I think everyone has their own idea as to production line vs. show line. Curious how anyone else looks at it? I grew up that production lines were selected for. egg production Feed efficiency health show lines were for: looks only, & that changes w/breeders opinions. Good news is physical characteristics are highly heritable whereas production characteristics aren't. (I started this thread because I didn't want to hijack another thread on another subject.)
Production - Bred only for high egg production, usually for the first 2 years or less Rarely regards to weight, temperament, lifespan Broodiness is bred out to maintain production height Gamey behavior is bred out to allow large amount of birds in a small area without quarrel/death Show/Heritage/True Type - Bred for APA SOP (standard of perfection; looks AND weight of the bird) Bred for decent to great temperament (owner must be able to show bird, handle bird, sell bird without problems) Egg production AND color depends on the breed. Some breeds, specifically in the breed standard and/or history need high, moderate, or low production. Some need a certain color, darkness of color, or shape/size of egg. Most have a longer production span though, regardless of how many eggs they lay per year. Behaviors like broodiness, gamefowl traits kept in the desired breed I have no problem with either of the two, they both have their pros. Both would ruin the poultry industry if they failed. Without production birds we wouldn't have mass production of hatchery birds and/or store bought eggs. Without show quality birds we would not have preservation of a breed, a good example of a breed, or simply. . . The breed type. Production breeding certainly can't give me gamefowl, heritage breeds, or dual purpose breeds.
My definition of productive is a combination of egg productivity, longevity of lay (years of productivity) and occasional, but not excessive, broodiness to reproduce the same kind of progeny. I like a chicken that lays every day in peak production and every other day in non-peak production times with the occasional slower production during the winter months and shutdown for broody times, of course. If I were a commercial grower, it would be a different standard, I'm sure. As it is, I like a bird that is heavy and meaty so that retired layers can be also used for meat, thrifty on feed and forages well, hardy to the max in all weathers and a good level of wariness to avoid death from above. It doesn't really do any good to have a hen that lays eggs like a production line but can't avoid getting killed by hawks, cannot pass on her lines, or gets ill and dies~ so that I have to keep spending money to replace her. Eats into any profits one may have gained to have to replace the flock all the time.
