Nothing convinced me that a distinct breed ever existed, he says. We find their temperament is in the middle for the flock hierarchy. Some of them go back 80, 90 years now.
Because without his feathera feather he built through 10 years of genetic manipulation, working from nothing more than legends of a bird that most likely never existedthe pattern would not have been possible. Those are life-or-death days., Designing, breeding, and ultimately killing animals to use their parts for fashion or crafting or fly-tying isnt without controversy. For locals, by locals. A sense of fascination, perhaps, or a sense of awe in accomplishment, of satisfaction from seeing all of your hard work come together. "These are some of the most pampered chickens in the world. Glossy feathers, some long enough to graze the roosters feet, drape in graceful arcs as Thomas Whiting holds the bird upright at arms length for me to see. Ours love to roost as high as possible in their chicken house, all the way up in the rafters. Most of the birds dont pass a closer inspection, but if they do, Whiting takes out the calipers, starts noting measurements, and fills out a two-page report on body measurements like shank length, as well as the birds disposition. See our Sexing Policy here. Henry Hoffman was one of them. Sometimes I get it rightnot always, but sometimes. Would love to see photos of your flock. ", The end result is "much more production with fewer people, but I pay more now," says Whiting. '", By Eric Peterson | Thank you for contacting Whiting Farms about chicks.
Hes looking at a bird right now. Open all year! Every precaution is taken for the health and safety of the chickschicks that, in 40 weeks, could fetch anywhere from $35 to $100 apiece from fly-tiers. After starting his business, Whiting purchased Hoffmans entire genetic stock, and later acquired lines from Darbee and Miner. And therefore are not shipping chicks out of state. The "Arkansas Blues" are blue, black and splash. In the old days, the capes were infinitely smaller and had fewer feathers of much poorer quality, says Dave Hughes, the author of more than 20 books on fly-fishing and fly-tying. Thats when Whiting bought the business from amateur geneticist Henry Hoffman, who was among the first to breed chickens for fly-tying hackle and attained a cultlike following among fishermen for a time. Feathers, Whiting likes to say, are one of the worlds great wonders. . Feedback | http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html, https://m.www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/whiting_true_blue.html. If they arent, Whiting says, they fight viciously, sometimes maiming or killing one another and jeopardizing the quality of their feathers. Theyre out there with Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International and lobbying Congress for the Clean Water Act and all those kinds of things. Today, the company's facilities -- processing at a 17-acre ranch just outside Delta and a "very isolated" production operation on a 5,000-acre ranch -- are home to about 75,000 birds at any given time. However you are welcome to look at all the breeds and interactions, it is a site to see.
But he did make it a reality. They were developed over more than a decade of breeding by crossing Ameraucana chickens with commercial lines of white Leghorns. The silky feathers stretch longer and longer with the passing years, as if monuments to what was once thought improbable. He is lean and hunched in the shoulders, walks fast, and is prone to rambling tangents on science and business. Whiting first got into the feather business because he thought it could fund another business idea: cloning poultry with desirable characteristics. All our birds are Non-GMO raised and vaccinated for Mareks Disease. ", Needs: Whiting is negotiating with the City of Delta for a water main extension to his ranch, but his ongoing need is employees, with an eye on finding a successor. Read more, Click on magnifying glass to see entire picture, Temperament: indifferent In the middle for the flock hierarchy, Hardiness: they do well in all conditions and temperatures. The longest stretch of feathers on the Hoffman is maybe 6 inches. "I'm stunned it never has been done," he says. ", Opportunities: A booming market. To safeguard our birds from exposure to disease brought in by visitors, in accordance with the provisions of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, areas where birds are kept are off limits. In the magazine was a recipe for the Pattegrisen, or Pigleta shrimp pattern that had taken the Baltic region by storm. Copyright 2000 Gale, Cengage Learning. Whiting launched his own feather company in 1989, then stocked some secondhand incubators with eggs from Oregon. PETA wasnt amused. Were not 2 feet into the office when he waves two chicken pelts in my face. ", "I do get offers to sell, but most of them want me to stay and run it," he says. Whiting Farms was the developer of the Arkansas Blues aka UofA Blue Egg Layers. This remarkable growth difference, coupled with a uniformity of feather size, is Whitings biggest innovation. With a foundation stock of 50 silkies, Whiting bred in a laundry list of other chicken breedsthe exact formula he wouldnt share with his own motherand five years into the process, he had a pelt his tying experts were excited about. "We're at a 48 percent fill rate right now, which is abysmal," says Whiting. Their feed to egg conversion is higher than most breeds. Over the years, he has responded to fly-tiers whims by creating bespoke chickens with unusual feathers. We now have one pullet of this strain. His thriving feather businessWhiting struggles to keep up with demandhas allowed him to pursue what he calls hobbies. One such side venture is breeding a line of blue-egg-laying hens, which he sells to backyard hobbyists through a mail-order catalog. To manipulate genetics, Whiting applies whats called selection pressure. In the same way he chooses certain birds for docility, he can select for plumage by painstakingly inspecting every bird, filling out a two-page summary on traits of the most promising birds, and sending a few feathers to a fly-tier for testing. "A distant second is feed and propane and those kinds of things, so I've been investing heavily in automation and new state-of-the-art facilities. Feather traits that create better fly patterns range from the obvious to the subtle. sounds like you have road trip to plan =). From all the manpower, the infrastructure, our location, the feed, the cages, the lighting, the temperatureits all geared to the individual feather. Later, he developed the first American wet-fly hackle, which is designed to sink below the surface and mimic small bait fishes movements. The site also lists that Thomas Whiting attended college at the University of Georgia and the University of Arkansas. Use the Grower Feed until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm Adult Feed. