Pumpkin Hulsey

Appleworm™ Orchard acquired its first Pumpkin Hulsey flock in the early 2010s from Greenfire Farms, when it sold its broodflock to make room for another importation of an endangered layer from Europe, or some other distant clime.  Our starter flock was wonderful, being composed of Linus, a stunning pumpkin-feathered cock hatched in early 2011 by Lisa Diane Smith of It’s Game Time Farm and several Larry Carter hens bred by Larry Hardy of the Marsh Creek Game Farm.  Linus’ mother was a pure-bred Larry Carter hen with dark plumage and his father an unrelated Pumpkin Hulsey with white plumage.

Since our first Pumpkin-Hulsey purchase, we have bought and examined many more specimens and now maintain several Hulsey flocks.

One of these was sired by Linus’ son, Homer, a straight-combed, white-legged, pied ginger-and-white cock.  In 2014 he was penned with two Duke Hulseys (bred by James Coyle), a beautiful white Pumpkin, and our very best hen (Lucy, one of Homer’s half sisters).

 

 

Another is a Duke Hulsey flock, constituted exclusively of fowl bred by James Coyle.  In late 2015, Mr. Coyle retired and sold us the core of his Duke flock.  This flock has an august pedigree.  Mr. Coyle acquired his stock from his father, who had acquired it from the Duke himself, way back when.  We were deeply flattered when Mr. Coyle offered us the opportunity to curate this line.  The stud of our Duke flock was Mephisto, a sturdy red-toned cock.

Upon his retirement Mr. Coyle also sold us his two, complete Larry Carter flocks.  Mr. Coyle acquired his broodstock from Mr. Carter in 2006 and, since then, maintained two families (with occasional infusions from Mr. Carter), one that produces large birds with pronounced strength and another that tosses smaller, speedier fowl.

 

 

 

In 2015 we penned Mustafa, a scion of the speed line with hens from both the strength and speed lines.  Now that we have acquired all of Mr. Coyles’ broodstock, we are maintaining these two lines as Mr. Coyle did.  The “power” pen was sired by Narcissus (a.k.a. Pretty Boy); the speed pen by Hermes.

 

We also have a project flock, having at its core fowl acquired from Larry Hardy.  Our goal is to create a flock that produces stags that resemble Stilts, full brother to Spartacus. Stilts is a magnificent cock.  He weighs about six pounds, has a very high station, and is extraordinarily powerful.  All who handle him praise his physique.  He did, however, have some superficial defects: his comb is pea and his legs are steel blue.  At this point, we have largely bred those defects out.