Breeding for PERSONALITY. AKA Hello SWEET ROO!

[enola]

Personally, all I am aiming for is a quality rooster - one at least close to his SOP, with good growth rate, that is attentive to his hens and chicks, that I don't have to watch my back while in the coop. Unfortunately, I won't get a chance to observe him free ranging, there are simply too many predators here.

I am not at all interested in a cuddly rooster. My chickens are livestock not pets.

 

[lazy gardener]

I can only assume that if people are keeping a roo with the idea in mind of breeding a non-aggressive flock, that they are moving towards having their flock be self sustaining... or reaching the point of only bringing in breeding stock when necessary to improve their own flocks. At least that is my goal. Point well made about encouraging folks to buy local. That is an other goal of mine: Sex linked chicks with small comb, green eggs, bred specifically to do well in my Zone 4 climate. Eventually, I may end up with an auto-sexing chick with same comb and egg color.

 

[enola]

There is a guy breeding rose combed Cream Legbars. They would be small combed, auto-sexing green egg layers.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes they would. However, that would have me purchasing an expensive bird from someone else. Yes, I'm re-inventing the wheel, and intend to have a blast doing it.

 

[enola]

......I thought he was reinventing the wheel!!!!

 

[centrarchid]

Here is a monkey wrench for you and where breed number will be important. Lets say person a develops / maintains a line meeting all desired characteristics of productivity and temperament. Now let us have that person sell / give / trade rooster to another party keeping poultry that once a quality rooster for breeding hens. Here comes the fun part, sometimes when you cross to breeds / strains / lines you get heterosis / hybrid vigor. Most of the time we consider the results to such outbreeding to give improved growth or vitality. The challenge will be that sometimes you can cross to otherwise exceptional strains that results in phenotype that also involves behavior. Could be an even nicer product. Could also be that you get a meaner product.


Owing to the very large number of breeds out there it is likely that only some will be practical for investment in developing lines of the ideal temperament. Occasionally crosses will have to be made to counter inbreeding and each time selection pressure will have to be exercised to whittle out the undesired allele combinations relative to everything including behavior.

 

[lazy gardener]

No, not really, because, to my knowledge, the cream legbars are straight combed. Not such a good comb for sub zero temps. I also want my birds to have a darker feather pattern.

 

[enola]

There are two types of Cream Legbar combs. The straight comb that is bad for frost bite and a rose combed type in Washington state.

 

[lazy gardener]

Good to know! Thanks for setting me straight.

 

[SharkmanDan]

You are right. I missed the part where you were asking for advice. Please accept my apologies.

No worries. Not anything I was upset, or angered over. Just wanted to be certain that everyone understood the nature of my initial post, in the thread. But, as beautiful as Sherman is, I worry about breeding him, as I wouldn't want to put more bullies out there. Then again, his three hens, are wonderfully temperamented. Since he is only aggressive towards males, of other species, the meanness might breed out, if I were to breed him exclusively with them.
I'm thinking my first hatches from his stock, I'll need to raise them, and see what their temperament is like. And go from there. His beauty, is such, that I'd hate for him to be the end of his bloodline.