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. He talks at great length about the vast genetic repository that happens to be entrusted to him, and that ultimately benefits outdoorsmenwhether theyre aware of him or not. : we recommend starting baby chicks out with Sugar Feather Farm, for the first 3 weeks, then switch to our, until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm. Its the genetics puzzle hes created for himself: trying to figure out how to maintain the profitable breeds he has while creating new and arguably weirder chickens, both for their feathers and increasingly for other intriguing purposes. 1 provider of feathers for fly patterns worldwide. . Now he has set to develop new, improved lines of the popular breeds, along with developing new breeds and crosses to fill new niches and markets. The first five years of the company was something close to a screaming nightmare.". [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hello Ron. He has been described as a genetics expert that crosses various breeds to create new breeds just for fish fly tying. One day, his older brother asked him what made him happy. A guy who took a childhood interest in birds, then created the most sought-after feathers used for flyfishing, and who still works all day, and most nights and weekends, obsessing over every detail.
These moments of solitude are some of his favorite times. I needed an outlet, and I have onewith these birds. He attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., where he was miserable. The feathers become fish flies! Sea trout will strike this fly even on a hot summer day. Our blue egg sometimes tends to go to the green side so sometimes a blue-green. For years, Whiting was fixated on finding this featherwriting letters to breeders and poring through booksyet he kept coming up blank. However, the UofA Blue egg layers, the Arkansas Blues, are not the same breed that Whiting now sells. Since humans started catching fish on hooks, feathers have been part of the formula, but the practice of raising chickens specifically for hackle didnt take off in the U.S. until the 1920s. Well check out the Whiting True Blue. I try to identify the line of bird by feel, just to keep my head keyed up. A former professor of his from CSU owned Colorado Quality Hackles, and Whiting, though not a fisherman himself, liked the idea of raising birds for their feathers to be used for fly-tying. ", Challenges: Filling orders. Its my job to stoke the fire in the hot room on Sundays, he says. For webmasters |. Who would have thought? Whiting, who sports a shaggy mop of brown hair and a gray moustache, credits his success to an unwavering, intense, and unexplainable interest in chickens. On the hoof, were probably somewhere around 100,000 birds at any one time. The industrial incubators take up a room the size of a tennis court and can hold 112,000 eggs. Sales for what he called Spey Hackle were slow; they never caught on for steelhead, as hed hoped. The idea of birds in cages bothers many people, but Whiting swears that if he were to die and come back a chicken, he hopes its here at Whiting Farms. This chicken is not a rare or heritage breed but a breed we feel is worth investing in. These chickens were created by Tom Whiting of Whiting Farms in Delta, Colorado. Instead of live-plucking them, which would be painful (and illegal), Whiting Farms euthanizes the birds using carbon dioxide. It is all up to the animals when they are ready to start. Now we can get six to 10 Wulffs from one hackle from Whiting.. Whiting Farms is a fly tying business. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. All things Colorado delivered straight to your inbox. Sugar Feather offers sexed female birds for our customers. But he just couldnt leave it aloneso he took the matter into his own hands. Whiting brings a bantam grizzly rooster with him and holds the bird up to the sky. I think Im better [at this] because Im not a fly-fisherman, Whiting says. He even worked at big-egg operations for a time. After 28 years of selecting for long, even, symmetrical feathers and only breeding the best-dressed birds, his chickens strands are at least eight inches longer than those of their ancestors from 1989. ", "The sport of fly-fishing is enjoying a boom because it's outdoors, you're socially distanced, and it's kind of healthy. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies. We now have one (1) of those.
All from a guy who doesnt even fish. Still, hes aware of the ethical questions his work elicits. Those that pass that testa fraction of the top 1 percentare moved to the breeder shed, where theyre caged with a harem of 10 to 14 hens. The conditions are dense, but the birds have room to move and stretch out. He jokes that on some days he looks like a junkie with bad aim.. Our FREE weekly newsletter connects you to in-depth company and leadership profiles. And the only way I can rationalize it is this: The fishermen and -women preserve the [natural] resources. Sign up today! His operation actually encompasses three distinct businesses: the "cash cow" of fly-fishing feathers -- dry and wet -- along with small-scale commercial poultry production and premium breed development for larger commercial operations that account for less than 10 percent of combined sales. I found one idealized breed painting, and it looked like a Coq de Leon to me, referring to a breed of Spanish chicken. After nearly three decades, the abuse no longer fazes him. Odds are, if youve cast a fly to a fish in the last 20 years, the feathers in that fly were hatched out of Whiting Farms in Delta, Colo. Last summer, I traveled to Delta for a peek inside Whitings feather lab. Unlike meat chickens, which are generally harvested when theyre between 35 and 55 days old, feather birds typically live for about a year. One of Sugar Feather Farms line have black, yellow and white color combinations with flecks of gold/orange. People who want to get into this, I tell them it takes five years to really learn hackle. Today, he can speed-spot the truly outstanding birds. We should all appreciate both men for what they have brought to the chicken world. Notepads, folders, newspaper clippings, and scribbled messages lay scattered. To achieve the freakishly narrow saddle feathers that grow along the back of Whitings birds, the genetics had to be short-circuited through intensive breeding. I always select for calmness. By select he means he specifically chooses to breed chickens that are more docile, leaving the surlier individuals out of the gene pool.
