Is incest a thing for chickens?

[bpoore04]

Idk if this is the right place to post this or not but is incest a thing for chickens? Will a rooster mate his sisters and if he does will their chicks have defects?(if chicks did appear)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Related birds will mate. You can cross related birds for a generation or two, but shouldn't do more than that to avoid problems.

 

[bpoore04]

Related birds will mate. You can cross related birds for a generation or two, but shouldn't do more than that to avoid problems.

But nothing will be wrong with the chicks in the first generation?

 

[TheOddOneOut]

They won’t know if they are siblings, unfortunately, but it isn’t super likely that there will be major defects. But there is something called “inbreeding depression” if you would like to know a bit more.

 

[bpoore04]

They won’t know if they are siblings, unfortunately, but it isn’t super likely that there will be major defects. But there is something called “inbreeding depression” if you would like to know a bit more.

Ok thank you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

But nothing will be wrong with the chicks in the first generation?

There generally won't be, but you never know. Any breeding can have risks.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Ok thank you

No problem!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Will a rooster mate his sisters and if he does will their chicks have defects?(if chicks did appear)

A rooster will mate his mother, sister, or daughter, just like he will any other hen. Inbreeding is how every breed has been developed. It's how champion show chickens are developed. Inbreeding is not necessarily horrible for chickens. By the way, chicks will not appear unless the eggs are incubated.

Will the chicks have defects? What do you call a defect? To some people a hen going broody is s defect. Others consider a hen not going broody a defect. But basically what shows up depends on what genetics the parents have. If recessive genes that you would consider a defect are there, they will show up in some of the offspring but not all. Don't keep or breed those. Quite often they don't have these but you don't know what is hiding in the genetics.

If you inbreed for several generations they can develop problems. Things like infertility or productivity. How quickly these develop depends on how large the gene pool is you are breeding. Breeders have different techniques to deal with that. Maybe pen breeding like many hatcheries use or spiral breeding like some show chicken breeders use. A common method on small farms is to bring in a new rooster after several generations of saving your own replacements.

Lots of different ways to do it, but one basic rule is to breed your best birds and do not breed any with defects.

 

[bpoore04]

By the way, chicks will not appear unless the eggs are incubated.

Yeah I was planning on hatching some with a broody hen.

Will the chicks have defects? What do you call a defect?

I don’t care if they go broody or not, that doesn’t bother me. What I am calling a defect is like a third leg or two heads or zero organs, something that will prevent the chicken from living a normal life.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t care if they go broody or not, that doesn’t bother me. What I am calling a defect is like a third leg or two heads or zero organs, something that will prevent the chicken from living a normal life.

I'd call those defects too. Something that severe is highly unlikely to happen. With living animals you can never say never, anything can happen, but don't worry about that. Most of us that breed siblings or parents to offspring don't see that kind of stuff. I never have.