I am planning on buying some Lavender Orps, Hinkjc lines, and maybe some Barnevelders to breed. I have been reading on these breeds. What will improve my breeding and selling chicks? What do I look for in good breeding birds? What do I need to do to get in good business with others who want to buy show quality birds? And what is NPIP and AI mean? Do I need to "approve" these abbreviations? Thankyou for your help, clf
To be brutaly honest you don't just buy birds and then say Ok everybody I am a breeder now see see. You have been doing alot of reading and it's nowhere near the start, in order to be a successful breeder you must know your breed inside and out because those who will be looking to buy should also know the breed, and when they ask you some very specific questions you have to be able to answer without a doubt and be truthful. If you can't or just admit that your just getting started and don't know that much then your as good as dead in the water, when people search for a better example of their breed of choice to buy they look to move beyond the mutt hatchery junk to breeder professionals. You can't just repeat what you'v read, people will see right through that, you have to know your breed and I mean know the breed, getting a copy of the SOP for your breed will help. Go to as many shows as you can, get with other show folks who have your breed, talk to them, remember them, and pay attention to what they want to teach you and they will, we love teaching people about our breed. My advice is this.............. try and find some good birds, work with them, learn about them, only you can tell when your ready to sell some birds. Keep in mind your not a breeder just because you have a few chicks to sell, a breeder is a badge of honor worn with respect for the breed and your fellow breeders. and that takes years. I do wish you the best of luck in any way you choose to go and if you feel like you may want to visit more feel free to PM me, and I will be more than happy to help.
Start with the American Poultry Associations Standard of Perfection -- the black & white copy is as good as or better than the color book. Looking over the photos to know what a good bird looks like and then reading and understanding the standard is the best way to purchase a good bird in the first place. Don't count on the person selling you the bird to know the standards -- learn them for yourself and that way you can look for disqualification and other flaws you look at the birds. APA shows are one good place to find breeders of quality birds. Not every breeder has the best birds but you will soon learn especially if you know what to look for yourself. Here's an older copy of the standard. Not much has changed. http://books.google.com/books/about/Standard_American_perfection_poultry_boo.html?id=_LdFAAAAMAAJ http://books.google.com/books?op=ad...1387364680253279696&as_coll=7&id=_LdFAAAAMAAJ The other thing you will want to do is get certified so people feel comfortable buying from your flock. Edited to add NPIP and AI The National Poultry Improvement Plan was established improve poultry health, specifically, to eliminate Pullorum AI is Avian Influenza and most states have a monitoring program for this too. In Ohio, if you let the state inspector swab for AI then the Pullorum testing is free. Learn more here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/
Yes, if you want to sell birds or eggs anywhere but at the end of your driveway, you need to get NPIP certified. If you google NPIP and your state name, it will get you the information about who to contact. It certifies that your flock is free of a couple of different diseases. AI is avian influenza. Bird flu. Some states require the test, some don't. Some states require the AI test before you can ship birds or eggs across their state lines. Being certified NPIP makes it slightly easier to show. Your birds won't have to be tested before they are allowed on the show grounds. Yes, you can be a breeder when you are just starting out. Buy from a well known breeder. Then you can say that your chicks are based upon their lines. Get yourself a Standard of Perfection and learn it and apply it to your birds. Cull hard to keep improving your flock. If you want to sell show quality birds, you will have to show. That proves the quality of your birds. As an example, my Pomeranian goose has won a Grand Champion Waterfowl. People who are thinking about buying a Pomeranian are assured that my birds are quality and also assured that I know what a good goose looks like. My bloodlines are also from a well known breeder of top quality geese. That also reassures any buyers that my geese are quality geese. I can't just say, "I have great geese" because what I get back is "who are you and what have you done?" People, wanting show birds will not buy any birds based on hatchery stock. So forget that as a source of your original breeding stock. Top quality birds are really cheap if you compare them to any other sort of show animal. You don't need many to start. They lay a lot of eggs so you can increase your flock fast. It pays to purchase the very best birds as your first breeders. if you are on a budget, just buy fewer excellent birds instead of paying less to get more birds and then not starting out with the best quality.
