- May 13, 2008
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Quote:
I'm know that's true, genetic issues get really complex. I have to wonder though, how deep you really need to get? Basics selective breeding is keeping the best ones, and breeding them, then keep the best and breed those, and so on. If you have brown egg layers bred to brown egg layers, you're gonna get more brown egg layers. It doesn't matter that you don't know exactly what gene controls the brown pigment.
A lot of people, throughout history, have successfully bred animals for the traits they wanted, and developed a good, strong, stable breed, without knowing all that. Good breeding was being done before DNA was ever discovered.
Seems to me that one of the problems of our advanced scientific knowledge is the tendency to over analyze and micromanage every little thing.
Most of us who lean toward the sustainable poultry, accept that we won't have the super fast growers or the super producing egg layers. What we will have, or what we hope for, (this is my personal hope, others may have a different take on this) is a healthy line of birds that make a reasonably sized table bird in 16-20 weeks, and hens that lay a reasonable number of eggs. They don't have to set records.
A lot of people (and I'm not saying you are one of them, I know almost nothing about you) have bought into the idea that everything has to be the biggest, the fastest, the most, etc. The concept of "enough" has gotten lost. Our health and our environment, and our wallets have shown the real cost of all this. I, and many others, are saying "enough", is good enough.
The idea of breeding the X's down a little, and getting a reasonably good, sustainable meat bird has great appeal, to me. I'm wanting to try it, along with my other experiments.
Yes exactly very well said, good points one and all. and I am trying that same approach with the emphasis on meat quality at a later age.
Good to hear you guy's are working with breeder stock with your Buck's.
AL
I'm know that's true, genetic issues get really complex. I have to wonder though, how deep you really need to get? Basics selective breeding is keeping the best ones, and breeding them, then keep the best and breed those, and so on. If you have brown egg layers bred to brown egg layers, you're gonna get more brown egg layers. It doesn't matter that you don't know exactly what gene controls the brown pigment.
A lot of people, throughout history, have successfully bred animals for the traits they wanted, and developed a good, strong, stable breed, without knowing all that. Good breeding was being done before DNA was ever discovered.
Seems to me that one of the problems of our advanced scientific knowledge is the tendency to over analyze and micromanage every little thing.
Most of us who lean toward the sustainable poultry, accept that we won't have the super fast growers or the super producing egg layers. What we will have, or what we hope for, (this is my personal hope, others may have a different take on this) is a healthy line of birds that make a reasonably sized table bird in 16-20 weeks, and hens that lay a reasonable number of eggs. They don't have to set records.
A lot of people (and I'm not saying you are one of them, I know almost nothing about you) have bought into the idea that everything has to be the biggest, the fastest, the most, etc. The concept of "enough" has gotten lost. Our health and our environment, and our wallets have shown the real cost of all this. I, and many others, are saying "enough", is good enough.
The idea of breeding the X's down a little, and getting a reasonably good, sustainable meat bird has great appeal, to me. I'm wanting to try it, along with my other experiments.
Yes exactly very well said, good points one and all. and I am trying that same approach with the emphasis on meat quality at a later age.
Good to hear you guy's are working with breeder stock with your Buck's.
AL
