[Jacob-list] Chickens and Jacobs

[Edd Bissell]

Been talk about these two diverse barnyard fixtures lately - will add
something to the discussion.  As I have said I keep Marans - a coco colored,
English/ French import of recent years - maybe 20 or so - just a guess.

Although I am cutting back on my animals [ as my wife reminded me just
before my recent trip Thursday ] I was told of a flock of the Marans in Ft
Payne, Al - the older gentleman, whom I had never met but corresponded with
over the past 10 or so years and had bought an outcrossing from about 4
years ago, sent me a letter early last week telling me that his advanced age
and the death of his sister who with him lived on the home place made it
impossible to keep all of his poultry and the Marans were up for sale - I
could have passed them up BUT did not.  So I came home with 4 males and 13
females in my truck and $200 less in my pocket. 

Now saying that on with my story - sort of a correlation to the Jacobs.
John Fugate smuggles in 2 dozen or so eggs maybe 20-25 years ago - probably
[????] most of the Marans are from this importation - I also brought in some
from a Canadian gentleman who so kindly drove down to Buffalo, NY about 6 or
7 years ago and sent me 3 or 4 dozed eggs - about 1/3 of them hatched and I
added them over the small flock that I got from Fugate years ago - also had
added two cochrels over the flock that I got from the Ft Payne man.  That
gave me at least some different blood into the pot.  

Two things had increased the favor of these very, very dark laying chickens
- they are James Bonds and Martha Steward favortie eggs. And you know what
an endorcement from Martha can do????!!!!!! 

Now the new interesting twist - someone has brought some more in from
England -  hatching eggs are selling for $14.50 each with a limit of 6 per
customer - and there are picture on the "new bloodline" on the internet -
and that look entirely different form the old, standard Marans!!!!! The
older Marans are a dual type chicken - good for both eggs and meat.  The
newer English import look more like a coco colored leghorn -=-  lean, tall
and thin.  Does this sound like the reverse on the Jacob Sheep>>?????

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      Edd Bissell = Hidden View Farm = Rare and Primitive Breed Animals
Scottish Blackface=Jacob=Barbados=Texas Dall=Navajo-Churro=Churro Hairsheep
     ====Tennessee Nervous Meat Goats =  = Great Pyrenees LGDs=====     
                  = bissell at usit.net = 423-475-4844 =    
         1435 Collins Road - New Market, Tennessee U.S.A. 37820