Thursday, November 10, 2016

Quote

Lane Batot sent in this quote from "that clever 'Anonymous' person":

"Pedigree indicates what the animal is supposed to be; Conformation indicates what the animal appears to be; Function indicates what the animal actually is."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is certainly true for my Hint Horoz, a varity of the North Indian type Aseel (or Asil)commonly known as "Turkish Aseel" in Europe, even though the Turkish name for the breed supposedly means cock (no, not that kind of cock...)from Hindustan.Anyone interested enough, can check out the different meanings of the Turkish word "horoz" on wordhippo.com. The breed is a non-standardized (cannot be shown and judged by an officially approved standard of perfection)breed, and is bred for performance only.The breed is extremely rare in Norway, and the most well-known breeder in Europe is probably Andi Haller in Germany. To bad his book on the breed is out of print, I would have loved to buy a copy... There are various strains of the Hint Horoz, my birds are of the most heavy and low-set type, with a three-point pea-comb and practically no wattles.Inbreeding is certainly already a problem already, and I try to keep the current gene pool as diverse as possibly until the point where I am able to import unrealated stock. Other Norwegian breeders have crossed their inbred Hint Horoz with show-bred Shamo. These birds certainly are game, possibly due to the heterosis-effect, but they no longer are true Aseel.This illustrates the problem with breeding for function alone.And just to be clear: Cock-fighting is illegal in Norway, and I do not fight my birds! You do not have to fight your birds to breed for gameness, the birds show their aggressiveness from a very early age. Not only the cocks, but also the hens, are born fighters, and are very territorial. As all authentic gamefowl, the Hint Horoz make exellent parents and have a strong "personality".