New Hampshires

The New Hampshire Hen in the photo above is of the German Line.  They were imported to Germany in 1945 by the American Goverment after the war because Germany had no poultry.  The Germans liked this breed so much that they focused primarliy on its breeding.  This line was imported back the the U.S. about three years ago by Mr. Joe Jefferson.  They are larger and better laying birds than that of most American strains.  The hen in the photo above belongs to Mr. Rodney Kroll of Cane Creek Mountain Farm.  Rodney has been breeding this line of New Hampshire for about a year now.  HPBAA is happy to have someone working with this beautiful breed.

The New Hampshire Rooster in the photo above is of the German Line.  This rooster is owned by Mr. Rodney Kroll of Cane Creek Mountain Farm in Tellico Plains, TN.  Rodney has been breeding this line of New Hampshire for about a year now and hopes to work closely with Founding Member, Mr. Ron  Presley, in preserving this line.  Mr. Presley has New Hampshires that are a cross between the German Line and an American Line.  Mr. Doug Acres obtained the German Line of New Hampshires from Mr. Joe Jefferson.  He then found the best American Line of which is unknown at this time. He crossed them into the German Line of New Hampshires.  This made an improvement to the line for show and egg production.

The New Hampshires was developed at the New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station by a group of farmers in the early twentieth century. These farmers were looking for a bird with a fast growth rate that feathered out early. Selecting from the Rhode Island Red breed primarily for meat production rather than egg, the result was a lighter colored bird. After persistent selective breeding, the New Hampshires took its name, color, and standard.
The New Hampshires is a cold hardy bird that does well in confinement or free range. They are not usually aggressive in nature, but some males can develop an attitude. The males are prone to frostbite of the comb due to the comb's large size. Production lines have been added to increase egg production in these birds, but the true heritage New Hampshires are an average layer of light brown eggs. The females do have some tendency to brood and are excellent mothers.
The standard size of a male is about 9 lbs. and the females are around 7lbs. These birds are dazzling to look at with their Orange plumage, bright red comb & wattles, and contrasting yellow beak and legs.  The preservation of the New Hampshires in it's heritage form is in the critical status. We hope to see these beauties make a come back in their original form for the future.  The New Hampshires were accepted into the American Poultry Association in 1935.

                                                     More New Hampshires

The attached video is of Mr. Jeff Wellman at The Back Yard Chicken Coop talking about his Purley Line of New Hampshires.