is it true that EVERY breed a hatchery provides is bred for production?

[froggyphore]

i know it makes sense for standard breeds like orpingtons and wyandottes, but i really don’t see the business sense in breeding something like a japanese bantam or d’uccles for egg production? no one is buying those birds for egg volume, they’re buying them for the look or companionship. i know most hatcheries will have unshowable birds but is it true that they breed every breed for egg production? tyia

edit: i’m realizing now, is the high egg production itself a goal or just a way for them to get a lot of viable eggs from their breeding stock?

 

[nuthatched]

No, not really. But the production numbers any hatchery says are over stated.

 

[AgnesGray]

I think the main difference between hatcheries and breeders is the end goal. Hatcheries want to hatch as many as possible, so getting more eggs from every breed is desirable. Breeders can breed for many reasons and I've had people ask me what criteria I use to select breeding birds. It can be for the looks, personalities, size, eggs laid, or whatever a breeder wants to focus on.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

i know it makes sense for standard breeds like orpingtons and wyandottes, but i really don’t see the business sense in breeding something like a japanese bantam or d’uccles for egg production? no one is buying those birds for egg volume, they’re buying them for the look or companionship. i know most hatcheries will have unshowable birds but is it true that they breed every breed for egg production? tyia

edit: i’m realizing now, is the high egg production itself a goal or just a way for them to get a lot of viable eggs from their breeding stock?

Hatcheries offer breeds based on market popularity. While egg production is often at the top of the list for desired qualities in a chicken, breeds that offer aesthetics and are smaller are also becoming fairly popular. To increase the bottom dollar having breeds that lay more per chicken would make sense to focus on, but in a capitalist market it's easy for them compensate for the lack of production by offering the "rarer" breeds and those that lay less at higher prices.

 

[NatJ]

i know most hatcheries will have unshowable birds but is it true that they breed every breed for egg production?

Well, sort of. I think more likely a side effect of how hatcheries work, rather than a deliberate choice.

edit: i’m realizing now, is the high egg production itself a goal or just a way for them to get a lot of viable eggs from their breeding stock?

I think they would want higher production because of having more eggs to hatch from the same size breeder flock, or the same number of eggs from a smaller flock. But I would not expect them to do anything like tracking the egg laying of each hen to find the best, because that is a lot of work.

But if they hatch all the replacement chicks in a single week, they are more likely to get two daughters from a good layer, one from a poor layer, and none from the hen that quit laying because she's broody. So over time this shifts the flock in the direction of higher production and lower broodiness.

Producing the new breeder flock in just one hatch makes management easier because the chicks are all the same age, which is the main reason I would expect them to do it. It also slows the rate of inbreeding because they get a few chicks from each hen, rather than many chicks from just one or two hens. And, over a period of years, it does select for better laying ability, although slowly enough that you probably won't notice the difference from one year to the next.

 

[HappyClucker7]

No, hatcheries don't breed solely for egg production. If you get a D'Uccle from a hatchery, it will technically be the same as a D'Uccle from a breeder in terms of egg production and things like that.
What separates a hatchery from a breeder is the quality of the bird. If you go to a good, reputable breeder, you'll get birds that fit the standard of perfection (SOP) for their breed. If you go to a hatchery, you'll get birds that make fine pets, but aren't bred to fit the SOP. Sometimes, depending on the hatchery, you'll get birds that are genetically weaker as well, since hatcheries aren't necessarily breed strong, healthy birds.
So essentially, breeders breed for quality, hatcheries breed for quantity. But they are not turning ornamental breeds into production breeds or anything like that.

 

[All4Eggz]

False. Definitely not EVERY breed. Some are bred for ornamental beauty. Some are bread more for meat. Usually they have descriptions on productiveness and what a breed was breed for.