Schipperkesue wrote: Whoa, you must have run into a lot of discouraging people. I can't imagine how so many people could be so discouraging to you! How terribly frustrating!
I have had the opposite experience. Forums have been the gateway to the chicken fancy. I am fairly far from most people with quality birds. So I posted on forums some, but I mostly read, and then attended shows and meets. And I listened. A lot. Then I saw who had the birds I wanted and I talked to them. I also realized how dear the birsd were to the breeders. Almost like their children. I asked questions, I joined clubs, I bought the SOP. I networked with others that had the birds I liked and learned from them.
Then I contacted people. I phoned. I emailed, but most of all I spoke to people. I convinced them I would do them proud with their own birds. And I paid the price for quality adults.
The only birds I could not find in the quality I needed were the Houdans. But again I sent out feelers, spoke to lots of people, here and in the states. Joined forces with another fancier. Together we plan to make the birds in the quality we need. I suspect it will take another 5 years or more. Good thing she is younger than I am!
Not once did I meet a fancier who discouraged me. Of course all people are different and their communication skills and abilities differ, but in their own way all helped me more or less. There was no discouragement or dissuasion from anyone.
I am nowhere near where I want to be in any of my breeding programs. I never sell eggs. They are not good enough yet and I could never guarantee their quality even when I reach my goals. When I am old and ready to retire I hope I will have found enough people to carry on my lines with the same passion I had put into developing them.
Yes, I am a newbie, but I won't be for long!
Yes, I have had lots of frustrations and I've run into many discouraging people. Last year I was sold a whole lot of eggs that were supposed to be pure wellies from a line I really wanted, turned out they were crossed with rhode island reds, and yes, it was that obvious when they grew out. Pure 100% crosses. Totally duped. Sold them as mixed breed layers. Newbie mistake and the challenge of buying eggs. Had another batch of eggs that were supposed to be one particular colour variety, but turned out to be another colour. Have had leads on adult SOP breeding birds, was working out how to pick them up then the owner changed their mind and decided they wanted to keep them. I am working with one breed that is hard to find and I have only found a limited number of people with it here and many don't want to share.
I'm on a little gulf island, and I work a 'relief' position, most people want to take time off on weekends - so getting out to shows is next to impossible as those are also the days that people want off. I couldn't get any of the tracking trials off for September and October, and I've been working 5 days a week up to 5 hours a day towards the next titles with my two girls. So chicken shows or sales - not a chance. I send messages to fanciers of the breeds I want to work with when I can find them, and mostly don't get responded to or bluntly responded to. I was polite and informative about what I was looking for, but I also was a newbie and said that.
I've had what I thought were successes also, but based on this forums feedback many appear others would think not so much. I have found some good sources of information and have a mentor to work with, though he unfortunately will never likely be able to get his hands on my birds and can only critique by photos, I'd rather have someone's hands on them for a really good evaluation. I did make some good connections and get some eggs and birds last year that I liked, and for me the only start I could get. I was able to get Barnevelders from two separate lines, and finally settled on a boy from one line and girls from another, and from what I see this year that was a good match because they have offspring that are much better than the parents in every way which is way more than I was hoping. But even the ones that I won't be keeping are still better in many ways than the parents. Super happy, I've hatched over 100 barnevelders and see some promising ones. I was hoping to hatch more but that was't meant to be. I was hoping to improve on maybe two traits this year, but have far exceeded that. Far from perfect, but a pleasant start. But based on the feedback here, many would not consider that a success, because I started with too few and too many faults.
I am willing to listen, I do listen, I seek advice from people I admire and respect, and I am cautious who I listen to and about what. Yes I tend to be sensitive, probably because I was bullied a lot as a kid and then later when I worked in some of my sea jobs as the only gal - I'm tired of it and feel harshness is needless as an adult and it irks me. I didn't get into this to be lied to or bullied, I came here to have fun and enjoy what I do. I do believe in solicited and constructive feedback, and I do know there is a large part of the general population who don't know what that means and feel any feedback is constructive but I don't believe that to be true. I don't believe in weeding out people for the sake of doing so. I got into chickens again as I enjoy them and feel it is so important to keep these breeds alive, and I love the idea of the dual purpose bird which is why I guess I have selected dual purpose. But walking away some days feeling beaten leaves me frustrated as crap! Open the PM inbox and have some screamers - yup, frustrating. Not getting responses when trying to find good birds - frustrating. Not knowing where to go, even after asking - frustrating. Meeting people who feel justified in beating you down for the sake of it - frustrating. I had full intentions of getting to the VIEx and PNE as well as some of the smaller fairs this year - worked every weekend so couldn't get out to meet people - frustrating. I didn't even sell any chicks this year, as when they hatched the majority with the breeds I hatched could be relatively easily sexed at 90% accuracy, and I could see a majority of boys, so I figured the ethical thing to do was not not sell them knowing they were mostly boys. So lots for the freezer and friends.
I work shifts, and it never fails that if I try to speak to someone by phone, they are calling me back at 7 or 8am (it was 10 their time) after I worked a night shift. Trying to connect via phone is hard for me also, because before/after a 10 hour shift, I am usually outside for the remaining daylight hours tending and building for animals. Neither my cell phone nor home phone work in the yard. And when I'm done outside, by the time I finish up the clock says 9pm so too late to call. Or I'm at work during optimal times to chat. Challenging to say the least. So I do prefer online, email or texting. I can read it when it works, they can read it when it works, and nobody is waking anybody else up. Until I take an office job somewhere, and I likely won't, my ability to get out and meet people at meets and shows is very limited, my abilities to phone is very limited, so my option to chat is online. I recently had a fella respond to me about a ram lamb, and said he'd prefer a phone call. It took me 6 days to make a time that worked to call him, between working, sleep and appropriate times to call.
In a perfect world where I had more control over my life, I'd be travelling every weekend to shows and events to meet people, I'd be available for phoning 9-5 and I'd be able to purchase SOP quality birds from good breeders. That's not my reality and I'm new so don't get a boo, cause I can't get out to meet them. And based on what some of the experienced people say, everything I'm doing is wrong even though it's the only option I see available. So yup, super frustrated.
Some will say I have no backbone because of this thread. I get frustrated when people say "this or that" is how it should be done, and that's the only way to do it when those options are not available to everyone. Everyone comes from a different place and has different challenges. And sometimes, without support or encouragement, those challenges will be defeating to some and they will quit, when they could have been an asset. Nobody knows the challenges other face without asking. I won't quit, and will keep plugging away the only way I know how, with the only options available to me and that in itself I'm sure will agitate some.
Sad thing is, this isn't just my journey, it's many others also.
EXACTLY UNO! Quote "I most often hear that excuse from socially aggressive people who stomp and bully all over everyone else and then excuse their crappy behaviour by blaming the people they bully. Classic, but dead wrong." I couldn't agree more.