I plucked this from another thread:
Quote:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/OnagadoriShiki.jpg
Tosa Onagadori
For example, Japanese researchers in Hawaii experimented with the most parsimonious method to reach the Onagadori stage of the long tailed cultural treasure. Following Japanese tradition, they utilized a specific form of backcrossing- more specifically, matrilineal backcrossing- that is,
male progenitor to matriarch over successive generations.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/Kawachi-Yakko.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/Tosa-Kojidori.jpg
First, an appropriate female was selected. She was from a very homogenous Tosa-Kojidori X Tosa Mikawa strain. This is the Japanese equivalent of a Leghorn cross battery egg producer. Neither of light weight egg producing progenitor breeds, the Kojidori or Mikawa are long tailed breeds. The researchers chose the egg producer because the genome of the strain was completely mapped and the strain is closely bred to the point that each egg is produced by each hen is nearly identical in size, weight and shape.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/Tomuhen.jpg
The " Tosa Tomu" production egg layer hen was paired with a wild junglefowl collected in the Mariana and Marshall Islands that is known as the Firefox or Marquesas Island Junglefowl. It was introduced by seafarers hundreds of centuries ago, Japanese oral history has it that the founders of the Ongadori included wild roosters brought back from the Mariana Islands which are just south of Japan in the Philippine Sea.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/bekisarorange.jpg
Mariana/Marquesas Island Junglefowl.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/720px-Philippine_Sea_location.jpg
The f1 progeny produced from the Mariana junglecock bred to the Tosa Tomu hen were selected from, with the males with the desired traits being bred back to the mother itself or one of her full sisters. The rest of the birds were removed from the breeding program. The junglefowl sire and a few of his male progeny of the f1 were set aside. The f2 progeny produced through backcrossing with the maternal line were again selected from. The males with the most desired traits were conserved- the rest of the stock removed from breeding. This continued for eight generations. On the 9th generation, females of the f9 generation were now held back and bred back to the original Junglecock sire or on his f1 sons. This generation-is considered a new generation and is called F( capitol) a1.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/Bekisarwhite.jpg
Generation Fa1 new sire.
The researchers selected for white plumage as it is was very easy to distinguish at hatching. By the 18th generation, a male ( pictured below) was produced that could now be bred to an f1 hen ( pictured as well) Their offspring breed fairly true to type and extremely elongated tails and saddles are becoming increasingly common with each successful completion of an eight generation backcross.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/PiAmoun/Gallusinae/Totenkobackcross.jpg
I've learned to use this backcrossing method to improve egg colour in Marandaise and Araucanian hens.
In short straight language, the matriarch is the most important gene stock not the male. People often make the mistake of line breeding a male on to his own daughters which would work better in mammals than birds ( see founder effect and Haldane's rule). In poultry, the most parsimonious route will be to keep breeding successive generations of roosters with the most desireable aesthetic back to their mothers or the full sisters of their mothers. That first generation of females is termed the " the matriarchate". Only use a single male founder and backcross this way. If you outcross even once before three full terms- ( 8 generations X 8 generations X 8 generations of backcrossing with no new founders) you will lose your way and have to start from scratch again. New females can be brought in after the third full eight generation backcross generation ( Fc) but not before then. If any new male material is brought in you will have to start your backcrossing again.