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They have been doing it for thousands of years. They have taught us a lot about poultry, and breeding livestock. You are right, those sites are a great resource for this kind of information, and poultry in general. Though their goals are different, we can take something from the emphasis and...

I am going to point why it is impossible to make any progress with you. You are so eager to debate and come out on top, that you miss what is said. I am not going to go back and find them, and quote them. BUT . . . if you do . . .you will find that I stressed developing a sense of a breed...

LOL.

I never discouraged anyone from reading etc. LOL. I read as much as I can, and whenever I can. A good find is a treasure. The missed point was that you can memorize all of the latest and greatest genetics books and still not be able to breed a variety. The main point was to emphasize the doing...

Some of the best resources are the old books. I enjoy reading them, and especially appreciate the perspective. My only warning would be to be on guard for outdated information. It is easy to believe it all as if it was the gospel. In some instances, we know ore than what we did. In other cases...

Or endlessly and mindlessly discuss hypotheticals.

I said that the concepts were the same. She already has my answer. She has no real interest in learning anything about breeding poultry.

Yes, I got suckered. I thought she was trying to learn something about breeding poultry. I finally realized that the question was not a question. Shame on me.

Breeding is breeding. The concepts are common, passed down to us by people that depended on them. Of course their are some differences, but much is common. I do think that poultry can be especially challenging, with the complexities of the color/patterns. Also the exacting requirements.

Chooks4Life, I used some expressive statements. I did not intend for the to be specific towards you. If I got carried away, I apologize. For the most part, the statements were general. What I see a lot of, is for us to get caught up into a lot of interesting and fanciful ideas. There is noting...

Let's say I am working on Buff Leghorns (I am not), and I feel that I need some new blood. I find an unrelated or distantly related flock somewhere, and purchase two hens. Hopefully they have something that I need also. Committing an entire flock to a cock bird may create genetic chaos, so I...

That is good question, and for me it is settled on a few points. One is the side mating, by which you can add "new blood" safely. Another is numbers. Notice the author mentioned minimum numbers. Also qty that is hatched is a relevant consideration. There is variability in the numbers. The...

Chickens grow and mature sexually faster than most livestock. Certainly when a pullet first begins to lay it would not be smart to set those eggs. Given some time to fill out, and get the egg size up, she is a good producer. I think in that sense we agree and disagree. We are not discussing a 6...

Epigenetics is real, but of no practical use for the poultry breeder. An amateur should first master the art of poultry breeding, and then concern themselves with other fanciful ideas. And I certainly would not take lessons from internet authorities on this subject. This science is in it's...

No, we are on the same page. I doubt it is even a concern of Hy-line. If it is, it is a minor consideration. I believe it's relevance in poultry breeding is being overstated. A faddish philosophy that is more related to a sense of idealism than it is sound breeding practices. Sound breeding...

Karen, to be frank, epigenetics is irrelevant concerning this discussion. It sounds good, but that is all. If we start with good genetics, make good breeding decisions, and have good management practices, we will move forward. Anything else is a distraction. We try to make it more than what it...

I have a grading project that I am doing on the side.

You are correct. Epigenetics is a very complex and poorly understood subject. With that in mind, I would be cautious about attributing anything I see to it. That field is not understood well enough for layman to feel like they understand it either. Much of it has no real consensus, and it's...

Once a pullet is laying reasonable sized eggs, the offspring will see no ill effect because of the pullet's age. Period. This is coming from someone that prefers and believes in sticking with hens, but for different reasons. Environment, stress, and poor diet will certainly effect the...

That was written by Craig Russell, and it was in an SPPA bulletin. I agree that it is a good way to start, though I would call it a modified version of flock mating. One thing that stuck out to me this time, that did not the last time I read it, is the mention of side mating. I have come to...