"Don't do what everybody else does. ", A customer who wanted commercial-grade feathers staked him with startup capital in the form of a $100,000 pre-order. translation missing: en.general.social.alt_text.share_on_instagram, An Insider's Guide to the Best Fly Fishing in Kentucky, Exploring the Lakes, Creeks, and Rivers of Southwest Virginia, How to Travel Around the Maldives on Just $100 a Day, Personality-Based Storage Systems for Your Hunting and Fishing Gear. These were genetically selected for two traits, the Andalusian Blue color and the blue egg color. Silkies have a mutation where thats lacking. In other words, their feathers look and feel like fur. "He kept feeding me money, and I kept building facilities as fast as I could. What to know about hatching shipped eggs? Inside this barn, his lifes work8,800 roostersis on fine display. "There wasn't much written about it, but I've figured it out over the years," he says. Its difficult. But Whiting ultimately found his niche at 32 years old when he bought some chickens and set up a farm in western Colorado. It was the early 1990s, and fly-tiers from around the world were asking Whiting, a poultry geneticist, for a very specific feather. When asked for heronlike strands for creating saltwater salmon and shrimp flies, Whiting spent a decade crossing Chinese silkie chickens with his own birds to produce the furry feathers. Its in these quiet moments that Whiting wonders: What sort of fantastic results could the next decade bring?
Training an heir apparent will require at least five years, he adds. Even the rooster, who fluffs up as if on cue, seems to know hes special. He relies on his DNA tinkering to create some of the worlds most striking chicken plumes and lure in customers. This is a very hardy bird, does well in all climates and an excellent layer. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHITING+FARMS+RAISES+VERY+PROFITABLE+HACKLES.-a063674764. Plump and alert, he holds himself like a proud churchgoer. Whiting got into the feather business after earning a Ph.D. in poultry science from the University of Arkansas. Most geneticists work with spreadsheets and software to track lines and traits, but Whiting holds most of it in his head, filling out the edges with scribbles on the legal pads that overflow his office. He inspects every rooster and hen, sifting through feathers with a bright light, to decide which will be bred. "I thought things were going to level off. Thomas Whiting breeds birds not for their meat, but for their feathers, in a quest to satisfy a clientele of fly-fishersand his own obsession with perfect plumage. Normally, feathers marry together at the barbs like a zipper, Whiting says. Per the description, I believe that Whiting Farms has incorporated the blues with the brown birds and selling them as Whiting blues. As for that feather quality, the birds on display are almost otherworldly: Polish chickens with white top hats that will someday be sea trout flies fished in the Baltic Sea; giant Brahman chickens with feathers on their feet and downy saddles designed for nymph collars; blue Andalusians whose ancestors were first selected 30 generations ago near Roscoe, N.Y., for their telling shade of gray, the perfect match for a Northeast mayfly wing; Coqs de Leon imported from Spain, for which Whiting points out minute speckling in each individual feather, a trait prized by tiers since the 1600s. The birds are treated well and live comfortably, he says. It can take years to understand the results of his experiments, which take place in his 22 barns rather than in a laboratory. We dont do trade shows. Whiting has been approached several times about selling everythinghis company, buildings, and birdsbut he wont entertain the discussion. Creating all those qualities in a single feather, Whiting tells me, is the result of decades of selective chicken breeding. He produces feathers for fish fly tying. The fowl are sometimes worth 80 times as much as typical meat chickens; their head pelts (capes, in chicken-industry lingo) sell for between $20 and $150 a pop. "It's been up and up and up," says Whiting, describing "surging" demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. However they also developed a Brown Leghorn that lays blue eggs. Pre-ordered adults and hatchlings may be picked up by appointment. But perseverance paid off. May 20, 2022, By Chris Meehan | Ask an everyday angler and hell likely tell you that part of the allure of fly-fishing is the challenge of figuring out which store-bought fly in his box will catch a trouts eye. This would be a great local source for those living in Colorado. "I've got 27 sheds in my production complex right now, and nowhere in my imagination would I have imagined it gotten that large," says Whiting. indifferent In the middle for the flock hierarchy, they do well in all conditions and temperatures. As seen in the photos, those can be what we call our American Line. It changed the way we fish.. Why Do You Like the Hatchery/Hatcheries You Order From Most Often? Tom greatly expanded the number available while also improving the quality of the feathers, which is a hard thing to do.. Wonderful prolific and consistent layers of large blue eggs, they are named after Dr. Tom Whiting a poultry geneticist who developed the breed. The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. Although Whiting rarely ties flies himselfhe doesnt even like to fishhe does understand his clients fanatical focus and borderline mania. Copyright 2022 Farlex, Inc. | Nearly every tackle shop in the U.S. stocks Whiting pelts; theyre shipped to 40 countries; and three out of four commercial fly-tying operations uses Whiting feathers. "About 30 to 33 percent of my market is just supplying these factories. Ever since, he has dedicated his life to breeding designer chickens, the likes of which the world had never seen.
