Silver Spangled Hamburgs
I first saw Silver Spangled Hamburgs when I was about 14 years
old. We were visiting my aunt and she had been given a pair
by a friend who had won them in a raffle but couldn't keep them.
I thought they were spectacular with their all-over black spangles
on bright silver-white feathers, topped off by exuberant red
rose combs. It took me almost another fourteen years before
I got my own birds and I have not been without them since.
Silver Spangled Hamburgs are an old breed of fowl, described
but not named as far back as the thirteenth century. There is
much dispute as to their origins and for a potted history this
article provides the most rational and likely summary I
have found:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Hamb/HambSPPADec01.html
The most important thing to remember about their history
is that they were bred for some centuries on smallholdings in
the colder northern areas of England where they were known as
"everyday layers". As a result they are active,
some say flighty, birds which can forage for themselves but
may be destructive of, say, veggie gardens. They are generally
characterised as smallish birds (though they come in both Standard
and Bantam sizes) that lay small white eggs, and can be "talkative".
You need to remember that their high egg production levels,
small body size and high activity levels are indicative of birds
which require high levels of nutrition to maintain. They
would do best in a free-range situation. However the realities
of modern life are that many will be kept in urban or suburban
settings, and hence they will need to be confined (either under
council regulations or just because of safety considerations).
Therefore, you either need to feed them well in addition to
letting them range, or you need to feed them well with an emphasis
on additional protein. Egg production drains a hen. Small body
size is not energetically efficient. An active approach to life
is energetically draining. If they are not allowed to range
freely and harvest their own protein (insects, worms, etc.)
then you need to either feed high protein layer pellets (18%,
which can be difficult to get) or supplement feed them with
meat (eg. canned dog food). You also need to make sure they
have adequate levels of grit.
Like many other light-weight breeds developed mainly for laying,
they are considered to be non-broody; that is if you want to
breed from them, you'll need either broody hens of other breeds
or you'll need an incubator. Several times in my own birds I
have seen some of the characters of broodiness appear in the
occasional hen. One hen would cluck to non-existent chicks whenever
she found suitable food. Others have sat for several days on
eggs but given up too quickly. I fully intend, if the opportunity
ever arises, to start developing a broody strain of SSH.
There are other colour varieties of Hamburg such as silver
pencilled, gold spangled and gold pencilled. As with many other
heritage livestock breeds, their numbers are declining in the
face of increasing urbanisation and the rise and rise of industrial
agriculture. They are listed with the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia
as Vulnerable.
If you want to contact the RBTA,
here is their web address:
http://www.rbta.org/index.htm
Individual membership is $35 a year.
If you are facing difficulties keeping birds in urban areas,
contact the Associated
Birdkeepers of Australia Inc., an excellent organisation
which advocates for the rights of birdkeepers. Here is their
web address:
http://www.birdkeepers.com.au/
Individual membership is $25 a year + a one-off joining fee
of $5.
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