This is exactly what is needed for this and other heritage breeds, and I admire your approach. I follow the Russian Orloff thread, which is a rare breed no longer even recognized by the APA, and one owner was not tracking which hens were laying more until discussion about trying to use those that produce eggs in higher numbers and over a longer period of time in the breeding program, even though the main goal right now is to get to the old SOP. It is/was a dual purpose bird, and as such, egg production plays as important a role as appearance, possibly more if they expect to ever popularize the breed enough to keep numbers reasonable. There are so many aspects of the breed to work on with so few in breeding programs I imagine it will be some time before great strides are made, but they are possible, especially if a few people get even more serious and breed larger numbers. It is a totally different looking bird, for sure, very upright stance, has the look of a bird of prey, yet is commonly known as very friendly. They are on my way-down-the-road wish list
I need to know a LOT more about breeding for specific traits before I dabble in something that rare.Speaking of which, any recommended reading along the lines of breeding for traits? I find this sort of thing fascinating, and Tony agreed to look at pictures of my SS as they mature to help me decide what to keep in a breeding program, what to keep as strictly a layer, and what to feed for consumption. He said they are just about a year old before you can make a final decision, so it won't be a quick project, but that's okay. Just have to get busy well in advance of the time I need a roo pen, and get one built. Is yours adjacent to hens, or out of sight of them?
