No need to feel sad. I thought similar to you not so long ago, but I have come to realize through reading and interacting that poultry is not really "pure bred," it is standard bred. It is quite different from mammalian species, and I am not sure I can explain it eloquently, but the birds carry a lot of genes and through selection it is possible to "get back" something (recessive or polygenic) not phenotypically expressed as long as the gene(s) is/are there. From reading about heritage breeds in particular, I learned that crossing back to a parent variety/breed is better than a complete outcross if a trait has truly been lost.
I should also mention the differences among breed, variety, strain, and line. Lines and strains can be kept pure, and there are certainly many old lines and strains that deserve to be kept pure. Both the breed and the respective varieties need people who will dedicate themselves to the preservation of lines and strains. So, I certainly wish you the best with your chosen strains/lines. May your hatch rates be high in quantity and quality!
A bit more geekiness: the gold gene and the red gene are incomplete dominants with each other, similar to the "blue" which is actually both black and splash expressed together. If one of my chick shows red, then it has the red gene and either ends up in my laying flock or as dinner. If a chick shows only gold, then it is not carrying the red gene. My one semester of genetics was a totally fascinating science elective in college, and I kept the textbook because ever since I was a kid, breeding better animals has been a dream. I geek out on the genetics portion of my chicken breeding hobby, and my birds are a sort of lab experiment in addition to the satisfaction and entertainment they provide. I do understand that few others will geek as hardcore as I do ... so I tend to try to keep that on the down-low.
All this being said, I am doing my crazy experiment for a specific goal: I want utility, dual-purpose chickens that are good for eggs, good for meat, and look good while doing it. I am also using the old SoPs and art prints as my guides, so I doubt many breeders with those old lines would be as enthusiastic about me having their birds. The most showing I'd be inclined to do is the annual county fair. I am quite happy with the black phase BLRs I am getting because her line is not as "fluffy" as many I've seen photos of, plus her line lays quite well for being so focused on the SoP. She is very encouraging of my project, too, and is happy to answer my questions and give advice.
ETA: I am also committing the heresy of using some hatchery GLWs for my project. While I am selecting them pretty carefully, there are a lot of breeders who would be horrified at the thought of crossing their birds onto hatchery stock, no matter how particular I am about selecting.
Last edited:
