Project Genetics ?????

[Christie Rhae]

I think you did a decent job of explaining.. I know nothing about breeding dogs and I vaguely followed...lol



note:
Henke69 is a genetics genius.

 

[CrownJewelDanes]

Quote:
Actually, chickens and danes have just about the same life span, bigger dogs dont live as long as the little ones.

Actually while this may be true for other giant breeds, and used to be true about Great Danes, this is not the case anymore. Well I should say that depending on the genetics and nutrition it's not the case anymore. If bred ethically and bred with health as a number one concern Danes can live just about as long as smal breeds. In my breeding program and many other breeders I know, healthand temperament is the number one concern, with conformation and color being next. My Danes and many other lines typically live for between 10-12 years and a few to 13. The focus in the breed over the past 20yrs has been ( among many other things) on health and as a breed we have made tremendous strides. But sadly, as with everything else, there people breeding who either breed for the wrong reasons or who don't have an understanding of the breed itself, breeding haphazardly. So the results are still those Danes that don't live long etc. As a side note ....you would know I would join a chicken site and end up talking about Danes, and I've dragged other people down with me ....so typical of me . Sorry Rebekah

Ok let me amend my last post. I THOUGHT I knew how long chickens lived but being the paranoid weirdo I am I searched the list to make sure I was right..WRONG !!!!! HS ( abbrev. for a colorful two words ) I thought chickens lived for around 8 yrs or so. There were posts talking about chickens living for 15-20 yrs !!!! Don't get me wrong I think it's great but DANG !!!!! They don't just live longer than big dogs they live longer than all dogs and cats, and a few other species I can think of hahahaha. Rebekah

 

[CrownJewelDanes]

Well, just remember, chickens have shorter life spans than dogs.

Not only that, it's a lot easier to keep 50 chickens than 50 dogs. Thus, you can get results much faster.

I was with ya' on this one until I saw post from people saying they have chicken that are 17 and other that say they live 15-20 yrs. . I mean I know this may sound horrible, but if all chickens live that long my ideas about a breeding program just changed drastically . Well I suppose I could just build an old folks retirement coop .....ok as a nurse with a seriously twisted sense of humor my mind is now going to bogus places that would most likely offend a few so I'll stop with retirement coop Rebekah

 

[farmerChef]

All of my great danes have been rescues from people that got Danes and didnt realize how big they get. Our first was a from a breeder(not a great one), he had seizures and a thyriod problem, he had to be put down at 7 because his heart enlarged to the size of a football.

Our current dane black with white, but not enough to be called mantle IMO, he doesnt have a collar and all of his feet aren't white. He would also be considered "pet qaulity" because he is a little barrel chested and cow hocked, but we love him. His name is Hootie, short for the name Houdinai (sp?) that was given to him by the shelter, the owners didnt have a good fence. He is about 6-7 years old.

Some people have chickes that are 8+ years old. I think the average lifespan for a chicken is 8-10 years.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Oh good grief you mean I am stuck with some of these girls of mine for 8 more years? lol.. They are long past laying eggs I assume by that time?

Ok but here is the thing...one hen can produce a 100-200 offspring in a year and it only takes those chicks 6 months to be able to reproduce so the life cycle is definitely different than dogs. Wait..dogs can reproduce in 6 months can't they? lol
Ok lets just leave it at... it is a lot easier to keep 50 chickens than 50 dogs. Everyone will agree on that right?

 

[CrownJewelDanes]

All of my great danes have been rescues from people that got Danes and didnt realize how big they get. Our first was a from a breeder(not a great one), he had seizures and a thyriod problem, he had to be put down at 7 because his heart enlarged to the size of a football.

Our current dane black with white, but not enough to be called mantle IMO, he doesnt have a collar and all of his feet aren't white. He would also be considered "pet qaulity" because he is a little barrel chested and cow hocked, but we love him. His name is Hootie, short for the name Houdinai (sp?) that was given to him by the shelter, the owners didnt have a good fence. He is about 6-7 years old.

Some people have chickes that are 8+ years old. I think the average lifespan for a chicken is 8-10 years.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Dilated Cardiomyopathy can be an issue with giant breeds. That's why when breeders don't health test they severely increase the chances of this kind of thing. Granted health testing can only tell us what the dog doesn't have, but can't tell us what it may carry. Every dog or animal for the matter carries for a number of genetic defects. It's only when unknowingly bred to another that carries the same defect do we find out the animal was a carrier of xyz defect. This is why it is vital that a breeder know the animals and background of those animals in the pedigree, and health test. But just as importantly breeders need to be responsible for what they produce, and not just from a genetic stand point. As a breeder I am 100% responsible for the life I create from the time of its conception to the time of its last breath. If I place a puppy in a home and time passes and the owner doesn't want the dog for whatever reason I always take the dog back. But I sincerely applaud you for rescuing. I work with various rescues to rehome Danes from various situations ( most not good). It takes a truly giving and strong person to rescue because more times tha not the dogs have either Heath problems or temperament issues or both. However the are exceptions. But if you ever have any Dane questions I'm happy to be of help if I can be. Rebekah

 

[CrownJewelDanes]

Oh good grief you mean I am stuck with some of these girls of mine for 8 more years? lol.. They are long past laying eggs I assume by that time?

Ok but here is the thing...one hen can produce a 100-200 offspring in a year and it only takes those chicks 6 months to be able to reproduce so the life cycle is definitely different than dogs. Wait..dogs can reproduce in 6 months can't they? lol
Ok lets just leave it at... it is a lot easier to keep 50 chickens than 50 dogs. Everyone will agree on that right? < id="yui_3_4_1_2_1335027561582_163" src="https://www.backyardchickens.com/styles/byc-smilies/lau.gif" />

True but after about the first 50 puppies I'm pretty sure her uterus would pretty much fall out .....you're right 50 chickens easier than 50 dogs .....

 

[farmerChef]

We were also offered a deaf/blind white dane puppy a year or 2 ago, but would have been more care than we where able to give, even with my mom working at the vet.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: A FEW chickens live that long, but not many. 10-12 is usually considered a quite long life for a chicken. Some breeds and lines typically do not live that long.

 

[farmerChef]

A FEW chickens live that long, but not many.  10-12 is usually considered a quite long life for a chicken.  Some breeds and lines typically do not live that long.

I think the average lifespan for a hatchery bred chicken is 4-5 years. They are bred for egg production more than anything. Hens egg production can drop 5v15% every year. I've heard egg "farms" kept their hens for about 2 years, when you have 10,000 or so hens, 5-15% drop is noticable.