whose has no feather. A year ago, Israeli scientist produces the weird chicken that has no plumage (BBC, 2012). Some people think that the chicken must be sick. The red or yellow skin covers the chicken flesh. The bald also has single wide comb like other broiler chicken.

The researcher told the naked chicken is not suitable for cool climate place; however, it is suitable in hot climate area such as Israel, according to researcher from Hebrew University. It is not a genetically breed of chicken but it is a selective breed of broiler chicken for 50 years. The researcher had selected the featherless. The chicken fast growers and the quality meat are better. In my opinion, the chicken does not need to convert the food into the feather but they convert the food into meat and bone.
It is good for people who do not like pluck the chicken. I often pluck the chicken manually and it needs one hour to pluck a chicken. The feather can pollute and it also stinky. Some people may use the feather for handicraft but most of chicken feather are dumped.
The Animal welfare group protests to the scientist because the featherless make the chicken suffered. Chicken need the feather to protect them from sun and parasites.
Photo by : bbum

Frizzle or curly chicken
Naked Neck Chicken