"That gap is becoming larger. After a check on a barn cleanup, he and I head over to a breeder barn.
This chicken supposedly grew feathers that produced seamless, natural movements underwater and made for a fly no salmon could resist.
Even if this rooster doesnt exist, he decided, I can build it.. After one angler requested unusually stiff, shiny feathers, Whiting imported chicks from the ancient European Coq de Leon breed from Spain and bred them to refine the quality of their plumage.
Searching for a better breed of turkey. You're trying to produce everything under the sun.". Back then, youd need a minimum of two hackles to tie any dry fly, and a Royal Wulff would take three or four. At a glance, they resemble a snakeskin more than anything youll find on a farmyard chicken. We highly recommend using the Oil of Oregano in their water daily as a supplement to aid with digestion and overall health. Chickens and fishing might seem like an odd coupling, but for Whiting Farms, its big business. The sound of all these chickens makes it hard to talk, so we step outside.
They have a vested interest. (The poultry yard). Tom Whiting knows a thing or two about feathers. Hes even working to develop roosters without combs and wattlesthe red flesh on their heads and below their chinsbecause the tissue is susceptible to frostbite in colder climates. People always ask how many birds we have here, he tells me. All orders are processed in orders received. Can you tell us if the chicks are two breeds or just a colorful mixture? This means that they eat less feed in turn lower costs for you. Harvesting tax dollars. My business model is to supply our local market for a radius of about 300 miles, so we can avoid using the postal service. Fallon, NV 89406. It sounds like Whiting Farms has either crossed the two lines or are selling chicks from both lines as a mixture, calling them Whiting Blues. It resembles a mayfly, which is one of the fishing flies people tie. Please read how our orders are processed here. You can learn more about Whiting Farms at. Breeders like Andy Miner, Harry Darbee, and Henry Hoffman pioneered genetic feather linesthat is, hackles from birds specifically bred to produce the best feathers for tying flies. If people want feathers, they know where to find us., In a sterile, concrete-floored room that thrums with the sounds of machines, Whiting peers into an incubator the size of an industrial walk-in freezer. After A River Runs Through It hit the silver screen in 1992, a surge of interest in fly-fishing led some industry veterans to look for an exit. "I always think, 'If I've got to stay here and run the damn thing, why am I giving away the gravy? Lower feed costs, beautiful colored eggs, consistent layers, great foragers. "We've never produced enough. These birds were actually a lot meaner when I got em, Whiting says, still examining his rooster. On Whitings pelt, the longest extends nearly 18 inches. Thus when he said these were developed by a long time friend, we now see how long time their friendship has been. Tom Rosenbauer, marketing manager for Orvis and an experienced fly-tier, says that in the 1970s, most feathers came off food chickens from India. The Oregon-based fly-tier had developed a genetically desirable grizzly hackle chicken in the 1960s that supplanted imported feathers for many fly-tiers in the U.S. After discussions, Whiting bought Hoffman's most popular lines and set up operations at a pair of former mink ranches outside Delta. An excuse to talk chicken with yaw'll . American Pastured Poultry Producers Association. Its simply an occupational hazard in a field hes dominated for years: Whiting Farms controls the majority of the $5 million world market in fly-tying hackle. In the early 2010s, for example, when long feathers became fashionable as hair accessories, Whiting Farms plumes went for as much as $1 apiece.
We dont advertise, he says. Do something different and the world will beat a path to your door. Theyre grizzliesa black-and-white striped pattern thats his top seller. ", Whiting Farms has grown rapidly since the very beginning. It's too complex a product line. Since that time he has been the leading producer of fly tying feathers, developing the best quality feathers available on the market. "We've conquered the quality, the value, and the selection." If we had seen a Whiting cape in those days, he says, wed have thought we were seeing something from outer space. Both are schools that Dr. Keith Bramwell attended. I know how to do it, but I'm in it because I'm a poultry geneticist and it sounded like a fun poultry genetics project.
Jul 24, 2022, By Chris Meehan | I hope its always out of reach., Written by Michael R. Shea for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. The first shipment of 20,000 eggs hatched at Whiting Farms in 1989. Whitings genetic breakthroughs have earned him awards from Small Business Exporter of the Year from the U.S. Small Business Administration to a lifetime achievement award from Fly Tyer magazine to write-ups in publications like Modern Farmerbut the scientist/farmer doesnt seek the limelight. There is no breed standard for this bird.
