I don't spend a lot of time on BYC so if this has been covered, forgive me for the repeat. But I've realized how much inbreeding there really must be when it comes to 'small chicken operations' - or backyard chicken breeding. So that, if you go to someone who has maybe 2 or 3 hens and a rooster and you either get hatching eggs or buy chicks, and then end up breeding a rooster with hens from that batch, obviously there's going to be some inbreeding. And who knows where the original parents were from.
I'm not bashing that this happens (or maybe I should) but it's just an observation, and I haven't heard anyone speak of it either locally or on the net. What got me thinking about it is that I recently got a couple ducks. I did NOT get them to breed, and I do not intend to raise any ducklings from them. But they are from a single drake and possibly 2 different hens. I am pretty sure I have a male/female. So to breed them intentionally would be in-breeding, and any stock from them crossed together would make it even more so. Is this just the way it is with poultry?
I do have chickens that I've been hatching out eggs from but my hens are pure breeds and my roos that I've used, which I got from entirely different places, are completely unrelated and of different breeds. I know they're absolutely not going to be in-bred chicks. I would not intentionally hatch out eggs from any of the resultant chicks unless they have been with a different rooster. Am I nuts? Am I just mis-informed? Is it pretty okay with poultry? Common? I'm asking out of curiosity only. I will do with my poultry what I will do, and what other people do is up to them. I do not and have no intention to show my birds or create an arguement. I just want them to be as healthy as possible, so I will intentionally keep things 'clean' so to speak. And I truly hope that me asking this does not stir up a big to-do. I'm really just curious about this. Kind of new to the whole thing. Can someone educate me a little? Thanks!
I'm not bashing that this happens (or maybe I should) but it's just an observation, and I haven't heard anyone speak of it either locally or on the net. What got me thinking about it is that I recently got a couple ducks. I did NOT get them to breed, and I do not intend to raise any ducklings from them. But they are from a single drake and possibly 2 different hens. I am pretty sure I have a male/female. So to breed them intentionally would be in-breeding, and any stock from them crossed together would make it even more so. Is this just the way it is with poultry?
I do have chickens that I've been hatching out eggs from but my hens are pure breeds and my roos that I've used, which I got from entirely different places, are completely unrelated and of different breeds. I know they're absolutely not going to be in-bred chicks. I would not intentionally hatch out eggs from any of the resultant chicks unless they have been with a different rooster. Am I nuts? Am I just mis-informed? Is it pretty okay with poultry? Common? I'm asking out of curiosity only. I will do with my poultry what I will do, and what other people do is up to them. I do not and have no intention to show my birds or create an arguement. I just want them to be as healthy as possible, so I will intentionally keep things 'clean' so to speak. And I truly hope that me asking this does not stir up a big to-do. I'm really just curious about this. Kind of new to the whole thing. Can someone educate me a little? Thanks!