BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[gjensen]

I know there is better ones out there I just like being different just don't want to go so far as wasting too much $$.

We have to get what we enjoy. Without any joy in raising them, we will not be successful.

I am considering the Champagne de Argent. That would be different I guess. I took care of a rabbitry as a kid that was all Champagnes. I enjoyed this breed then, and I think that I would now. I may go all commercial, but as the time draws near, I am having second thoughts.

 

[dfr1973]

If you find exceptional joy or pleasure with them, I personally wouldn't consider it a waste.....

We have to get what we enjoy. Without any joy in raising them, we will not be successful.

Any breeding project is by definition going to be a multiyear, multigenerational endeavor. If you don't love it, you will never stick it out. If you DO love it, then it isn't really work, but a labor of love. If I was just interested in egg machines, I'd get sex links. If I was only interested in little meat monsters, nothing will beat the commercial Cornish-Rock broilers. I want a chicken that not only does both, but looks good while doing it ... so I have my GLWs. I love my pretty birds - now to spend about 3-5 years getting them to what I have in my mind as goals for production.

 

[gjensen]

Any breeding project is by definition going to be a multiyear, multigenerational endeavor. If you don't love it, you will never stick it out. If you DO love it, then it isn't really work, but a labor of love. If I was just interested in egg machines, I'd get sex links. If I was only interested in little meat monsters, nothing will beat the commercial Cornish-Rock broilers. I want a chicken that not only does both, but looks good while doing it ... so I have my GLWs. I love my pretty birds - now to spend about 3-5 years getting them to what I have in my mind as goals for production.

3-5yrs? LOL. (JK).

Yes, we should enjoy the doing. The liking the idea of something does not take us far.

I enjoy the process, and the seasonal rhythm. I really enjoy this hobby, that is more than a hobby.

One thing I have had a hard time understanding is why so few are truly interested in breeding the birds. That is what I enjoy. The challenges, the sorting through the problems, and the successes. I appreciate that there is no end to the learning.

 

[JRNash]

Im a bird " Nut " the many crosses and breeds fascinate me. What really gets my attention is that studies on the chicken genome which all the broiler houses are pursuing diligently has shown that maximum growth POTENTIAL has Not been reached yet.

 

[dfr1973]

3-5yrs? LOL. (JK).

The 3-5 years is for the production goals. It may take decades to get them from being "just" pretty birds to looking beautiful, while not slacking on said production goals. What is the expression? "You got to build the barn before you can paint it."

 

[Amina]

One thing I have had a hard time understanding is why so few are truly interested in breeding the birds. That is what I enjoy. The challenges, the sorting through the problems, and the successes. I appreciate that there is no end to the learning.

I think a huge part of it is just the resources needed to do a good job breeding the birds. Few of us have the facilities for hundreds of birds, which is really needed to do a good job with this hobby. Me personally, I think it would be a lot of fun to be involved in serious breeding, but right now I'm limited to under a dozen birds, and realistically, I may never be able to keep more than two or three dozen.

 

[hellbender]

I think a huge part of it is just the resources needed to do a good job breeding the birds. Few of us have the facilities for hundreds of birds, which is really needed to do a good job with this hobby. Me personally, I think it would be a lot of fun to be involved in serious breeding, but right now I'm limited to under a dozen birds, and realistically, I may never be able to keep more than two or three dozen.

I'll say something here that is close to a statement I made on another thread just a few days ago. I know a person who has been on BYC for quite a long time and she consistently stands in Champion Row by using no more than a dozen or so adult breeding birds at any one time. She breeds glorious Buff Orpingtons and is known by several of the folks who frequent this thread.

 

[JRNash]

I'M in better shape in that I have 4-1/2 acres cleared. I can see this obsession getting way out of hand if my wife doesn't keep a close eye on me

 

[Our Roost]

Amina, You don't have to be challenged by numbers to breed successfully. If you start with reasonably good stock you don't have to keep chasing rainbows by having more numbers. By selecting the best of your offspring you can gain ground in just a few seasons of breeding. Breeding a specific breed for showmanship quality and standards is for notoriety amongst other piers but not all of us small time chicken owners breed to ever consider the competitive field. We breed with a different purpose in mind. Surely its about quality but so much more comes from it. The term breed is vast and the never ending descriptions and techniques within it will awe you. Different breeds have different strengths and weaknesses. To be able to breed attaining certain traits or features is the ultimate challenge of creating your own signature bird. To me, this is where the fun is at.

 

[JRNash]

The reason I ordered so many birds is that I expect to have to cull a large portion.