Because without his feathera feather he built through 10 years of genetic manipulation, working from nothing more than legends of a bird that most likely never existedthe pattern would not have been possible. Those are life-or-death days., Designing, breeding, and ultimately killing animals to use their parts for fashion or crafting or fly-tying isnt without controversy. For locals, by locals. A sense of fascination, perhaps, or a sense of awe in accomplishment, of satisfaction from seeing all of your hard work come together. "These are some of the most pampered chickens in the world. Glossy feathers, some long enough to graze the roosters feet, drape in graceful arcs as Thomas Whiting holds the bird upright at arms length for me to see. Ours love to roost as high as possible in their chicken house, all the way up in the rafters. Most of the birds dont pass a closer inspection, but if they do, Whiting takes out the calipers, starts noting measurements, and fills out a two-page report on body measurements like shank length, as well as the birds disposition. See our Sexing Policy here. Henry Hoffman was one of them. Sometimes I get it rightnot always, but sometimes. Would love to see photos of your flock. ", The end result is "much more production with fewer people, but I pay more now," says Whiting. '", By Eric Peterson | Thank you for contacting Whiting Farms about chicks.
Hes looking at a bird right now. Open all year! Every precaution is taken for the health and safety of the chickschicks that, in 40 weeks, could fetch anywhere from $35 to $100 apiece from fly-tiers. After starting his business, Whiting purchased Hoffmans entire genetic stock, and later acquired lines from Darbee and Miner. And therefore are not shipping chicks out of state. The "Arkansas Blues" are blue, black and splash. In the old days, the capes were infinitely smaller and had fewer feathers of much poorer quality, says Dave Hughes, the author of more than 20 books on fly-fishing and fly-tying. Thats when Whiting bought the business from amateur geneticist Henry Hoffman, who was among the first to breed chickens for fly-tying hackle and attained a cultlike following among fishermen for a time. Feathers, Whiting likes to say, are one of the worlds great wonders. . Feedback | http://www.whitingfarms.com/about_01.html, https://m.www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/whiting_true_blue.html. If they arent, Whiting says, they fight viciously, sometimes maiming or killing one another and jeopardizing the quality of their feathers. Theyre out there with Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International and lobbying Congress for the Clean Water Act and all those kinds of things. Today, the company's facilities -- processing at a 17-acre ranch just outside Delta and a "very isolated" production operation on a 5,000-acre ranch -- are home to about 75,000 birds at any given time. However you are welcome to look at all the breeds and interactions, it is a site to see.
But he did make it a reality. They were developed over more than a decade of breeding by crossing Ameraucana chickens with commercial lines of white Leghorns. The silky feathers stretch longer and longer with the passing years, as if monuments to what was once thought improbable. He is lean and hunched in the shoulders, walks fast, and is prone to rambling tangents on science and business. Whiting first got into the feather business because he thought it could fund another business idea: cloning poultry with desirable characteristics. All our birds are Non-GMO raised and vaccinated for Mareks Disease. ", Needs: Whiting is negotiating with the City of Delta for a water main extension to his ranch, but his ongoing need is employees, with an eye on finding a successor. Read more, Click on magnifying glass to see entire picture, Temperament: indifferent In the middle for the flock hierarchy, Hardiness: they do well in all conditions and temperatures. The longest stretch of feathers on the Hoffman is maybe 6 inches. "I'm stunned it never has been done," he says. ", Opportunities: A booming market. To safeguard our birds from exposure to disease brought in by visitors, in accordance with the provisions of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, areas where birds are kept are off limits. In the magazine was a recipe for the Pattegrisen, or Pigleta shrimp pattern that had taken the Baltic region by storm. Copyright 2000 Gale, Cengage Learning. Whiting launched his own feather company in 1989, then stocked some secondhand incubators with eggs from Oregon. PETA wasnt amused. Were not 2 feet into the office when he waves two chicken pelts in my face. ", "I do get offers to sell, but most of them want me to stay and run it," he says. Whiting Farms was the developer of the Arkansas Blues aka UofA Blue Egg Layers. This remarkable growth difference, coupled with a uniformity of feather size, is Whitings biggest innovation. With a foundation stock of 50 silkies, Whiting bred in a laundry list of other chicken breedsthe exact formula he wouldnt share with his own motherand five years into the process, he had a pelt his tying experts were excited about. "We're at a 48 percent fill rate right now, which is abysmal," says Whiting. Their feed to egg conversion is higher than most breeds. Over the years, he has responded to fly-tiers whims by creating bespoke chickens with unusual feathers. We now have one pullet of this strain. His thriving feather businessWhiting struggles to keep up with demandhas allowed him to pursue what he calls hobbies. One such side venture is breeding a line of blue-egg-laying hens, which he sells to backyard hobbyists through a mail-order catalog. To manipulate genetics, Whiting applies whats called selection pressure. In the same way he chooses certain birds for docility, he can select for plumage by painstakingly inspecting every bird, filling out a two-page summary on traits of the most promising birds, and sending a few feathers to a fly-tier for testing. "A distant second is feed and propane and those kinds of things, so I've been investing heavily in automation and new state-of-the-art facilities. Feather traits that create better fly patterns range from the obvious to the subtle. sounds like you have road trip to plan =). From all the manpower, the infrastructure, our location, the feed, the cages, the lighting, the temperatureits all geared to the individual feather. Later, he developed the first American wet-fly hackle, which is designed to sink below the surface and mimic small bait fishes movements. The site also lists that Thomas Whiting attended college at the University of Georgia and the University of Arkansas. Use the Grower Feed until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm Adult Feed. