Frustrating Decisions

[NagemTX]

I am having a hard time making a decision on how to go about my chicken breeding hobby. I see merits in both keeping to a pure breed and crossing others in to get traits I wish to have. I think my problem might be in wanting to maintain the individual breeds I am using for my project or going all in and not preserving the ones I'm using for it.

If I go the direction of not preserving I would keep color type pens. Say gold wild type and blue with a focus on keeping the blue egg gene for the most part. Would have four pens plus grow out, a quarantine and a batchelor pen.

If I was to go for preserving the starting breeds I would be keeping alot more pens than I may want. With this set up I would have eight pens or more.

Just venting some of my frustrations with getting started.

 

[3KillerBs]

I understand.

I have had a similar problem as I fell in love with my Blue Australorps and am trying to figure out how to use my current facilities to raise purebreds.

 

[NagemTX]

My base is definitely Ameraucanas. They are everything I've wanted personality wise. I just want to add to them. Crests, long tails, and in color combinations I find pleasing.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Have a modgepodge pen, and a few purebred pens. Then you can have your cake and eat it too

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I am often in this dilemma myself. It can be difficult to decide exactly what direction you want to go in and at the same time keeping your flock numbers down to a manageable level. Good to know what’s available and what is sellable or marketable in your area. This should be a factor in your decision making process if you plan to sell any of the birds you produce.
Do you plan to grow out any extra males to eat yourself? If not, then having a plan for any boys you hatch is important.
Selling even purebred cockerels is a challenge, mixed breeds are almost impossible in my experience.
Good luck!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I'll be doing the same thing I suggested next year...breeding and selling pure English Orps, but also selling some OE's.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

If you need any blue's for your modgepodge, I'll have chicks from my WTB, and blue favaucana that'll be mixed with my black Orp cockerel Can't wait to see what you do!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I went through this a bit as well some months ago. I'd decided I wanted to breed silkied Cochin bantams seriously, so I knew the breed to start, but... There are so many varieties in Cochin bantams and I want each and every one of them in silkied feathering!

What I had to do was take a step back and really look at what my priorities were, what I wanted for my birds, what I reasonably had the space for right now, and what I could afford to add on. I know that some day I will have the facilities to play around with crossing different varieties into my silkied birds, especially as I lose older birds over the years and coop space opens up as a result of that. Smooth Cochin bantams of good quality are not that difficult to find when I get there. Silkied Cochins, however, took me many years to find a source of again after I got my first pair way back when. So I decided that I would focus on one variety of silkied Cochin (well, Black/Blue/Splash) to preserve them so that I never have to worry about trying to find them again. Then, later on when I for sure have the space for many more birds, I can start crossing in other fun varieties with my own solidly bred line of silkied Cochins as a base to work from.

In your shoes, I would do the same. Really look at your birds, look at what you want for them, what makes you happiest with them, and decide if you would rather focus on your project or on keeping and preserving those individual breeds for now. As LadiesandJane points out, look at the market in your area, too. Some birds are trickier to move than others, and mixes are definitely one kind that's hard to sell in some areas. Do you have the space to hold onto many birds while waiting for them to sell? Honestly, I have to agree with Auntiejessi as well in that I probably would find a middle ground between your two options in the original post. Figure out what breeds or varieties would be the hardest for you to replace if needed and maybe just keep a few pens of them just in case. That should at least cut down the total number of pens you would need compared to keeping all of the pure breeds separately.

Whatever you decide on, best of luck with your project and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm of the type that think more pens is better. But that's a personal choice

 

[NagemTX]

I only have one acer of land so I will be limited.

Breeds are Ameraucanas(Blue, Lavender and Black), Apenzeller Spitzhaubens(Silver Spangled, Gold Spangled and Chamois), And Phoenix(Silver and Gold) with a few Orpingtons(Lavender) by mistake and a few Brahms(Buff). Thinking on keeping the Ameraucanas pure so I always have a guaranteed blue egg gene.

If I go by color for pens it would be blue gold, lavender gold, blue silver and lavender silver . While trying to get blue egg layers with crests like the Spitzhauben and long tails like the Phoenix.