Quote:
Some might think you are being awfully fussy but the reasons given for culling seem to be sound, especially those who are not growing at the same pace as the majority. You might end up with very few to start with but selecting against that kind of thing at the start might pay off in the long run. Hopefully you will have at least a couple different males and some good quality females to go on with. Do you know anything definite about the overall quality of Ideal's adults or where their own stuff originates from? Sometimes, especially when a breed isn't overly popular, it's just a case of getting them from whoever has them.
Quote:
Some might think you are being awfully fussy but the reasons given for culling seem to be sound, especially those who are not growing at the same pace as the majority. You might end up with very few to start with but selecting against that kind of thing at the start might pay off in the long run. Hopefully you will have at least a couple different males and some good quality females to go on with. Do you know anything definite about the overall quality of Ideal's adults or where their own stuff originates from? Sometimes, especially when a breed isn't overly popular, it's just a case of getting them from whoever has them.
Hi Hillside
I am a very firm believer in culling out all that are not fit for the breeding pens. Honestly I would have culled all of them and started over with stock from somewere else if none had the correct comb. The 4 males I still have left have very nice combs and at some point I will cull 2 of these keeping the best 2 for the breeding pens. I believe the only way to improve your breeding flock is to only breed the very best to the very best you have. If there were 3 or 4 females that was a little smaller than the rest I would not have culled them but the one I culled was very small and not very active like the rest of them. I order 25 so I could cull down to 2 males and around 8 to10 females. I sent Ideal Poultry a email asking them were their stock came from and they sent me a email back the next day saying that their La Fleche stock came from 3 breeders and they have been breeding ones with the best traits for the past 12 years.
hey! i just joined the small ranks if la fleche owners. i got them today, all healthy and active. im looking forward to raising them. ill try to do pics later
Hi Long Horn, Nothing at all against Ideal but three sources, especially in this breed may very well not mean three or even two lines. I'm not saying it should or has to either. If Ideal has been breeding them from their initial start for 12 years they have developed their own. Main thing is what you end up with and if you like it or not. If you find that you like them but need to strengthen a characteristic or two the birds on the ground will probably matter more than the pedigree. Your own will sure be interesting for me to watch and I appreciate that you are sharing their development with us.