Can You Breed For Personalities?

[americanchicks]

Hi All!
So I know when breeding animals like dogs you go by breed standard, but also personality and temperament. Is the same true with chickens? If you breed a very friendly bird will you get outstanding offspring?

I have an extremely friendly red sex link, Phoebe (yes was binge watching Friends when I named her) She is the most friendly chicken I have ever known. I just hatched some olive eggers including two Phoebes. So can theses chicks inherit their moms lovely traits? Or is it just luck of the draw when it comes to chickens.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Breeding a friendly chicken won't guarantee friendly chicks, but, yes, temperament is genetic to some degree. For all animals, really, down to invertebrates. You breed the boldest out of your batch of feeder crickets, you eventually get super bold crickets. Heck, the reason betta fish are so aggressive is because they were bred to fight before being bred for color, and that's a fish bred for temperament right there.

 

[americanchicks]

That is true same in breeding fighting birds. It will be interesting to see how they turn out. I would love to have a friendly daughter or two from her. As well a few chicken friends of mine love Phoebe. I would be awesome to give them a Phoebe of their own

 

[Shadrach]

Breeding a friendly chicken won't guarantee friendly chicks, but, yes, temperament is genetic to some degree. For all animals, really, down to invertebrates. You breed the boldest out of your batch of feeder crickets, you eventually get super bold crickets. Heck, the reason betta fish are so aggressive is because they were bred to fight before being bred for color, and that's a fish bred for temperament right there.

I wonder if this would work for people.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Sure! But it's gonna take a few dozen generations, probably, and I'm not sure where you'd get that many people or an overseer who'd live long enough to sort it all out. Maybe a robot.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Hi All!
So I know when breeding animals like dogs you go by breed standard, but also personality and temperament. Is the same true with chickens? If you breed a very friendly bird will you get outstanding offspring?

I have an extremely friendly red sex link, Phoebe (yes was binge watching Friends when I named her) She is the most friendly chicken I have ever known. I just hatched some olive eggers including two Phoebes. So can theses chicks inherit their moms lovely traits? Or is it just luck of the draw when it comes to chickens.

I would think it would be a combination of nature and nurture.