Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[saladin]

Excellent example Jim. The larger the genetic base the better off you are to begin with. I actually like to start with a wide genetic base and then narrow it down myself through the years.

Kathy,

I think having a mentor is a real plus. It helps avoid pitfalls that we all fast. It helps if the mentor you have also raises the breed(s) you raise.

 

[saladin]

Jim,
Did you want us to save you a trio of Muscovy? If so, what color? Chocolate, Blue, or Silver?

 

[gallorojo]

punky rooster-

punky rooster wrote

Ok I'm talking about breeding show birds. you don't need to breed hundreds of chicks to get good birds]

I know some of you other more knowledgeable folks have addressed this, but, I'll add my 2 cents.
I'm, not an expert, but....

It's fine to start with a pair or a trio, great. However, you need to realize that sometime down the road, you will have to bring in more blood. Go ahead and start with a trio if that is what you have time/space/finances for, but, you will have to get new blood before too long.

Regardless of if you have "show birds", most of what you hatch will not be better than the parents ,I can promise you that, absolute guarantee. Get yourself a trio and start hatching...see for yourself. These master breeders on here truly know what they are talking about. Trust me. I started about 3 years back with a quad, of " Show Quality' birds. Most of what I hatch is junk. You have to have A LOT of birds, and hatch A LOT of eggs to see any improvement at all. It's partially a numbers game, partially skill and experience.
While I may not have a ton of experience with poultry, I have a lot of experience with plants, ( my day job). What I have learned, is that with living things, there can be no MAINTAINING of anything. It either gets better or worse, you go forwards or backwards. Whatever it is you work with, you have to be endlessly selecting for what you want.

I'm a younger guy, too, just starting out, really. I see this post as INVALUABLE, so I mostly just try to absorb what is being taught here. I'll step aside now.​

 

[xoxocammyxoxo]

Quote:
I know some of you other more knowledgeable folks have addressed this, but, I'll add my 2 cents.
I'm, not an expert, but....

It's fine to start with a pair or a trio, great. However, you need to realize that sometime down the road, you will have to bring in more blood. Go ahead and start with a trio if that is what you have time/space/finances for, but, you will have to get new blood before too long.

Regardless of if you have "show birds", most of what you hatch will not be better than the parents ,I can promise you that, absolute guarantee. Get yourself a trio and start hatching...see for yourself. These master breeders on here truly know what they are talking about. Trust me. I started about 3 years back with a quad, of " Show Quality' birds. Most of what I hatch is junk. You have to have A LOT of birds, and hatch A LOT of eggs to see any improvement at all. It's partially a numbers game, partially skill and experience.
While I may not have a ton of experience with poultry, I have a lot of experience with plants, ( my day job). What I have learned, is that with living things, there can be no MAINTAINING of anything. It either gets better or worse, you go forwards or backwards. Whatever it is you work with, you have to be endlessly selecting for what you want.

I'm a younger guy, too, just starting out, really. I see this post as INVALUABLE, so I mostly just try to absorb what is being taught here. I'll step aside now.

Any person who is a successful breeder will tell you that breeding quality to quality doesn't always produce quality. I will have a better chance of getting quality but it's not a guarantee. Breeding isn't only about numbers or quality but also about the knowledge of combining lines to produce better animals. I could go on about breeders but i'll hold back for now.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
Will email you privately.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
A new "breeder," needs to have a mentor, don't you think? Are there many willing to help out the newbies? It is difficult when there is no local mentor available. Do you have suggestions for a new chicken keeper that would be interested in breeding? I do understand the SOP is most helpful, however, a mentor would sure be beneficial.

Isn't that sort of what we are getting on here? Mentors? On this thread alone there is tons of information from some experience individuals who are giving all of us advice and mentoring. If it were easy to understand and to do, raising good quality heritage breeds, lots would do it. But like so many things, what is easy has been the way we have gone in this American society, and look where it has gotten us? It isn't just poultry, there are so many things that have been lost or are near to being lost because people have stopped caring, stopped trying because it isn't easy. We have become spoiled and we are losing out because of it. It is up to people who have understand, experience and passion about the antiquities of such things as heritage poultry who are going to lead the way in preserving them, and it is up to the rest of us to follow.

Theri

 

[danhonour]

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Absolutely NOT!!! I'm talking strictly about good sound breeding. Period.

If you want to keep, maintain and IMPROVE a breed over a period of years, then you cannot hope to do so with merely a trio.

By the way, in case you didn't read what I said earlier, one of the secrets to good fowl is to breed lots and lots of chicks. If you want to call that numbers then go ahead, but you better cull those numbers hard if you want to succeed with chickens.

Ok I'm talking about breeding show birds. you don't need to breed hundreds of chicks to get good birds

You might want to check that theory with someone who has actually bred some good birds.

 

[NYREDS]

Breeders are like chickens, it is hare to find the good ones.
A lot of people are self proclaimed breeders.

Chris

A breeder is someone who puts a male with a female & produces young. That's all there is to it, right?

 

[Chris09]

Just a reminder that the January 2011 Exhibition Poultry issue is out for the reading.
January 2011

Back issue they are

December 2010
November 2010
October 2010