New chicken breeder

[carlosbenitezv]

Hello, my name is carlos. Im about to start breeding chickens but i am not sure how many is a good amount for a beginner like me that knows little about domesticating chickens. And i was also wondering if anyone knows of a good chicken anatomy and chicken pathalogy book for beginners, preferably an ebook. Thanks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hi Carlos,
There are good books in this link.
http://www.contextbookshop.com/books/view_books.php?bookcat=3

There are also good anatomy links I can send you if you want.
I would start with a single breed that is adaptable to your climate.
You could also get a variety of breeds so you find characteristics you like.
For serious breeding, less is more when it comes to number of breeds.
When you settle on breed/s you like. Hatch a lot and cull a lot to narrow your flock to your best birds. Avoid inbreeding. Linebreeding is OK.
About 40 birds makes a viable program but fewer is possible.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi Carlos

Glad you could join the flock! ChickenCanoe has left you some great advice and a good link.
I wish you the very best of luck with your breeding in the future.

Enjoy BYC

 

[Pork Pie]

Based on feedback from a number of people without too much experience here in Kenya who started a chicken-based enterprise, I'd suggest beginning small and working forwards towards a business. The two friends I have that started chickens as a business suffered very heavy losses and Im sure it was due to lack of experience.

Start small, learn lots and then go big IMO.

I have a couple of e-books I am happy to send you, just drop me a private message with your email and I'll happily send them to you - they are just general chicken books but there may be something useful.

All the best
Ct

 

[naivetefarm]

Hi Carlos! Welcome! Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good feedback already! I have to say that I'm on with @CTKen 's advice of starting small and building as you go. I'm still rounding the corner to my first year of chicken and duck rearing and while I did a LOT of research before getting them, there has still been quite the learning curve. Seems that doing everything "in practice" is much different than it all "in theory" and experience has certainly been the best teacher! It's also great to seek out people who live in your region for advice that's specific to your climate, too!

When the inevitable questions arise, I've found BYC to be an AMAZING place to find quick, helpful and friendly answers!

Best wishes as you start on your new venture!!

 

[junebuggena]

If you haven't done so already, check out the Learning Center.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

I agree that you need some basic chicken keeping experience before you jump into a breeding program.

 

[carlosbenitezv]

Great responses. Thank everyone. My intentions are to actually breed chicken for a bussines purpose here in Mexico. There seems to be a huge lack supply of chickens and a huge demand as well in this little town i live in. So i thought i take advantafe the opportunity. I dont want to get ahead of myself and lose out somehow, so CTkens post is very helpful to know. There happens to be a veterinarian in town so i think i might get together with him and talk about nutrients and medicine as well as read those books recomended so far and take a look at the learning center. Thanks everyone!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. I hope your business will be very successful.

 

[junebuggena]

Great responses. Thank everyone. My intentions are to actually breed chicken for a bussines purpose here in Mexico. There seems to be a huge lack supply of chickens and a huge demand as well in this little town i live in. So i thought i take advantafe the opportunity. I dont want to get ahead of myself and lose out somehow, so CTkens post is very helpful to know. There happens to be a veterinarian in town so i think i might get together with him and talk about nutrients and medicine as well as read those books recomended so far and take a look at the learning center. Thanks everyone!

Since your in Mexico, it might be wise to avoid the heavy, dual-purpose breeds and focus more the lighter built Mediterranean breeds like Leghorns and Andalusians. They can tolerate heat better and will have a better feed to production rate. If most people buying your birds will be keeping them in free-range type setups, then stay away from the White Leghorns. Their bright white coloring makes them magnates for predators. You could even breed your own black sexlinks using Barred Holland hens and a Brown Leghorn rooster.