Creating a new breed or breed color... I know this had been asked before!

[BabyandCotton]

Hello! I understand this has most likely been asked before, but I need clarification.
I am planning to have a career in poultry. I may be young, but I am prepared for years of work. I'd love to work on creating a new breed, or even a new breed color. I currently own a Jersey hen, Brahma hen, Naked neck hen, and a leghorn hen. I also own a Silkie hen, and have 10 assorted old english game. I am looking at more of a 'looker' breed vs a production. Any ideas based on what I have now? I am prepared to get more birds for my project though. Any tips and tricks for this? And I know about five breeders for five years. Does anybody know someone who'd be Interested in being some of the five breeders? Tips on writing a standard? And what breeds might be good to work with towards this? I am thinking a old english looking bird, but I'd call it 'Modern Florida Cracker Fowl" I'll use my crele old english bantam cock over my white leghorn hen.

- What genes does the leghorn have and what are dominant and co- dominant? -
-What about old english? I am using a Crele cock-
I'm looking for a old english looking bird, but around 4.3 lbs, tall and lean. A large breast and full tail and a large comb. But with the tall lean traits of a leghorn.
Sorry about all the weird questions!!
-Liv

 

[Fred's Hens]

And those five breeders need to be members of the APA. Are you now a member yourself?

 

[BabyandCotton]

No, I am not but I'm planning to become one soon.
-Liv

 

[junebuggena]

First off, the White Leghorn is genetically, a solid black patterned bird with dominant white modifying the black pattern.
The crele Old English should be Black Breasted Red (partridge) with the barring modifier.
The solid black pattern is dominant over the partridge patterns.
All of the first generation birds will look like the White Leghorn, but since they only have one copy of the dominant white gene, they will also have flecks of black. Males will have varying amounts of red leakage. They will all have the barring gene, but you can't really see white striping on a white bird.
The basic traits are already present in both breeds. You need to decide on details like coloration, tail set, and wing carriage.

 

[BabyandCotton]

Oh, thank you! Great info!
Coloration
Crele
~
Tail set
High
~
Wing set
Low
----------------------------------
If I breed Crele OEB cock over white leghorn, the bred a hen chick back to crele father, or should I breed cock son back to leghorn mother? Thanks!
-Liv

 

[junebuggena]

You would be better off using Brown Leghorns then, instead of White Leghorns. No competing dominant genes to worry about. The extended black pattern is very dominant. The partridge type coloring that crele is base on is one of the most recessive pattern genes.
Get your line breeding consistently before you start looking for breeders to join in. That way, there is some good foundation stock for them to work with, instead of everybody starting from scratch.

 

[BabyandCotton]

Ok. I've been wanting brown leghorns anyway! Thank you so much for your help!

-Liv

 

[junebuggena]

Have you given any thought to egg color and leg/skin color?

 

[Fred's Hens]

You might want to study this carefully. This is from the A.P.A. online Constitution. The bar is set very high. Why? Because there are already too many breeds and not nearly enough people breeding, exhibiting and keeping them up to the standard set for them. The odds of a newly created breed actually accomplishing what you are proposing is virtually none. There are many reasons, not the least is the requirement that there be three unique characteristics from any other existent breed. That is almost impossible to achieve. The requirements for age of petitioner, the number of breeders needing to sign affidavits, the requirements of exhibiting the birds for demonstration purposes, the funds required to be fronted for this process all bespeak a reality. This thread, while the stuff of daydreams, I fear is far from anything real. Projects such as you describe can be fun and learning experiences. As for actually producing anything that would result in a "new breed", honestly and integrity calls all of it into serious question. I am an APA member and huge supporter of Junior poultry and work in this area. It would be my considered and experienced advice to plow your energies into any one of the dozens and dozens of breeds and varieties are that almost extinct, due to lack of attention.


Section 2: Admission of Breed and Varieties
a. A petition for recognition of any breed or variety of any domestic or foreign breed must be sent to the Secretary, at least one year prior to the first qualifying meet, giving the history of its origin, breeding background, and with facts of an educational nature, all of which shall be preserved in the records of the Association. Included shall be the proposed name of the breed or variety with a standard for shape, color and weight, written in the same style and format as the Standard and included with the petition, with copyright assigned to the American Poultry Association, Inc. The proposed breed must manifest at least three (3) differences from existing standard breeds, this to be determined by the Standard Committee. If a breed or variety had been accepted by the American Bantam Association before January 2007, a qualifying meet will not be required if the Standard Committee is satisfied through show reports from the US and Canadian shows, that 200 or more birds have been shown by at least three (3) exhibitors in the last three (3) years. If the description is in conflict with the description which was approved at a proper qualifying meet of the ABA, then the applicant must either adjust the application so that the conflicts are removed or work with the Standard Committee of the ABA to remove the conflict.
b. Affidavits shall be included from not less than five (5) breeders, of 18 years of age or older, stating that they have bred the breed or variety for not less than five years and that it produces not less than 50% of all specimens reasonably true to type, color, size and comb. One of the five breeders will act as the spokesperson for the group and all correspondence will be between him or her and the Standard Committee. All five (5) breeders must be members of the Association before submitting the affidavit and must be members for a minimum of five (5) years before the first qualifying meet can take place.
c. Certificates showing four (4) or more specimens have been exhibited in each class of cocks, hens, cockerels and pullets in each of the preceding two years at a show officiated by a licensed
A.P.A. judge. The Standard Committee shall contact the judge for his or her confidential opinion of the quality and uniformity.
d. A deposit of a sum sufficient to defray the actual cost of placing the text in the Standard shall be received with the petition, which amount shall be returned in full in case of rejection.
e. The petition will then be referred to the Committee on Standards who shall name the two (2) qualifying meets, the first at a regional show and the second at the Annual Convention. The meets are to be at least one (1) year apart and are to be judged by licensed A.P. A. judges that will be approved by the Standard Committee. Such qualifying meets shall consist of not less than twenty-five (25) specimens for a new variety and fifty (50) specimens for a new breed exhibited by at least five(5) exhibitors in all classes of cock, hen, cockerel and pullet. All exhibitors participating in the qualifying meet must be members of the Association at the time of the judging.
f. When satisfied of the breed or variety, the committee may recommend its acceptance, subject to final approval by the Board of Directors, upon which it becomes a recognized breed or variety.
g. No petition for subdivision of any standard variety shall be entertained by the Committee on Standards except Turkeys.
h. The Association recommends that the applicant for a new breed or variety of bantam apply for a joint meet for recognition with the American Bantam Association.
I. If the breed or variety fails to meet the qualifying meet standards another qualifying meet will not be scheduled for a minimum of six (6) months. An additional fee will be required to offset the costs of the added meet.

 

[donrae]

Since you're relatively new to breeding chickens, I'd say just enjoy your flock for a few years. Breed your birds, keep some decent records and see how things play out. Continue to do some research, but don't be worried about creating a new breed at this point. See what happens when you cross rooster x with hen y, then back cross. Or cross to another breed. Play around with them for a few years. If you're like a lot of us, what you want in a bird will evolve as the years go by....what you want now might not be what's a good fit in say 5 years.