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Hi
Hi
My first objective would be to read the standard and select a line of dark egg laying birds that fits the standard as near as possible. Check with the breeder on how the line was bred. Some breeders do flock mating where one or two males cover several females so that there would be genetic diversity. A male from the same line could be purchased from a different breeder. The selection of a male is really important because you can see what color egg the female produces but can only see what his daughters lay. The egg color can be lost in one generation.
I would buy some chicks if possible, eggs are cheaper but a lot won't hatch. Each chick will be different and it's up to you to learn what strong or weak points each chick has. Breed the best females to the male and once again study the chicks. It's at this point that you would split the chicks into two groups. In the next generation breed the female chicks to the grandfather and the male chick to the mother. The next generation the great grand daughter back to the great grandfather, the grand son to the grandmother and so on. Select the best birds for breeding in each generation. If one line has an asset that the other doesn't you can borrow a bird to help the other line out. If you have two lines you can use one line with the other line so that your birds won't get in bred. The important thing is to study your birds and keep notes, learn everything you can about your birds. It will pay in the end.
Bev
But i have a small bias in this area.
