We specialize in Yellow Birchens. We are breeding a few different Birchen families that you will find from the linked photographs below. We raise the Farris/Davis birds that trace their blood directly back to the birds that OConner brought over from Ireland in 1905. We also breed the Ron Lutz "Nunis" birchens.
Some of the other Birchen blood that we are working with is the John Sears Birchen, and the McBride Birchen. You can read more about all of these families on their
respective page.
The Yellow Birchen has been a very fundamental breed in developing many strains of gamefowl but are now as a family quite rare. They were known for their gameness
and their cutting ability.
There are very few families
of gamefowl that do not have some Yellow Birchen blood.
Duryea, John Weightman Tassells, The Claibornes, Groves, Gilkerson, Morgans and other Whitehackle families, Clarets, Pumpkin Hulseys, Allen Roundheads,
Shawlneck, Albany Bighams. and the Eslin Red Quills, all have Yellow Birchen blood.
The Yellow Birchen was probably a cross in Ireland between a Gillman grey and a Herrisford Brown Red. They will come in diferent colors including, Birchen breasted,
Canary or "Greek Fire", and rarely may be Duckwing or black breasted. Yellow Birchens will generally have a brown breast that looks like the bark on a Birch Tree.
Many times their breast is the color of a Robins breast. The pure Farris birchens will ususally be pearl legged and they are always a straight comb bird if they are pure
Yellow Birchens.
Pure Herrisford Yellow Birchen. Strain obtained by donating $1000.00 to charity, as the Herrisford
old maids would not sell. Herrisford Yellow Birchens and Herrisford Brown Reds brought to America
in 1905 by A.P. O'Conor from Ireland. The Birchens won 7 out of 9 in Pittston, Pa. tour's. In 3
mains for from $1,500.00 to $5,000.00 agianst madigan they won 21 lost 1 and 1 draw. Deveated Al Jones
9 to 4 when Jones was unbeatable. This blood entered the Clarets through the New Hope cock
called Black Spur in 1917.
The above article and picture thanks to Ken Love. "Gus Frithoff sent this to a friend of mine in 1956.
The picture of the Birchen looks exactly like my original Ferris Birchens."
Andrew P. O'Conor was in England fighting mains for Lord Clonmell. He went to Ireland in 1905 to find Michael Kearney's son. He was looking for a stain of birds
that had been bred in Ireland since the 16th century by a family named Nunn or Nunnely. These birds were the Herrisford Yellow Birchen. He found his way to Matthew Herrisford's
estate, but doubted if he would find what he was after because he had died 10 years earlier. Matthew was the last member of the Herrisford family who had kept gamebirds
for the O'Callaghan and O'Kelly families. What Andrew found were fowl being bred haphazardly by ladies soley for the dinner table. The ladies wouln't sell any of the
birds. To persuade them, Lord Clonmell donated what would be $1000 dollars to a charity for the ladies and they agreed to part with the them. Keep in mind that was
in 1905. O'Connor worked for several years selectively breeding the birds to bring them back to what they once were and they ended up his favorite breed of Gamefowl.
All fowl raised and sold by The Fall Creek Farm are raised for historic reasons, for brood fowl, and show only! We will not sell to anyone that will use the birds for illegal purposes. Any mention on this site about fighting chickens is for
historic and educational purposes only. It is your responsibility to abide by all local, state, and federal laws once you receive any birds from us.
