Genetic Management of a Homestead Flock.

[Je9Jeanine]

I have the start of two flocks. Standard Buff Orpingtons 8 hens from a feed store (one might be a roo), and 1 rooster from a local farm. 6 Barnevelder chicks, 1 maybe roo, only 3 seem to have the black heads that are desirable, so maybe I have 2 hens and 1 roo with black heads.

I have two different goals for these flocks. The Orpington flock is to be our families meat/ egg flock. Because they are good setters I plan to rotate the hens through the brooder with the roo to keep the meat supply up and then eat the eggs of the other hens not being bread. For the Barnevelder flock I hope to turn it into a cash flock, selling chicks to locals as a unique bird, and maybe getting into selling fertile eggs (I am not sure how much demand my flock would have, because it started from Ideal).

My question is how do I keep my flock genetically viable. I have read a bit about rabbits, I have read that as long as you don't mate sister to brother you are fine, you can mate father to daughter and mother to son. I am wondering how you do this with the chickens. I would ideally have enough genetic diversity in house that I could keep the flock going indefinitely. Either that or I could buy some new genetics each year. But how to do all of that and make it work I have no idea.

I would love any help you could give me. Thanks

Jeanine

 

[Lensters]

I buy new roos every summer from well known breeders to keep my genetics fresh. You won't get as many show quality birds that way but you will also avoid getting them too inbred. Since you only need one or two roos a year paying for shipping or going and fetching past their prime show roos can be done for the cost of buying a couple of dozen hatchery chicks.

 

[greathorse]

That kind of takes the homesteading bit out of the equation, unless you are swapping for a roo with different genetics. I am no genetic genius but I am told there are many closed flocks that do very well.

 

[Ryu]

If you want to keep your flock closed you can set up a 'braid' or a 'spiral'. Pathfinders Farm has a good article on the spiral. I like to braid (three 'lines', crossed between each other like a braid).

The problem with that is that you have to keep more breeding stock than most people want to keep. (I like to keep 4-6 roos, and at least 12 hens just for breeding.)

 

[Je9Jeanine]

Lensters - I thought that as a basic precaution you would need to do something like that. Hopefully I can find a solution with less investment in the long run though.

Greathorse - thanks for telling me a term used for that. Closed flock. I will do some searches for that term.

Thanks Ryu I will go and read about that. I am really glad to have the recommendation.

Jeanine

 

[Je9Jeanine]

Ryu, it sounds like to get the basic start you could do it with 6 chickens, 3 hens and 3 roosters. I think I would start with 9 chickens, 6 hens and 3 roosters. Does this sound right?

Thank you
Jeanine

 

[Je9Jeanine]

In another thread I got recommended these links. Pretty detailed stuff. Amazing!

http://sellers.kippenjungle.nl/page0.html
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingKipFlexTree.html

Jeanine

 

[Je9Jeanine]

Sorry for all the short posts...

This is what I have found so far.

Basic introduction to breeding.
http://poultryone.com/articles/breeding.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-ar...efowl-concepts-to-better-breeding-304574.html

Intermediary heredity Vs. Dominant-recessive hereditary
http://www.chicken-yard.net/general/genetics.html

Breeding blue poultry
http://www.bluepoultry.com/Breeding_Chart.html

Line Breeding
http://www.journeytoforever.org/farm_library/ppp/ppp6.html

Spiral Breeding
http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/Spiral.html

Jeanine

 

[Ryu]

Quote:
The more individuals you can keep the better. It helps keep genetic distance. I usually keep a 'heir and a spare' on my important lines--basically a backup roo for each line.