Chicken Incest?

[HappyChickInn]

once my eggs hatch, if I should find out I have roosters and hens of the same breeding (brothers and sisters) is it okay to keep them both or do I need to find another rooster that wouldn't be a sibling? Thanks y'all

 

[Rowsdower]

A couple of matings between siblings isn't going to cause them to produce 3-eyed chicks. You only really have issues when line-breeding is extended beyond just a few generations.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

With genetics the big thing is recessive genes. With brother and sister matings more undesirable traits will pop up. What this means is if your going for the standard of perfection of that breed you'll have a higher percentage of offspring from a brother and sister pairing that will combine those single recessive genes (takes two with recessive) to show on the offspring. Things like squirrel tail and split wing and undesired leg color are but a few things. Hatch many and raise them to cull out the unwanted traits.

Matings of offspring back to parents are much better, even aunts or uncles. But to say incest is a bad thing in livestock is a misnomer. If hatching many and breeding only a few it will actually strengthen the line. Line breeding is the best way to weed out weakness and continue the positive attributes if done correctly. Banding birds for identification and keeping exhaustive records of breeding and qualities of each bird.