BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[JRNash]

I downloaded an APA standards book online from the 1930's for free on SCRIBD.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I downloaded an APA standards book online from the 1930's for free on SCRIBD.

Really? I did not know you could do that. That's very helpful.

 

[Beer can]

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming please!

Oh and I have another question. When do the birds you are breeding become your own line? Is there a strict rule for the amount of generations or years or something? Say you started with 3 lines to breed from. How long until you could call your birds their own line/strain?

I can't speak for everyone but I'll tell you what Maria Hall of 'Maria's Giants' has to say about it. Out of context, not quoting her. If you buy her birds and breed them please do not refer to them as being from her line, she has worked for decades on her line and once they are out of her hands she has no control over your breeding program or selection of them. They are in essence no longer her line and doesn't want anyone selling them as such, do not use her name.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I can't speak for everyone but I'll tell you what Maria Hall of 'Maria's Giants' has to say about it. Out of context, not quoting her. If you buy her birds and breed them please do not referre to them as being from her line, she has worked for decades on her line and once they are out of her hands she has no control over your breeding program or selection of them. They are in essence no longer her line and doesn't want anyone selling them as such, do not use her name.

I see, that makes sense. I wouldn't want other people's birds being represented as my own either.

 

[DesertChic]

If you name it you can't eat it

Err ... we can. Maybe we're just weird, but we can praise a named bird at our dinner table. Not all get names, for certain, else we'd run out of names in just a few years. I picked up a pretty set of table china, used and in "loved" condition, and we have already decided named birds of distinction will be roasted and served on that china serving platter. Yes, even Feyd, my beautiful GLW rooster (from TSC, but the reason I have fallen in love with the breed).

I name all my birds, and thank each one I butcher for feeding my family. Silly? Maybe, but it's my way. I find it too difficult to properly track and manage my birds if they don't have names. I keep detailed records on every bird, every breed, perform breed comparisons, plot info on graphs.....and having names for each bird simplified the categorization process for me.

I haven't been in the game for very long but my best advice is, once you have a plan, make sure you have the space and facilities in place before proceeding. This is something I'm currently battling. I have a huge cabin/barn for many of my birds, and two separate coops and runs beyond that....but I hatched the birds before I'd sectioned off the necessary number of pens in my barn and now I'm running myself ragged trying to catch up. Those little birds grow up so fast! And even after hatching multiple flocks, they always seem to grow up faster than I expect. Time refuses to slow down even when life gets busy and you can all too easily find yourself with birds that have outgrown their enclosure and no place to put them.

Oh...and have someone you truly love and respect in your life to say "NO" when it's absolutely necessary. If not for my husband and son, I'd probably be overwhelmed with not only chickens right now, but also Muscovy, Pekin, and turkeys.

 

[Our Roost]

You have to answer the 15 million questions from GJensen before you can start! That should be rule #2. Ha Ha. The first rule should be never be afraid to ask questions. Not making fun of anyone but merely suggesting that you acquire a good mentor to work with. If you are lucky, he may comment on your question as he is very good at what he does.
There are many terms and uses for breeding techniques. Investigate and study breeding terms and definitions. The plan and goal you are striving for determines the path you will need to follow. Ask yourself if you want to show a breed using S.O.P. or maybe utility breed for performance. You may want maximum egg production or opt for a meat bird instead. AS you can see, the options for breeding suggestions are unlimited. YOU pick, YOU choose, and then YOU act! Now what were those 5 rules again???

 

[JRNash]

DesertChic, I had to laugh at the run ragged. I'm steadily gathering more information on how and what I need to achieve the goals Ive set for myself. As far as I can tell I'm around 15 yrs behind allready.lol

 

[collie1470]

This is funny to me.
Sitting down at the table, the kids say: What's for dinner?
Parents say: We're having ol' Johnny with some stuffing and gravy.

All I can think of is my poor grandma when she was a little girl. They had a rooster with a club foot, who she adored, and he was super sweet. When she was at school one day, her dad killed and processed George. He was dinner. She cried for like 4 days.

 

[bnjrob]

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming please!

Oh and I have another question. When do the birds you are breeding become your own line? Is there a strict rule for the amount of generations or years or something? Say you started with 3 lines to breed from. How long until you could call your birds their own line/strain?

There is no hard and fast rule. With our breed, that has been sorely neglected for 100 years, there are not very many diverse lines out there that go back farther than about 10 to 15 years. So most of the breeders tend to mention which line their birds came from, as a way to track back to the few oldest lines that go back to about the 1940s/50s. That way we all can understand sorta what we're talking about when we chat, and have an idea of what different things that show up in the different genetic lines. Because you can breed your birds to look different than the breeder that had the line before you, but the genetic potential can still be there, it's just more about what you are selecting for when you breed.

 

[Fentress]

Since the thread has broached the Maran breed, here's a quick video that deserves a place in this thread by Maran chicken club, BUT has a pointer for any breed on body width at chick age. 

Also, the Livestock Conservancy; "Selecting for Meat Qualities and Rate of Growth" deserves a read by most interested here on how to "generally" improve their birds. Easy, actionable material for those interested. 

http://albc-usa.etapwss.com/images/uploads/docs/ALBCchicken_assessment-1.pdf


Lastly, a solid little video about what to look for and how to look for it when assessing your birds.

Some great discussions on this thread thus far, but I'd like to see/read more about individual breeding programs specifics. What are you actually tracking and DOING and at which age. Overarching, philosophical, and theoretical discussion is nice, but "rubber meets road" red meat would be great and would be greatly appreciated. Personally, I'm just starting out here with poultry on my farm, but animal husbandry and breeding better animals is nothing new to me and is certainly not rocket science by any stretch. The key is usually the specifics details to what track from the start. Thanks for any input.

Great video from the Breed Conservancy. Better than trying to decipher the fuzzy pictures in Call of the Hen. Are their any more that folks know about? I have looked briefly, but could not find anything.