Chicken Inbreeding?

[Tacampbell1973]

Ok I admit this is a really naive question, but I have no one else to ask. My 85 yr old dad wasn't sure either, so here goes. I start all my threads this way and feel like a broken record but it's relevant...I started with two Banty hens and bought four straight run chicks at the feed store. For all purposes they are looking like two and two. so far. My dilemma is as follows. When they mature, and they mate, what if they are related. I have no way to know if they are true siblings any more than the store I bought them knows. Am I going to wind up with three eyed chicks or four legged ones?

 

[fluttervale]

You will not end up with four-legged chickens or anything odd. You simply get what you put in. If one of them grows up and is weak, malformed, etc. you simply cull (do not use for breeding--either eat it or sell it or otherwise prevent breeding) and don't use that.

I once read a breeding article from a guppy breeder--guppy meaning show fish. They breed full sibling to full sibling for 20-40 generations straight. The idea is that your first few generations are fine, then things really start going south. You just keep choosing the best and culling the rest. After 10-15 generations, all you have left are the good genes.

I'm not necessarily suggesting this with chickens, but as you can see, inbreeding does not "cause" problems, it only brings out what is already there. In a species in which it is perfectly acceptable to kill and eat the ones that don't turn out, I wouldn't be concerned greatly about the inbreeding unless you are inbreeding on obviously faulty genes.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Aha! I have heard of such things with other species(horses and dogs esp>) breeding back to get a desired trait. Thank you for your help. I don't think I can eat or kill my chickens tho. Too tenderhearted.I can see my backyard being a series of pens to keep everyone separate..

 

[can you hear me now?]

Exactly, most breeders of birds do the same thing. They keep the good generations and cull the ones that don't fit the purpose. As long as your birds are fine, you should get fine birds.

 

[PeachygirlGA]

So glad you asked this question! I have been wondering the same thing. I have 3 chicks that I hatched and have been wondering when they get older what will happen if I hatch their eggs that were fertilized from their own father or brother!!!

 

[haweshome]

Your feed store chicks and your bantams are probably quite distantly related. And the feed store chicks are probably not closely related to one another. So you can go 3-4 generations before you really have to be concerned. You won't produce 3-legged chicks. Inbreeding usually first shows up as a decrease in egg production and a decrease in hatchability After a couple of generations find a friend who has birds and swap a male that will give you another 2-3 generations of outbreeding. Don't keep more then one male for 6-8 females - to much attention for the girls is not good.

 

[donrae]

Your feed store chicks and your bantams are probably quite distantly related. And the feed store chicks are probably not closely related to one another. So you can go 3-4 generations before you really have to be concerned. You won't produce 3-legged chicks. Inbreeding usually first shows up as a decrease in egg production and a decrease in hatchability After a couple of generations find a friend who has birds and swap a male that will give you another 2-3 generations of outbreeding. Don't keep more then one male for 6-8 females - to much attention for the girls is not good.

this. It's probably not an issue as your birds aren't closely related. Lots of backyard breeders keep the same rooster for 3-4 years, breeding daughters back. You just keep an eye out for the traits you want, and if you do get weak, unthrifty birds or chicks that don't hatch well, you know you need to add some new blood.