A Heritage of Perfection: Standard-bred Large Fowl

[Ihilani Coffee]

Depends on the breed, and what it's Standard calls for.

Looking for general information on egg laying breeds and how serious this is...

 

[BGMatt]

Looking for general information on egg laying breeds and how serious this is...

Which can only be answered with complete information including breed and what it's Standard requires. If there is no Standard for the breed it's owner/breeder preference, and not important at all. If the breed is not allowed to have it according to their Standard then it's a big deal and should be culled. It's really that simple.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Which can only be answered with complete information including breed and what it's Standard requires. If there is no Standard for the breed it's owner/breeder preference, and not important at all. If the breed is not allowed to have it according to their Standard then it's a big deal and should be culled. It's really that simple.

Indeed.

So, the difficulty, Ihilani Coffee, is that, in APA culture, there is no such thing as an "egg-breed". Most breeds that are commonly referred to as "egg breeds" are either Continental or Mediterranean breeds, and in these breeds there are no split breasts. This information is not be had from your SOP, available for the APA.

If you're posting in this section, I'm assuming that you're interested in becoming a breeder of poultry, at which point one needs to reconcile one's self the real need to become a culler of poultry. The two go hand in hand, and without the one one cannet have/be the other. This, of course, leads to what BGMatt is saying. Your inquiry "can only be answered with complete information including breed and what it's Standard requires. [...] If the breed is not allowed to have it according to their Standard then it's a big deal and should be culled. It's really that simple."

Good luck!

 

[finnfur]

Ok for a novice thats learning what is defined as "Split breast"
I looked at the reference section of my 1980 SOP index and don't see it listed.
Sure wish you could get the SOP in computer format with a search function.

 

[3riverschick]

Looking for general information on egg laying breeds and how serious this is...

Sent you a private message on the subject.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Ok for a novice thats learning what is defined as "Split breast"
I looked at the reference section of my 1980 SOP index and don't see it listed.
Sure wish you could get the SOP in computer format with a search function.

Try searching the net for "split front" instead.
I agree with the other posters, the information isn't useful unless you know its severity in your specific breed.
Concerning the basic genetics of it: Poultry geneticist David Hancox states on the Net concerning "split front- Crease down the middle of the chest" : , "It is an autosomal recessive, just like split wing. As previously stated it can be difficult to get rid of. The only way is test mating . With all birds there is always something that you don't want/need. His breeding worth depends on what good points he has to offer." David - end quote.
Best,
Karen

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I know Cochin breeders sometimes struggle with unwanted split breasts.

 

[racertomtom]

I very rarely but occasionally see split breasts in Barred Plymouth Rocks. Oddly enough, it seems that one side of the breast will develop and the other side doesn’t. I have no experience in breeding it as it’s obviously not desirable in Rocks. I simply cull the bird, which I would prefer to do regardless of the breed I had.

 

[finnfur]

Try searching the net for "split front" instead.
I agree with the other posters, the information isn't useful unless you know its severity in your specific breed.
Concerning the basic genetics of it: Poultry geneticist David Hancox states on the Net concerning "split front- Crease down the middle of the chest" : , "It is an autosomal recessive, just like split wing. As previously stated it can be difficult to get rid of. The only way is test mating . With all birds there is always something that you don't want/need. His breeding worth depends on what good points he has to offer." David - end quote.
Best,
Karen

OK thanks Karen I knew you could come up with something.
Google got a lot of how to split breasts and breasts and yellow split pea soup [ sounds good] LOL
But I think I get the idea - One side of the breast is bigger and the other doesn't develop to that size.
Thanks

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Which can only be answered with complete information including breed and what it's Standard requires. If there is no Standard for the breed it's owner/breeder preference, and not important at all. If the breed is not allowed to have it according to their Standard then it's a big deal and should be culled. It's really that simple.

Matt, you are aware that my question is regarding a nonstandard breed as we have had this conversation privately. I was asking the potential importance of this condition for an "egg laying breed" as opposed to a meat or heavy dual purpose breed where a split breast would affect carcass quality. In your opinion, if a bird does not have a standard then it is not a breed. I disagree, and that's okay.

Apparently this is not an issue in game birds and is more an expression of muscling as I read the other source being quoted here. This is not a case of uneven or undeveloped muscling on one side, but rather appears to be more overmuscling of the breast equally on both sides.

Yellow House, I posted here because I could not find any information and this section seemed like a good place to start. In a type of bird with a very limited gene pool, culling is important as always AND we have to pick the most important traits to focus on first. My question was an effort to classify this trait into its proper place on the culling curve and the answer seems to be "it depends."

Some people in some breeds cull first for things like color and egg color...these are far down my list. Production conformation (type), health, longevity of production are far more important than the color of a hackle for instance. The number, position, and amount of feathering on a bird's leg or foot don't affect its health or production generally, but show breeders in some breeds will cull for these types of things with hardly a thought to the production characteristics of the breed. Each to their own.

Thanks to everyone for the references and suggestions for search terms.