Breeding quality?

[Oregon Blues]

I think he is a lot better than hatchery quality, but a long ways short of show quality.

Here's the problem that I see with breeding him. A rooster has an enormous influence on your flock, so if he sires 10 hatchings for you, you have 10 hatchings, maybe a 100 chicks, that are moving you backwards and away from the goal of quality chickens.

A hen that looked like that, I might breed her once to a top quality rooster to get a look at what genetics she carries. Maybe there is some good stuff in there. It's worth a risk on 6-8 chicks. That's not a lot to cull if you don't like them.

My opinion: if you care about quality, your rooster should be the very best that you can afford. Maybe even stretch and spend more for your rooster than you are really comfortable with. He has such an enormous effect on your flock and I'd rather have all my hatchlings sired by the very best available.

If he is an adored pet, perhaps do one clutch of eggs with him and be prepared to cull them all. If they aren't marvelous, you can keep him with your egg layers. Just because you own him doesn't mean you have to hatch his chicks.

 

[Oregon Blues]

By the way, to me "breeding quality" means not only very showable but also excellent temperament, good egg laying skills, excellent health, and correct feed conversion.

If you breed birds that aren't good enough to show, all you end up with are a bunch of chicks that aren't good enough to show.

 

[blkpoodles]

to me thats show quality. but he's an awesome pet, he will not be with my showable chickens. he has a mix flock of his own, that he took over cause the other rooster wasnt nice to the hens and chicks. his temperment his wonderful, anyone can pick him up even my 11 month old daughter, he is awesome to his flock, always looking out for them and lets them eat before he does. if he's not breed quality then he's not, he'll just be pet quality

 

[tinychicky]

good decision

i loved my hatchery silkie rooster and he fathered many layers, excellent broodies, a sweet pet type cockerels. i still have many chicks, grandchicks, great grandchicks, and even a great great grand chick of his in my pet/layer flock, but he never was bred to another silkie for show birds. i hope you find an excelllent quality cockerel to fit your needs

 

[blkpoodles]

im getting silkie chicks from a breeder from her show quality stock, im sure i'll have excellent quality cockerel from there. i also know another breeder too
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