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. He talks at great length about the vast genetic repository that happens to be entrusted to him, and that ultimately benefits outdoorsmenwhether theyre aware of him or not. : we recommend starting baby chicks out with Sugar Feather Farm, for the first 3 weeks, then switch to our, until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm. Its the genetics puzzle hes created for himself: trying to figure out how to maintain the profitable breeds he has while creating new and arguably weirder chickens, both for their feathers and increasingly for other intriguing purposes. 1 provider of feathers for fly patterns worldwide. . Now he has set to develop new, improved lines of the popular breeds, along with developing new breeds and crosses to fill new niches and markets. The first five years of the company was something close to a screaming nightmare.". [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hello Ron. He has been described as a genetics expert that crosses various breeds to create new breeds just for fish fly tying. One day, his older brother asked him what made him happy. A guy who took a childhood interest in birds, then created the most sought-after feathers used for flyfishing, and who still works all day, and most nights and weekends, obsessing over every detail.
These moments of solitude are some of his favorite times. I needed an outlet, and I have onewith these birds. He attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., where he was miserable. The feathers become fish flies! Sea trout will strike this fly even on a hot summer day. Our blue egg sometimes tends to go to the green side so sometimes a blue-green. For years, Whiting was fixated on finding this featherwriting letters to breeders and poring through booksyet he kept coming up blank. However, the UofA Blue egg layers, the Arkansas Blues, are not the same breed that Whiting now sells. Since humans started catching fish on hooks, feathers have been part of the formula, but the practice of raising chickens specifically for hackle didnt take off in the U.S. until the 1920s. Well check out the Whiting True Blue. I try to identify the line of bird by feel, just to keep my head keyed up. A former professor of his from CSU owned Colorado Quality Hackles, and Whiting, though not a fisherman himself, liked the idea of raising birds for their feathers to be used for fly-tying. ", Challenges: Filling orders. Its my job to stoke the fire in the hot room on Sundays, he says. For webmasters |. Who would have thought? Whiting, who sports a shaggy mop of brown hair and a gray moustache, credits his success to an unwavering, intense, and unexplainable interest in chickens. On the hoof, were probably somewhere around 100,000 birds at any one time. The industrial incubators take up a room the size of a tennis court and can hold 112,000 eggs. Sales for what he called Spey Hackle were slow; they never caught on for steelhead, as hed hoped. The idea of birds in cages bothers many people, but Whiting swears that if he were to die and come back a chicken, he hopes its here at Whiting Farms. This chicken is not a rare or heritage breed but a breed we feel is worth investing in. These chickens were created by Tom Whiting of Whiting Farms in Delta, Colorado. Instead of live-plucking them, which would be painful (and illegal), Whiting Farms euthanizes the birds using carbon dioxide. It is all up to the animals when they are ready to start. Now we can get six to 10 Wulffs from one hackle from Whiting.. Whiting Farms is a fly tying business. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. All things Colorado delivered straight to your inbox. Sugar Feather offers sexed female birds for our customers. But he just couldnt leave it aloneso he took the matter into his own hands. Whiting brings a bantam grizzly rooster with him and holds the bird up to the sky. I think Im better [at this] because Im not a fly-fisherman, Whiting says. He even worked at big-egg operations for a time. After 28 years of selecting for long, even, symmetrical feathers and only breeding the best-dressed birds, his chickens strands are at least eight inches longer than those of their ancestors from 1989. ", "The sport of fly-fishing is enjoying a boom because it's outdoors, you're socially distanced, and it's kind of healthy. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies. We now have one (1) of those. All from a guy who doesnt even fish. Still, hes aware of the ethical questions his work elicits. Those that pass that testa fraction of the top 1 percentare moved to the breeder shed, where theyre caged with a harem of 10 to 14 hens. The conditions are dense, but the birds have room to move and stretch out. He jokes that on some days he looks like a junkie with bad aim.. Our FREE weekly newsletter connects you to in-depth company and leadership profiles. And the only way I can rationalize it is this: The fishermen and -women preserve the [natural] resources. Sign up today! His operation actually encompasses three distinct businesses: the "cash cow" of fly-fishing feathers -- dry and wet -- along with small-scale commercial poultry production and premium breed development for larger commercial operations that account for less than 10 percent of combined sales. I found one idealized breed painting, and it looked like a Coq de Leon to me, referring to a breed of Spanish chicken. After nearly three decades, the abuse no longer fazes him. Odds are, if youve cast a fly to a fish in the last 20 years, the feathers in that fly were hatched out of Whiting Farms in Delta, Colo. Last summer, I traveled to Delta for a peek inside Whitings feather lab. Unlike meat chickens, which are generally harvested when theyre between 35 and 55 days old, feather birds typically live for about a year. One of Sugar Feather Farms line have black, yellow and white color combinations with flecks of gold/orange. People who want to get into this, I tell them it takes five years to really learn hackle. Today, he can speed-spot the truly outstanding birds. We should all appreciate both men for what they have brought to the chicken world. Notepads, folders, newspaper clippings, and scribbled messages lay scattered. To achieve the freakishly narrow saddle feathers that grow along the back of Whitings birds, the genetics had to be short-circuited through intensive breeding. I always select for calmness. By select he means he specifically chooses to breed chickens that are more docile, leaving the surlier individuals out of the gene pool.
