Need some friendly advice on breeding, new

[FnWeirdo]

hello all

i need some help pointing me in the right direction to start my research. I've never bred animals next spring will be my first so i want to gain some knowledge over the winter to prepare myself. I've tried looking into it a bit but it all looked like a foreign language so far. so I'm looking for some intro level reading.

a little about my flock, i have 5 new hampshire hens currently laying. ( my neighbor has a quality NH rooster that we will be breeding our reds with) in my brooder i have 4 cochin sexed chicks so those should be hens. i plan on using the cochins(4 different colors) to brood my chickens and other fowl i plan on getting. and then i have 3 black australorps 1 i believe is a Roo they are just about to get introduced to the flock.

so heres a question i have in my head. what would happen if i breed that black australorp Roo with lets say a white standard cochin hen. what things would need to be known to answer this question? color? what genetic factors are out there that i would need to familiarize myself with? i guess what I'm asking is someone to answer that question and give me a little breakdown on why the answer? would help me jump start my research thanks.

appreciate any answers thanks a lot BYC

 

[Sneebsey]

Your Cochins ought to be recessive white, which is very good at hiding any pigment. With that in mind, take away that white, and underneath those hens could be anything. The Extended Black your Aussie boy has is fairly dominant over other e-series, therefore in theory, you will see black offspring, possibly with leakage, (where ground colour, either gold or silver, shows through) however because we don't know what's hiding under that white, it's impossible to know how the offspring may turn out. She could have genes that dilute black, such as blue, dun, or dominant white, all of which would have an effect on the offsprings' colour.

It's great that you are researching your breeding. What are your planned goals? Unfortunately, I'm not with my computer right now, but tomorrow evening I shall try and post some links for you to read through.

 

[FnWeirdo]

my goals are mostly utilitarian. i want good dual purpose birds with a more docile nature ( kid on the way and lots of nephews and the like). i need cold hardy, general health hardiness is definitely a goal, winter laying is a definite plus because we have long winters. aesthetics aren't very important to me but the wife likes to watch them and appreciates the patterns and such.

so heres what makes me wonder about australorps and cochins... they are both very docile and are handled easily, they both are bigger birds, they both are suppose to be good layers in the winter and both cold hardy. all of these traits appeal to me. now australorps from my understanding were bred with egg laying in mind when they were developed. while on the other hand cochins have been bred for ornamental purposes but use to be good layers other then the broody constantly happening. so i wonder if i can get the size and maybee feathered feet of the cochin with some of that outstanding egg laying of the australorp? idk whats realistic for goals yet though. so i can't really completely say.

i do plan on getting different breeds and plan on selling eggs " already sell my extras and have others wanting the farm fresh eggs" and i might be interested in breeding to sell in the future. i got lots of land and plan on a lot of animals. we started our little " homestead" last year

 

[FnWeirdo]

hey btw thanks for the response and yes i would love some links. id say I'm not a dumb man a little on the intellectual side but my problem right now is the information out there that I'm finding all assumes you know the basics. like you speak of recessive white up there and extended black and such. i can guess what that means but id most likely get it wrong. a point in the direction of some information on what makes these color genes dominant or recessive? unless there is something i need to research before i can get to what those mean lol. also anyone out there i wouldn't mind private messages on the subject I'm more then willing to listen and learn, idc how long winded ill still read with avid interest.

thanks much BYC

 

[Sneebsey]

@FnWeirdo , I have similar goals with my flock. I am working towards large, productive 'farm birds', but also enjoy the aesthetics and trying to breed in as many unusual genes as I can. Here's my 'recommended reading' for you. Hopefully these will help you out.

Genetics Mini-Series from Scratch Cradle. Great introduction to the basics in several short 'lessons', each focusing on a different area.

Poultry Genetics for Exhibition Breeders. A little more in-depth, with great diagrams and images.

Poultry Genetics for the Non-Professional. Focuses more on the scientific aspect of genetics.

Genetics of Chicken Colours and Chicken Quest. The essay is simple, but is great as an 'index' of genes for use with the genetics calculator. The latter is a fantastic resource that will estimate the result of a pairing.

 

[FnWeirdo]

thanks a thousand, starting to read on that first one, and this looks a lot more beginner friendly. actually breaks things down rather then saying things matter a factly without an explination.

 

[Folly's place]

Okay, I'm confused. Recessive white should be 'pure' white, hiding nothing, and dominant white is what hides other colors lurking underneath, as I understand it. Am I missing something here?
And, while those NH's are very nice, I'll put in a plug for white Chanteclers, very nice cold weather dual purpose birds.
Mary

 

[FnWeirdo]

idk yet my understanding isn't there yet XD i will say those links above have a ton of info I'm sure its in there XD I'm still reading about egg colors in there fascinating stuff.

just looked up those chanteclers, looks like a very hardy breed one with focus on long harsh winters. thanks for the mention definitely adding these girls to my wish list.

 

[FnWeirdo]

hey folly's place. do you breed this bird at all? i wouldn't mind getting my hands on a few after the winter

 

[Folly's place]

I try! My stock comes from Cackle hatchery, and has been decent, especially for hatchery birds. Solo, my avatar, matured at 8.5 lbs, a nice weight.
Hopefully there will be chicks, or hatching eggs, or a chance to split a Cackle order, come spring. I like to order early, and get chicks no sooner than April.
Mary