Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[LaurenRitz]

Oh I thought you had 3 males . I would start with the one you have no problem getting rid of. See if that changes flock dynamics.
If not pick the next.
How many hens?

25 hens

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

My 2 cents, given what the goals of our projects in this thread are and from years of my experience with interfering with the social order, is this: don’t.

Whenever I try to pick the genetic winners to control how my flock progresses against the option of letting natural selection happen on the farmyard, I weaken the flock. I’ve seen it play out too many times.

Your senior rooster should be able to decisively whip the young one. If he can’t, the young one may be the stronger one. If he topples the old rooster and his competition from other stags, he’ll undergo a rapid maturation process and become the new dominant cock.

Roosters fight in a state of nature for a purpose; to let the strongest rooster do most of the breeding. I’d say you got to let that happen.

Is there a risk of losing them both? Yes. Have a backup penned and ready to be released should both the young stag and the old cock mortally wound each other. But that’s the nature of these beasts quite literally. The strongest needs to survive and make your next generation of chicks.

 

[Perris]

Fwiw, I agree with Florida Bullfrog.

I'd add that the hens have a say in whose genes go forward too. It's not just about males competing with each other; it's also about which one each female prefers to fertilize her eggs. Leaving it to nature encourages diversity and diversity enhances survival for the species.