"Don't do what everybody else does. ", A customer who wanted commercial-grade feathers staked him with startup capital in the form of a $100,000 pre-order. translation missing: en.general.social.alt_text.share_on_instagram, An Insider's Guide to the Best Fly Fishing in Kentucky, Exploring the Lakes, Creeks, and Rivers of Southwest Virginia, How to Travel Around the Maldives on Just $100 a Day, Personality-Based Storage Systems for Your Hunting and Fishing Gear. These were genetically selected for two traits, the Andalusian Blue color and the blue egg color. Silkies have a mutation where thats lacking. In other words, their feathers look and feel like fur. "He kept feeding me money, and I kept building facilities as fast as I could. What to know about hatching shipped eggs? Inside this barn, his lifes work8,800 roostersis on fine display. "There wasn't much written about it, but I've figured it out over the years," he says. Its difficult. But Whiting ultimately found his niche at 32 years old when he bought some chickens and set up a farm in western Colorado. It was the early 1990s, and fly-tiers from around the world were asking Whiting, a poultry geneticist, for a very specific feather. When asked for heronlike strands for creating saltwater salmon and shrimp flies, Whiting spent a decade crossing Chinese silkie chickens with his own birds to produce the furry feathers. Its in these quiet moments that Whiting wonders: What sort of fantastic results could the next decade bring?
Training an heir apparent will require at least five years, he adds. Even the rooster, who fluffs up as if on cue, seems to know hes special. He relies on his DNA tinkering to create some of the worlds most striking chicken plumes and lure in customers. This is a very hardy bird, does well in all climates and an excellent layer. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHITING+FARMS+RAISES+VERY+PROFITABLE+HACKLES.-a063674764. Plump and alert, he holds himself like a proud churchgoer. Whiting got into the feather business after earning a Ph.D. in poultry science from the University of Arkansas. Most geneticists work with spreadsheets and software to track lines and traits, but Whiting holds most of it in his head, filling out the edges with scribbles on the legal pads that overflow his office. He inspects every rooster and hen, sifting through feathers with a bright light, to decide which will be bred. "I thought things were going to level off. Thomas Whiting breeds birds not for their meat, but for their feathers, in a quest to satisfy a clientele of fly-fishersand his own obsession with perfect plumage. Normally, feathers marry together at the barbs like a zipper, Whiting says. Per the description, I believe that Whiting Farms has incorporated the blues with the brown birds and selling them as Whiting blues. As for that feather quality, the birds on display are almost otherworldly: Polish chickens with white top hats that will someday be sea trout flies fished in the Baltic Sea; giant Brahman chickens with feathers on their feet and downy saddles designed for nymph collars; blue Andalusians whose ancestors were first selected 30 generations ago near Roscoe, N.Y., for their telling shade of gray, the perfect match for a Northeast mayfly wing; Coqs de Leon imported from Spain, for which Whiting points out minute speckling in each individual feather, a trait prized by tiers since the 1600s. The birds are treated well and live comfortably, he says. It can take years to understand the results of his experiments, which take place in his 22 barns rather than in a laboratory. We dont do trade shows. Whiting has been approached several times about selling everythinghis company, buildings, and birdsbut he wont entertain the discussion. Creating all those qualities in a single feather, Whiting tells me, is the result of decades of selective chicken breeding. He produces feathers for fish fly tying. The fowl are sometimes worth 80 times as much as typical meat chickens; their head pelts (capes, in chicken-industry lingo) sell for between $20 and $150 a pop. "It's been up and up and up," says Whiting, describing "surging" demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. However they also developed a Brown Leghorn that lays blue eggs. Pre-ordered adults and hatchlings may be picked up by appointment. But perseverance paid off. May 20, 2022, By Chris Meehan | Ask an everyday angler and hell likely tell you that part of the allure of fly-fishing is the challenge of figuring out which store-bought fly in his box will catch a trouts eye. This would be a great local source for those living in Colorado. "I've got 27 sheds in my production complex right now, and nowhere in my imagination would I have imagined it gotten that large," says Whiting. indifferent In the middle for the flock hierarchy, they do well in all conditions and temperatures. As seen in the photos, those can be what we call our American Line. It changed the way we fish.. Why Do You Like the Hatchery/Hatcheries You Order From Most Often? Tom greatly expanded the number available while also improving the quality of the feathers, which is a hard thing to do.. Wonderful prolific and consistent layers of large blue eggs, they are named after Dr. Tom Whiting a poultry geneticist who developed the breed. The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. Although Whiting rarely ties flies himselfhe doesnt even like to fishhe does understand his clients fanatical focus and borderline mania. Copyright 2022 Farlex, Inc. | Nearly every tackle shop in the U.S. stocks Whiting pelts; theyre shipped to 40 countries; and three out of four commercial fly-tying operations uses Whiting feathers. "About 30 to 33 percent of my market is just supplying these factories. Ever since, he has dedicated his life to breeding designer chickens, the likes of which the world had never seen.
