Breeding siblings

[Barb Root Hinkkanen]

Hello, chicken lovers,

I lost my fabulous German Beilefelder pair to predators a few weeks ago. I had three eggs from them so put them into my incubator. Two hatched, a boy and a girl. Can I breed them successfully? They are only a couple of days old so I have plenty of time. I’m wondering if it would be better to look for an unrelated hen.

Thanks so much!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Full siblings are the least good pairs because of how similar their genes are. At least parent to offspring only share roughly 50% of their DNA. They lock in good traits, yes, but also the really bad ones

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Ive hatched siblings before never had an issue then again i used a rooster with two hens so they might of been half siblings

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Do they have any defects? Duck toe, tail too high or too low, crooked toes, split tail,... Any traits they have will be magnified in the offspring because you are getting a bunch of versions of the same genetics. If you start with good birds then the offspring are going to be mostly good with a small chance of defects showing up.
If the birds have defects (especially both having the same defects) then you will just be getting lots of offspring that have those same issues.
Chickens can be bred very closely for significance longer than with mammals.

Also, a reason people often are so worried about breeding close or some idea of "too close" is due to our own human values. It's not for people lol. My point being if you are willing to select the best birds and cull the rest then you'll be fine. If you aren't willing to handle chickens with defects that are not fit to breed then I suggest not to.

 

[Barb Root Hinkkanen]

Do they have any defects? Duck toe, tail too high or too low, crooked toes, split tail,... Any traits they have will be magnified in the offspring because you are getting a bunch of versions of the same genetics. If you start with good birds then the offspring are going to be mostly good with a small chance of defects showing up.
If the birds have defects (especially both having the same defects) then you will just be getting lots of offspring that have those same issues.
Chickens can be bred very closely for significance longer than with mammals.

Also, a reason people often are so worried about breeding close or some idea of "too close" is due to our own human values. It's not for people lol. My point being if you are willing to select the best birds and cull the rest then you'll be fine. If you aren't willing to handle chickens with defects that are not fit to breed then I suggest not to.

No, they are perfect!