Selectively breeding my birds

[dixiechik44]

Hello all!

Because i am new to breeding poultry, i need some tips! I have two Mille Fleurs who are brother and sister and i need them to breed because their offspring would be show quality...
Sooo do i need to separate them both? Or do I need to wait till the hen starts laying, or will the eggs come once she's been bred. Basically I have NO idea what i'm doing

Help greatly appreciated!

 

[austinbndr28]

Just because the two parents are show quality does not mean that all offspring will be show quality. I would keep them together and once she starts laying and the rooster is breeding her then hatch her eggs.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Here's a concern, typically when you look at brothers and sisters in a clutch, they share alot of the same faults or their faults compliment each other. Breeding them together brings those faults front and center, and sometimes things can pop up in the offspring that you didn't even know was there.
Now, breeders breed brothers and sisters, it does happen, but its not recommended. By breeding them, you may actually be setting yourself back and get lesser quality chicks than the parent stock.
*I* would try to find a pair from different lines and do some swapping. If you must breed the brother and sister, be very selective about who you keep back. Only the best should stay. And keep very good records, because breeding the offspring back to the parents (to improve faults) isn't really a viable option for you since everyone is already so closely related. You'll have to bring in new blood eventually to keep things going smoothly, why not just skip breeding the brother and sister and get off to a better start?

Anyway, since you're new to this, there's Millie Fleur (D'Uccle or Cochin, whichever breed you're working with, Millie Fleur is the color not the breed) thread in the Breeds, Genetics and Showing section. Best of luck to you

 

[3riverschick]

Hello all!

Because i am new to breeding poultry, i need some tips! I have two Mille Fleurs who are brother and sister and i need them to breed because their offspring would be show quality...
Sooo do i need to separate them both? Or do I need to wait till the hen starts laying, or will the eggs come once she's been bred. Basically I have NO idea what i'm doing

Help greatly appreciated!

What breed your birds are is a factor ( rare or not). In any ,you need a 3rd , and even better, a 4th bird. Just breeding these two birds together(even with the wide genetic base of poultry and the plethora of sex linked genes) breeding brother and sister together and then trying to create a gene pool from them will make the genetics too concentrated.
So... these 1 or 2 additional birds should be from the same strain. They should be related but distantly enough so you can breed everyone together to everyone else. A great aunt and uncle, or 2 of 1st or second cousins. 2 males and 2 females is called a Quad and a traditional way to start a breeding program. You can also do it with a trio. Best to get a 2nd female ( loose line breeding or outcrossing should be done thru the female side. ). Get a second cousin or great aunt to the other 2 birds.
This third bird could actually be used to create 2 pairs from the 1st 3 birds which you could breed back and forth in a linebreeding program. Tho you may replace the original pair, keep the 3rd bird in reserve to breed back into the linebreeding program 3 generations later.

Once you have the 3 or four foundation birds for your foundation flock, there are several ways you can go for breeding programs. Talk to the person from whom you got your two birds. Since they are show quality, there must be a breeding program behind them. Go and ask for 1 or 2 more birds with the relationships discussed above. Mille Fleur can be a challenging color to breed. You need to start hanging out with the Mille Fleur people who own the same breed you do. Depending on the color base ( called a locus) on which the Mille Fleur pattern is "painted", the breeding techniques may be different. So hang out with the Mile Fleur folks from the same breed as your birds.
Best Success,
Karen

If you will tell me what breed you birds are, I will try and find you some breeding advice for that color in that breed.