Mixing Heritage Breeds

[Alas]

I have a Narragansett tom and want to get a few hens. Checking into buying some and everyone wants you to order a minimum of 15, which is way more than I need. I'm just looking to keep a few free range around the yard and maybe hatch eggs to raise a few for the table. I can find other heritage breeds close by where I can just get a few. My question is: does mixing the breeds really affect the resulting bird other than it not being "pure" breed? I hate to mix, knowing that the breeds are somewhat endangered, but if its for pets/dinner does it really matter?

 

[syble]

for dinner, no it really doesn't matter, but you have to be responsible with them, even if it turns out to look like 1 or the other parent, make sure you don't sell off spring to anyone who would try to breed it pure again. Have you tried posting for a mature hen in the want section and having in shipped to you?
Sib

 

[Alas]

I definitely wouldnt list a mixed breed as a pure breed. Actually, the more I look at him, I think he may be a bit of a mix himself. His tail has the golden color while the rest of his body looks like a typical Narragansett. If I can figure out how to get a picture up here, I'll do so.

No, I havent listed in the wanteds, but thanks for the idea.

 

[ccrawf]

You might try Craigs list. I've used it with success several times.
I also have some mixed birds. Last year I had a few Bourbon Reds, a SPanish Black Tom and a Blue slate hen.
Some of them turned out Reeds, so I think mom and dad were both Reds.
Some of them turned out Black, so the black was the dad and not sure who mom was.
I also got a few slates, some that looked like real Blue slates and a couple that I call Chocolate slates. The Blue Slate with a redish tinge to the feathers. They look nice.
I also got one tom that I call Stripes. He looks like a Narrangasett. I'm not the gene expert, but seems most of the genes are there, just how they are arranged and which ones are dominant.
THis year I'll put the reds together and keep them for breeding. I'm partial to the reds, liek the temperatment and they taste good. The rest are for eating, either myeslf or others, and no, I don't think it really matters once you take the feathers off them. They are all good.

I'm not trying to create a new breed, just see what looks I can get. Not sure who I'm going to try to cross him with this year. Kind of reminds you of the Mandell Experients with peas from junior high school.

 

[Thomasturkey]

From A Conservation Breeding Handbook
By Carolyn Christman and D. Phillip Sponenberg.

"Some have proposed that genetic conservation can be accomplished by mixing all of the genes of many breeds into a crossbred soup. Theoretically, specific genes and combinations could then be recovered if and when they were needed."

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
With some of the gentically weakened breeds, the soup option may enable conserving at least some of the genes. Many of the critically endangered populations are so weakened by loss of genetic variation that they no longer fully repressent the breed they are considered to repressent.

 

[Alas]

Well, I feel a bit better about mixing them then. Now I just need to find someone local who sells them