Keeping breeds pure?

[Mozelly]

Hello, I have a mixed flock of several breeds. My question is, how important do you think it is to stick to just raising just one pure breed? Are we losing some breeds do to mixing? I see articles that certain breeds are "threatened" or "critical".
Like most poultry folks ,I like'em all and like to have a few of several. As a kid we just had chickens, not a specific breed ,just chickens. I know there are breeders that breed specific breeds.
I figure just leave it to the pros. .......right?

 

[Pinky]

If you want to breed pure and have a mixed flock, just separate the pure breeds when you're ready to hatch some eggs. After they hatch, put them back together.

 

[LoupGarou]

A lot of people around here have mixed flocks. I bought some campines and some welsumers that I plan to keep pure, but the rest of my flock will probably run together. I think that preserving breeds is really important--although I'm more of a stickler for it in dogs (I breed Toy Fox Terriers). I think that people had a reason to create the breeds in the first place--we owe it to ourselves to try to preserve their work and keep ourselves from needing to reinvent the wheel down the road.

(Edited to answer the question more directly)

 

[donrae]

Unless you're buying a rare/endangered bird of nice quality, you're not "losing" anything by allowing a flock to mix. My flock is mostly barred rocks, ee, buff orps, sex-links, and reds. All from hatcheries, all common and very easy to come by. Nothing here worth preserving. I'm letting them interbreed because I like hybrid vigor and I love the different colors/markings that come out.

 

[Arielle]

In animal husbandry classes long ago, I learned that the purpose of good quality purebreds was to furnish stock with predictable qualities specifically for 1) keeping as purebreds, 2) mixing for crossbreds. Each has its purpose. Most farm animals are not used for pets (sorry, this will upset some folks) but for production of a marketable product so that animal is a crossbred. Remember that the sexlink super egg producers are a cross of 2 superbred purebred lines. The hybrid vigor is beneficial in many ways: faster growth, more eggs, better health.

We can choose which way to go! I plan to mix some and others I plan to keep pure. Breeding quality stock takes a dedicated breeder with years of experience. To have the heritage breeds on our farms and in our apartments keeps up a demand for them; a place for the breeders to sell the hatching chicks.Keeping purebred or mixed, we all contribute to the increasing demand for poultry. They are such fun! Even DH sits for a half hour just watching the chickens!!!

 

[33yardbirds]

I got hatchery chicks for the Grandkids and as they grew I thought something wasn't right. They're a production strain of what I thought were what they said by breed. After spending time on BYC I found out I have to search out Heritage Breeders. I will no longer be getting breeds from commercial hatcherys. I got a line on some real RIRs and Speckled Hen sent me some info on some Delaware Breeders. I will not integrate these birds, each breed will have their own coop and run and will alternate free range days. You pay more for Heritage breeds which I don't mind when the birds are true. When I had a flock of Barred Rocks years ago They were huge, the ones I have now are little bigger than Bantams.