Inbreeding

[TinkleTurkey]

Ok just one more breeding question and that's all for today I promise

How often - if at all - should I breed siblings and parent/offspring
What bad things could happen if I do?
I want to keep a bunch of my cochin chicks for next seasons breeders but I'm wondering if I should just sell or trade them for unrelated stock?

 

[WhetzelMomma]

I don't know if there is an official answer or not to this, but. If you are worried about inbreeding, an easy solution if you want to keep your stock and only replace ONE, would be to get a new rooster. I personally plan on "inbreeding" father to daughters. Unless I start to see defects, I'll keep the rooster I have. He's my first, and a GREAT rooster. Good to his hens, and great with people. I don't want to risk an aggressive rooster. My plan if I do need to get outside genes, is to trade fertile eggs with a fellow farmer and take in some of her lines.

 

[TinkleTurkey]

I guess that makes sense if I keep all my hens and just get a new rooster. I also like the idea of trading eggs with another breeder, winning

I'll probably just take all my baby roos to auction then. Last time I sold an excess roo and got $60 for im. Couldn't believe it lol
No complaints here.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I just keep breeding them back together. So far, the only thing I've noticed is reduced vigor. When bred to a different male (or female, depending on the gender of the offspring from the initial brother x sister) the vigor returns.

 

[Timmy]

inbreeding and line breeding are a pretty common thing in the poultry world and as far as most people are concerned doesn't pose much of a problem. the only real draw back that I see is you can't really improve on the birds without new genes.

 

[TinkleTurkey]

oh nifty, I'm glad to hear that. I think my birds are pretty fine as they are, everybody who comes to my farm wants to buy some when they see em. I'll just expand on that.

 

[donrae]

I was always taught if you get good results, it's linebreeding. If you get bad results, it's inbreeding

You can line breed well for several generations, most folks breed daughter back to father, then, after a few generations, get a new roo.

 

[QualityPolish]

Inbreeding doesn't really cause a huge problem but, think. You can never improve the gene. So if you're wanting to get better birds than inbreedings isn't so smart. If you're just for fun then it shouldn't matter.

 

[TinkleTurkey]

I don't need them to be show quality, but I do want them to be ambassadors of their breed and of course with good plumage and temperment. I sell a lot of my birds locally in an attempt to neutralize my feed bill and other bird-related expenses.