Breeding?

[cochin_kookoo]

I am going to start selectively breeding my chickens this year

However I know there are details that I am going to need to know. I know nothing on this topic beside needing a hen and a rooster. Any help or advice would be awesome

 

[Illia]

What do you want to know?

Are you selectively breeding more than one variety/color/pairing? What do you plan to do with the chicks, what are you breeding for, do you plan to sell and to whom, etc.


The first advice I'll give is of course, you should have at least 3 hens per rooster. And even 3 is low, the rooster will wear them out in no time. However it should be no more than 10, and 10 can push it if you're breeding to sell hatching eggs, as the more hens per rooster, the lesser the fertility rate. Roosters can be choosy, and some can have fertility that doesn't last as long in the hen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are your goals? That makes a big difference.

Tell us a bit about your set-up. How many chickens and a bit about your facilities.

That's just too wide a topic to even approach.

 

[cochin_kookoo]

haha oh boy. Well here we go!

I want to start with breeding my cohin with the goal being a gold cuckoo....or whatever shows up that looks cool.

I have a barred cochin roo, two buff and a black cochin hens. Right now my coop is really old fashion, (it was my great grandmother that we moved) but I am starting construction on a new coop as soon as the weather clears up. I do have a large fenced in area that I use as an additional run sometimes.

Other than that I have a nice looking EE roo with a badger hackle pattern and a strange chest feather pattern I want to encourage. I have no idea what to breed him to that would help that pattern

As for what am I going to do with the chicks, I plan on keeping them

I will probably eat the cockerels or sell them to the local 4-H chicken project for handling/showing experience. If I end up getting too many chickens for my coop, well I guess I will get to make an additional coop!!!!

 

[Juno's Chicks]

If I may, I have a question to add to this.... (Great topic thread by the way!)

Do you have to worry about inbreeding??

Thank you!!

 

[cochin_kookoo]

Juno's Chicks :

If I may, I have a question to add to this.... (Great topic thread by the way!)

Do you have to worry about inbreeding??

Thank you!!

Not right now. Maybe later on but as of now none of my chickens are related at all.​

 

[BamaSilkies]

You can breed mother/son and fathers/daughters just no full brother/sisters. I think you can brother/sister only if there is an unrelated(different mothers or father)

 

[SarniaTricia]

I want to do this too.

Here's how I understand it:
Good solid coop with an extra nest box
Rooster
Broody Hen
Other hens to keep the Roo busy during nesting.

Is that all that is needed for a mutt chicken breeder that wants to increase the flock the old fashion way?

Thanks
patricia

 

[BamaSilkies]

Gives good explanation of cross/line/inbreeding http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Start_Keeping_Bantams/bantam_chicken.php



This has a good chart for line breeding http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/ppp/ppp6.html