Genetics for beginners

[PittyLova]

My 12 year old has decided she wants to start working on breeding D'Uccles after acquiring 5 and attempting to get a different color/pattern (she's not 100% on what yet). We know about the genetics calculator and have played with it, but are there any other sources you can recommend for beginners? She loves science and for the last few years has decided Science/med is her long term goals. But as she told me "I can't experiment on people so why not my chickens?". She cracks me up.

Any suggestions on finding nice D'Uccles? We've never shown or anything, although she wants to do 4H with these guys next year (we just got them). We'd like them to end up nice looking even if not showable. The 5 we have seem nice enough, but I'm assuming they're from TSC or some other place as they were just given to us (along with an OEGB, Dutch Bantam, and Sebright) by somebody driving my our house.

Can you generally buy them at 4H shows maybe? We have some fairs coming up soon.

 

[BlackHackle]

My 12 year old has decided she wants to start working on breeding D'Uccles after acquiring 5 and attempting to get a different color/pattern (she's not 100% on what yet). We know about the genetics calculator and have played with it, but are there any other sources you can recommend for beginners? She loves science and for the last few years has decided Science/med is her long term goals. But as she told me "I can't experiment on people so why not my chickens?". She cracks me up.

Any suggestions on finding nice D'Uccles? We've never shown or anything, although she wants to do 4H with these guys next year (we just got them). We'd like them to end up nice looking even if not showable. The 5 we have seem nice enough, but I'm assuming they're from TSC or some other place as they were just given to us (along with an OEGB, Dutch Bantam, and Sebright) by somebody driving my our house.

Can you generally buy them at 4H shows maybe? We have some fairs coming up soon.

If you are looking for top quality poultry I would advise attending APA sanctioned shows instead of 4H and asking some of the club members where the breeders can be found

 

[PittyLova]

If you are looking for top quality poultry I would advise attending APA sanctioned shows instead of 4H and asking some of the club members where the breeders can be found

Great thank you!

I just looked up the APA shows and it looks like there are some at our local fairs. I'll head to the one the end of September that's "close"...as in nothing closer than 3 hours away lol.

 

[336White Phoenix]

Jeez u absolutely lost me
Lmao

 

[keesmom]

Great thank you!

I just looked up the APA shows and it looks like there are some at our local fairs. I'll head to the one the end of September that's "close"...as in nothing closer than 3 hours away lol.

If you can go there's one in Deerfield in mid-October.

https://www.poultryshowcentral.com/New_Hampshire_Poultry_Fanciers.html

Or if you want a longer road trip over MLK day weekend in January there's the Poultry Congress in Springfield MA. There are usually a LOT of birds there.

http://www.poultrycongress.com/

 

[PittyLova]

If you can go there's one in Deerfield in mid-October.

https://www.poultryshowcentral.com/New_Hampshire_Poultry_Fanciers.html

Or if you want a longer road trip over MLK day weekend in January there's the Poultry Congress in Springfield MA. There are usually a LOT of birds there.

http://www.poultrycongress.com/

Thanks so much! I saw the Deerfield one. Perhaps we'll take the trip to Springfield depending on whats going in with the kids that weekend and if I can get a dog sitter

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Have her read the Standard of Perfection. Critic her own birds based on that then go to a show to see birds closer to the standard. If you prep her for staging up she will see a decided difference in quality and be more apt to stick with breeding quality birds.

 

[3riverschick]

This is one of those breeds with a difficult mille fleur color pattern. So you want to buy from a top breeder who has spent years stabilizing their gene pool so it replicates the color faithfully from one generation to the next. Speckled Sussex is another breed like this, as are Jubilee Orpingtons.
Go to the APA website and look for the directory of Hall of Fame breeders. Look for the breeder with your breed. Buy a copy of Poultry Press magazine and look for a top breeder there ( website). Look for who won the breed at the online show results for these four shows. Ohio National in Columbus Ohio; Northeast Poultry Congress in Springfield, MA; Boston Poultry Expo in Boston, Pacific Poultry Fanciers in CA. These are huge shows and the best breeders usually have their stock there.
Buy from a breeder who has a vintage linebred strain which has been winning over multiple generations. Expect to pay for this quality. It will save you years of struggle and expense to reach that level.
http://www.belgianduccle.org/belgian-duccles.html
This Club has an excellent Show Results template covering multiple years and States. Go over it noting people who won in multiple years.
Try here, maybe something for you here:
https://sepiolfarm.weebly.com/
This is what happens when you surf and compare show stats. Turns out this breeder is President of the breed Club , ships all over the USA, is NPIP and loves to help 4-H kids. I didn't know that before I started looking.
Best,
Karen Tewart
Ligonier in western PA, USA

 

[BlackHackle]

Great thank you!

I just looked up the APA shows and it looks like there are some at our local fairs. I'll head to the one the end of September that's "close"...as in nothing closer than 3 hours away lol.

That's not too far lol. My average show I attend is 7+ hrs away