Old and Rare Breeds

[saladin]

Quote:

The age old practise of Grading works well if you have patience and time (5-7 generations).

It is much better to practise good grading than to let breed become to genetically narrow.

 

[hallerlake]

Could you please explain grading to me? It sounds like a breeding plan.

I found a thread on breeding I'm reading.


Quote:

The age old practise of Grading works well if you have patience and time (5-7 generations).

It is much better to practise good grading than to let breed become to genetically narrow.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:

The age old practise of Grading works well if you have patience and time (5-7 generations).

It is much better to practise good grading than to let breed become to genetically narrow.

So, for instance, if I wanted to increase the size of my Brabanters, I would introduce a big rooster of some other kind one year, and go back to whatever breeding method I'm using for 6 or 8 generations. Right?

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
Not just any large rooster, and really it's a large hen you will need as the hen tends to be the main contributor to size in a line of fowl. And not just any large hen either. You need to research the breed you want to work with and find out what breeds were used to create it. Pick a large hen from one of those breeds. Kill the cocks produced, keep the biggest hens to breed back to your original cock, and so forth.

 

[hallerlake]

Well, since my eggs were just shipped today, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I need to hatch and raise these before I start improving the breed.

Quote:
Not just any large rooster, and really it's a large hen you will need as the hen tends to be the main contributor to size in a line of fowl. And not just any large hen either. You need to research the breed you want to work with and find out what breeds were used to create it. Pick a large hen from one of those breeds. Kill the cocks produced, keep the biggest hens to breed back to your original cock, and so forth.

 

[saladin]

longtails is absolutely correct: the old adage is "Keep your male line pure."

Choose a large hen(s) and mate them to you pure cock. Of the chicks:
1. Kill all cockerels.
2. Keep the best typed pullets.

Do this for 5-7 generations.

It is easiest to work with a breed that has some of the same characteristics as the breed you are wanting to produce: however, this is not necessary, but does make the whole process easier.

 

[hallerlake]

Since the breeds used to recreate Brabanters are even scarcer than Brabanters, it would have to be some other breed. Thank you for all this expert advice.


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[mame1616]

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So, with each generation, you are breeding the cock to first, his daughter, then his granddaughter, then his great-granddaughter, etc?

 

[gallorojo]

Not necessarily... You just have to keep breeding the grade females back to a pure male, does not have to be their father or any relation.

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
So, with each generation, you are breeding the cock to first, his daughter, then his granddaughter, then his great-granddaughter, etc?

The bit that I would add to this breeding plan is to keep the pure breed going in both sexes. The purebreds can be selected and hopefully improved along the way while the original cross is being constantly bred back to pure males each generation. Most people don't keep many or even enough males and the original male or males may not last the number of generations required in the grading up scheme. So you have to breed some of them too.