Help with F Abbreviation please

[CluckyCharms]

Hi,

I'd like some help please. I see F1, F2 and then "This one is an F3"...F4 etc in relation to certain breeds while I'm reading posts. It makes no sense to me, as I don't know what any of those are supposed to mean. The only thing I see is "tornado" when reading that.

Can someone please explain to me what word the "F" is supposed to stand for, and what the numbers themselves mean also? I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

LOL! Never heard it called "the F-word" before. Formally it is First Filial Generation; the offspring of a cross between the parents, who are called the Parental Generation (P1).

F2 is the second generation from the cross, and can be the result of crossing F1s together, or crossing an F1 back to P1. F3 s the third generation from the original cross, F4 the fourth, etc.

 

[CluckyCharms]

Hi, thank you very much for your reply. I have changed my thread title (didn't think about it when I wrote it, sorry) =/ You explained it very well and I can at least understand what people are referring to now. YAY!

Is there a certain number of generational breedings that will eventually lead to a certain breed, then? I mean if you breed say...20 then is still F20 or would it be something else?