Breeding....

[Ridgerunner]

There are a lot of different strategies on how to keep genetic diversity up and keep certain traits in your flock without creating problems. You use different ones depending on your goals and circumstances. How successful you are can depend on what records you keep as far as ancestry and actually knowing what traits you want to breed for or eliminate, and recognize them when you see them. I bring in new blood every few generations but some people can keep going forever without bringing in new blood.

A few things happen when you breed related chickens. You will enhance specific traits. Whether these are good or bad traits somewhat depends on what traits you want, although I think we can all agree that certain ones are universally bad.

You can find and eliminate recessive genes if you want to or set the recessive gene as the standard for your flock.

You can lose genetic diversity. There are strategies to avoid this, but unless you are careful you can lose fertility or vitality in the flock. They may become more susceptible to certain diseases. There are other possible consequences.

By the way, the latest research I've seen shows that first cousins marrying is not nearly as bad as a lot of people believe. But if first cousins continue to marry for a few geenrations it can get bad.

 

[eggdd]

Quote:
what are the strategies?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Saladin and others can answer this better than me as they have a lot more experience than I do in actually following specific strategies. I'll specifically mention Saladin because I've seen his posts on other threads on this topic.

A big key is how many chicks you hatch to choose from. How many different roosters you keep? What are your specific goals? I don't hatch enough to get very fancy, plus I don't show chickens so I don't have to worry about a lot of things that others do.

My general strategy to produce a laying/ breeding flock and for meat is to pick the ones that come closest to meeting my goals and breed them. I generally keep hens for a couple of laying seasons but replace the rooster every year with one I hatched. About every four years I bring in a new rooster from outside.

Hatcheries use the pen breeding approach. They might keep 20 roosters with 200 hens so the matings are random.

You can look at the Spiral method. But there are several others.

http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/Spiral.html

 

[kfacres]

In my operation, we breed the best to the best, regardless of pedigree... We practice quite a bit more line and inbreeding in the sheep and cattle than we do in the chickens-- only due to our chickens being much further away from our target- and so we still need the outcross to move forward at a much faster rate.

But in the sheep- I've mated a twin brother, to his twin sister- and produced a $3000 half interest ram lamb. I've got lambs being born with 14 shots of one particular ram within 5 or 6 generations.

One of my favorite crosses, is a daughter, on a grandson. Another is the half brother/ to his half sister...

In england, they practice mating a son back to his mother- to show his flaws... I've started this, and have really benefited from it. The father daughter cross, isn't bad- but I've only done it a few times, more on accident, than actual intential.

I've done plenty of other crazy poop, but need to get outside to do chores instead of telling the world about it.

 

[jmanderson777]

Quote:
1st cousins here in nc

 

[saladin]

Quote:
is that like saying, all apples are fruit;;; but all fruit is also all apples??

lol.

It's more like all apples are fruit, but not all fruit is apples

Seriously, in the Rolling Mating system the breeder is utilizing Linebreeding BUT because there are no records and what is happening is flock mating it is simply considered Inbreeding. In this system, again because of the flock mating, there are also other types of inbreeding taking place.

If you will look up with webster says as the defintions of both words you will find them nearly identical in wording and completely identical in meaning.

Inbreeding: the interbreeding of closely related individuals esp. to preserve and fix desirable characters of and to eliminate unfavorable characters from a stock.
Linebreeding: the interbreeding of individuals within a particular line of descent usu. to perpetuate desirable characters.

Any way you put it that reads the same.

 

[saladin]

Strategies: (rr is mentioned some and also kf)

Rolling matings is really easy (involves inbreeding)
Family/Clan Matings
3 times in 1 time out

There are lots of others and variations. There use to be a really good book on pigeons that told all about the different breedings: but I can't remember the name of it.

SPPA has some good articles on breeding too: especially on Grading by Craig Russell.

 

[kfacres]

Quote:
is that like saying, all apples are fruit;;; but all fruit is also all apples??

lol.

It's more like all apples are fruit, but not all fruit is apples

No, you said that linebreeding is a form of inbreeding-- but then you said that they have the same def... which brought on my response..

There is an excellent book on linebreeding, written by Jim Lents an OK Hereford man. It's truly one of the best linebreeding publications I've ever found. In our operation, we practice linebreeding to the extreme, in every species (for t he most part). The book is "basis of linebreeding".... Only available through hiim. 25$ I think.

 

[HomestedHomeboy]

Has anyone ever made their own breed? I'm sure it would take a decade or two to do. How should I go about doing it? What legal aspects do I have to worry about (gene patents and whatnot)? Advice would be much appreciated. Maybe I should start a new thread...

Neil Wigley

 

[galanie]

You can't patent an animal breed or gene. Why plant genes can now be is another discussion and a mistake. Anyway, sure you can make your own breed, that's where almost all the ones we have today came from, someone making their own breed. It takes years and a sure goal in mind.