The smaller your matings are the easier it is to know exactly who produces what. If you're trying to fine tune your line, or win big, it's a good benefit.
Personally I prefer small matings, usually not pairs, but never more then 4 females to a male. This year I'm using three breeding pens on my Langshans, (4 black females, 4 white females, 3 Blue females with my two cocks, one black and one white, rotating over them) because I'm blending lines and trying to even out quality between the three colors. The Buff Leghorns have two breeding pens, a pair and a trio. Two main goals with them, size and apparently this line has a lingering issue with greenish legs. The Old English get two trios as well. Just trying to refine fine points here as the birds are already at a great spot. One the last two breeds will probably swap males halfway through the season to help create the two additional "clans" as I make the transition next year to the first year of a rotational four clan breeding system that Mr. Blosl talked so frequently about in this thread.
