grizzly

[bugsy12 0]

in buying hackle off of ebay, what does... grizzly... mean is it the type of chicken or what thanks greg

[gaeronf 0]

its the type of feather. it comes from the barred rock chicken, probably the cock.

[tidewaterfly 0]

It's a term used in tying to describe a natural coloration of feathers, and basically refers to the feathers from a barred rock rooster or hen (Plymouth Rock), or genetically raised crosses.

 

Here's what the rooster looks like:

 

Notice the alternate barring on the feathers, this is "grizzly" hackle.

 

It's also used to describe some fur colors, but is not the same.

[Old Hat 0]

Grizzly refers to the pattern on the feathers. The natural is a barred white and black, zebra you might say, or may be a dirty brown or dun variation of . They can be either rooster or hen, each having there own properties for different fly styles depending on the sex of the bird and the area the feather is from on each. You can find the "grizzly" feathers in many colors as it is popular to dye it different shades. Hope that helps.

 

If your buying...be sure you're spending your money on the color and type of feathers you need.

[tidewaterfly 0]

In addition, if you see the term "Cree", it's a variant of grizzly. It's also a natural barred coloration, but has some ginger or brown in it. It's from crossing a barred rock with other breeds, such as a Brown Leghorn, but is difficult to produce with good consistency. So you may sometimes see such terms as "ginger grizzly" which is a natural light brown color with the alternating barring on the feathers, or some other term that indicates it's a variant.

 

Here's a good article I found about it: Article: What is Cree.

[Steve P 0]

Amazing.... one post so they can figure out what it is that they want to buy for hair extensions.... I'll give 10 to 1 odds they don't make another post unless it's to defend that fact that they are actually a fly tier in which case I apologize in advance. Should I be correct and they are not a fly tier..... I say they learn on their own.

 

Steve

[scott.bearden 0]

I was thinking the exact same thing Steve.

[bugsy12 0]

to steve and scott i dont know what your talking about hair extensions? i use to raise about 100000 chickens at a time. never heard the word grizzly being used....i have since learned of fly tying. so of course i am studying about trying to raise a few chickens for there hackles for fly tying . to all others who quickly answered,, thank you greg zechman

[gaeronf 0]

100,000 chickens= a lot of Advil.

[Johny Utah 0]

Pssh forget chickens for fly tying. Raise them for hair extensions :pimp: !

[rich5665 0]

to steve and scott i dont know what your talking about hair extensions? i use to raise about 100000 chickens at a time. never heard the word grizzly being used....i have since learned of fly tying. so of course i am studying about trying to raise a few chickens for there hackles for fly tying . to all others who quickly answered,, thank you greg zechman

 

Some idiot thought it would be a great idea to tie feathers into ones hair and charge the sucker a boat load of money for doing it. This of course has become the latest fad, there by causing the price of Hackle to go up. Some one actually claimed to have thought the idea up all by herself too. Funny but I think the style was first created by the earliest settlers to this land some 10,000 or so years ago.

[Johny Utah 0]

Yup Indians had feathers in there hair all the time, not just native American ones either.

[Steve P 0]

to steve and scott i dont know what your talking about hair extensions? i use to raise about 100000 chickens at a time. never heard the word grizzly being used....i have since learned of fly tying. so of course i am studying about trying to raise a few chickens for there hackles for fly tying . to all others who quickly answered,, thank you greg zechman

 

 

As I said in my post I do apologize for being a bit rash..... As one who has messed around with chickens from time to time I found it more beneficial to work with other birds and not so much with trying to get decent hackle chickens. You're looking at birds from these companies that are 50+ generations (more likely 100+) of very selective breeding to obtain the quality and length of hackle that is considered acceptable to the market (be it hair extensions or fly tying). The term grizzly is a term brought about by fly tiers, it more or less a cross bred barred rock, mostly crossed with birds with a strength of phoenix in their background. The phoenix has very long fine feathers with a very thin flexible rhachis, and a high barb count. The problem with the phoenix is that it's a rather small bird so they were bread into birds with a larger body and more desirable colors...... there is a good book out there called "The Book of the Hackle" by Frank Elder. It will teach you a lot about some of the ins and outs of where the genetics came from and where they are heading in the future. There are tons of breeds and color out there to look at and try to reproduce or modify..... all you need is time and money (lots of both).

 

Though the picture of the barred rock further up the post would be considered a wonderful representation of the breed it is a poor example of a fly tying bird. The saddle feathers should be dragging the ground and be about 1/4 of an inch wide or less, the cape should be close to the same although the length would be less and the width would be dependent upon the placement of the feather in regards to the distance from the head (smaller near the head and larger the further down you go). Also you need to concentrate on getting the web out. the barbules should not stick together at all and in the end would be very stiff and shiny. Again I apologize for jumping to conclusions, it's been a bit of a bear lately and as a commercial tier to some extent it's getting tougher and tougher.

 

Johny you better watch you back brother....... :nono: Just kidding I had that discussion with a shop owner the other day and I'm with him.... if I could get the price they are getting I would I don't care who gives it to me I would get it where I could.

 

Steve

[tidewaterfly 0]

it is a poor example of a fly tying bird

 

This is assuming you're talking about tying dry flies! Not everyone does!

[Steve P 0]

This is assuming you're talking about tying dry flies! Not everyone does!

 

 

This is 100% correct, if you are speaking of a dry fly bird then yes it is a poor example now for something like bass bugs and deceivers and flat wings that would be a bad mother of a bird to have. I have a good handful of them laying around here in a big rubbermade box. I have not 100% given up in hackle birds, I have simply decided that if I am going to continue I need to find a way to finance an extensive breeding program so I have about 10 cocks and 60 hens. I breed then about 8 months later I assess what I have and cull (eat lots of chicken for the next 6 months). and then thin back down to 10 breeding cocks and 60 or so hens with only the absolute best surviving the cut. Don't count out the hens though.... they make some killer hackle for muddlers and other soft hackle type flies.

 

Steve