Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[tinychicky]

Very interesting! How many of each breed did you start with? How do you cull what you don't want?

Hi there, I've been taking a break from internet and just saw this! That's a good question. To be honest, I don't really manage the culling. Natural selection takes care of a lot of it- any bird that is in less than perfect physical condition is not likely to make it in my predator dense area. I have occasionally sold and given birds away (usually chicks, extra cockerels, and very rarely hens). I started out with 1-2 of each breed and make an effort to add in some new blood every few years from game breeds.
I think if the goal is to create a sort of "landrace" it can be a pitfall to overmanage. What survives gets to reproduce and that is the best way to ensure vigorous, locally adapted, hearty birds. I like the chickens for their innate talents- a few eggs, tick control, manure for my garden- and have little desire to change their productivity! If I wanted lots of eggs or huge carcasses, I would purchase some production reds and cornish crosses.

 

[Appalachickens]

Hi there, I've been taking a break from internet and just saw this! That's a good question. To be honest, I don't really manage the culling. Natural selection takes care of a lot of it- any bird that is in less than perfect physical condition is not likely to make it in my predator dense area. I have occasionally sold and given birds away (usually chicks, extra cockerels, and very rarely hens). I started out with 1-2 of each breed and make an effort to add in some new blood every few years from game breeds.
I think if the goal is to create a sort of "landrace" it can be a pitfall to overmanage. What survives gets to reproduce and that is the best way to ensure vigorous, locally adapted, hearty birds. I like the chickens for their innate talents- a few eggs, tick control, manure for my garden- and have little desire to change their productivity! If I wanted lots of eggs or huge carcasses, I would purchase some production reds and cornish crosses.

Do you ever see yourself letting them be entirely free-range (forest chickens)? I'm really interested in that idea. letting them roost in trees, and not having to have a coop for them.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I'm going to introduce these new chicks to the rafters of my shed/garage and hope they continue to use it. Much like a tree, but more protected from nocturnal predators as well as weather.

If it works, I would eventually transition the rest to the same roosting area.

I think once I have the population established, it's time to step back and let nature take its course. At that point it becomes a long term adaptation project, although I doubt it would ever be a truly feral flock. There are no nearby unrelated flocks to exchange genes with, so they would always be reliant on humans to bring in new bloodlines.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Hopefully getting rid of three cockerels today. I found out there's a sort of informal animal auction in town and I'm going to check it out.

I still have six of their brothers and their dad, not to mention the chicks.

I noticed that the game boys are rather precocious compared to the domestics. One keeps trying to jump his sisters, and he's only 4 weeks old.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Hopefully getting rid of three cockerels today. I found out there's a sort of informal animal auction in town and I'm going to check it out.

I still have six of their brothers and their dad, not to mention the chicks.

I noticed that the game boys are rather precocious compared to the domestics. One keeps trying to jump his sisters, and he's only 4 weeks old.

He's got game!

 

[LaurenRitz]

He's got game!

And then some.

Moderation, buddy! And word to the wise, if she can squash you flat by stepping on you, I wouldn't suggest you try.

 

[LaurenRitz]

The babies are easily flying up 3-4 feet, but not wanting to fly down. Currently six weeks old. Since no other chicks are behind them, I can leave them in the brooder for a while longer.

Two disappeared, so I'm down to 13.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I'm satisfied with the size of the Dorking/Sussex, although I didn't realize they would be white. One doesn't like to fly. I think she already realizes she's too big. I've been feeding them in the upper brooder, so she does fly to get to the food.

The rest are easily flying to the upper brooder (about 4 feet) without assistance, so I may try introducing them to their new roosting spot this week.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Maybe I missed this but does anyone know what EEs are usually made of? Asking because since I cut everyone loose during the day my EEs seem to be the bravest and best foragers…one even toddles off by herself where no one else dares to go. Which might be the end of her but makes me curious. I always thought there was some Leghorn in them but maybe it depends where you get them? And I have no idea where this one came from. Or the others for that matter. Not sure how to even tell. One has particularly good Wheaten sort of coloring but the other two are orangey. I’m not a chicken genetics expert just wondered if anyone has experience using them in their landrace project.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe I missed this but does anyone know what EEs are usually made of? Asking because since I cut everyone loose during the day my EEs seem to be the bravest and best foragers…one even toddles off by herself where no one else dares to go. Which might be the end of her but makes me curious. I always thought there was some Leghorn in them but maybe it depends where you get them? And I have no idea where this one came from. Or the others for that matter. Not sure how to even tell. One has particularly good Wheaten sort of coloring but the other two are orangey. I’m not a chicken genetics expert just wondered if anyone has experience using them in their landrace project.

I think by now, most of the hatchery Easter Eggers just come from breeding EE to EE for multiple generations. If the hatchery once gets a flock that are pure for the blue egg gene and lay well, it makes sense to just keep breeding from them. Or almost pure for the blue egg gene, given the usual disclaimers about a few laying brown eggs.

Based on the general appearance, I think there was some Ameraucana in the background of many of them (pea comb, muff/beard). I would not be surprised if some hatcheries mixed in breeds that lay well at some point in the past, maybe Leghorn to keep the egg color closer to blue than green, or maybe something like a Rhode Island Red or any of the Sexlinks. But I think that was probably quite a while back for most of them.

I'm seeing some Easter Eggers listed now that are obviously a bit different: single combs and crests from Cream Legbar ancestry, specific feather colors, and so forth. For them, I would make guesses based on what traits they show, but it would still come down to guessing.

If you want birds that are generally healthy and good layers but not heavily selected for any particular cosmetic traits and probably not too inbred, they certainly might be a good starting point.