"That gap is becoming larger. After a check on a barn cleanup, he and I head over to a breeder barn.
This chicken supposedly grew feathers that produced seamless, natural movements underwater and made for a fly no salmon could resist.
Even if this rooster doesnt exist, he decided, I can build it.. After one angler requested unusually stiff, shiny feathers, Whiting imported chicks from the ancient European Coq de Leon breed from Spain and bred them to refine the quality of their plumage.
Searching for a better breed of turkey. You're trying to produce everything under the sun.". Back then, youd need a minimum of two hackles to tie any dry fly, and a Royal Wulff would take three or four. At a glance, they resemble a snakeskin more than anything youll find on a farmyard chicken. We highly recommend using the Oil of Oregano in their water daily as a supplement to aid with digestion and overall health. Chickens and fishing might seem like an odd coupling, but for Whiting Farms, its big business. The sound of all these chickens makes it hard to talk, so we step outside.
They have a vested interest. (The poultry yard). Tom Whiting knows a thing or two about feathers. Hes even working to develop roosters without combs and wattlesthe red flesh on their heads and below their chinsbecause the tissue is susceptible to frostbite in colder climates. People always ask how many birds we have here, he tells me. All orders are processed in orders received. Can you tell us if the chicks are two breeds or just a colorful mixture? This means that they eat less feed in turn lower costs for you. Harvesting tax dollars. My business model is to supply our local market for a radius of about 300 miles, so we can avoid using the postal service. Fallon, NV 89406. It sounds like Whiting Farms has either crossed the two lines or are selling chicks from both lines as a mixture, calling them Whiting Blues. It resembles a mayfly, which is one of the fishing flies people tie. Please read how our orders are processed here. You can learn more about Whiting Farms at. Breeders like Andy Miner, Harry Darbee, and Henry Hoffman pioneered genetic feather linesthat is, hackles from birds specifically bred to produce the best feathers for tying flies. If people want feathers, they know where to find us., In a sterile, concrete-floored room that thrums with the sounds of machines, Whiting peers into an incubator the size of an industrial walk-in freezer. After A River Runs Through It hit the silver screen in 1992, a surge of interest in fly-fishing led some industry veterans to look for an exit. "I always think, 'If I've got to stay here and run the damn thing, why am I giving away the gravy? Lower feed costs, beautiful colored eggs, consistent layers, great foragers. "We've never produced enough. These birds were actually a lot meaner when I got em, Whiting says, still examining his rooster. On Whitings pelt, the longest extends nearly 18 inches. Thus when he said these were developed by a long time friend, we now see how long time their friendship has been. Tom Rosenbauer, marketing manager for Orvis and an experienced fly-tier, says that in the 1970s, most feathers came off food chickens from India. The Oregon-based fly-tier had developed a genetically desirable grizzly hackle chicken in the 1960s that supplanted imported feathers for many fly-tiers in the U.S. After discussions, Whiting bought Hoffman's most popular lines and set up operations at a pair of former mink ranches outside Delta. An excuse to talk chicken with yaw'll . American Pastured Poultry Producers Association. Its simply an occupational hazard in a field hes dominated for years: Whiting Farms controls the majority of the $5 million world market in fly-tying hackle. In the early 2010s, for example, when long feathers became fashionable as hair accessories, Whiting Farms plumes went for as much as $1 apiece. We dont advertise, he says. Do something different and the world will beat a path to your door. Theyre grizzliesa black-and-white striped pattern thats his top seller. ", Whiting Farms has grown rapidly since the very beginning. It's too complex a product line. Since that time he has been the leading producer of fly tying feathers, developing the best quality feathers available on the market. "We've conquered the quality, the value, and the selection." If we had seen a Whiting cape in those days, he says, wed have thought we were seeing something from outer space. Both are schools that Dr. Keith Bramwell attended. I know how to do it, but I'm in it because I'm a poultry geneticist and it sounded like a fun poultry genetics project.
Jul 24, 2022, By Chris Meehan | I hope its always out of reach., Written by Michael R. Shea for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. The first shipment of 20,000 eggs hatched at Whiting Farms in 1989. Whitings genetic breakthroughs have earned him awards from Small Business Exporter of the Year from the U.S. Small Business Administration to a lifetime achievement award from Fly Tyer magazine to write-ups in publications like Modern Farmerbut the scientist/farmer doesnt seek the limelight. There is no breed standard for this bird.