About this site
Barnyard Breeds collects what early breed books said about the animals of the farmyard, starting with ducks. Each breed page sets our own short account next to the exact lines the books printed, so you can see where every statement comes from and judge it yourself.
Why old books
Breed books from around 1900 record each breed's colours, its points for the show ring and the weights the standard of the day asked for. Those books are now in the public domain, but they are long, and the useful passages are scattered. We pull out the parts about origin, looks and habits, put two books side by side, and point out where they disagree.
How the quotes are checked
We keep a saved text copy of every book we use, together with a fingerprint of the file. Each time the site is rebuilt, a script searches those copies for every quoted line on every page. One missing quote, or one cited number that is not inside its quoted line, is enough to halt the build, and then no new version goes live. The fingerprint check stops a quietly altered copy from passing.
What the site does not cover
The pages describe breeds as historical writers saw them. They do not give care, housing or husbandry advice, and the old standard weights are not today's show standards. For keeping animals now, talk to people who keep the breed, or to a current breed society.
The books used so far
- Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management, George E. Howard (1897; USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 64). Full text and catalogue entry.
- Ducks and Geese, Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum (1922; Orange Judd Publishing Company, New York). Full text and catalogue entry.
Who runs it
The site is a small independent project with no sponsor and no paid placements. Corrections are welcome: if a quote is cut short in a way that changes its meaning, or our summary goes further than the book does, write to hello@barnyardbreeds.com and tell us which page.